Thinking of a 338 Lapua...

I would look further into the barrel replacement yourself. 200 bucks seem awful low. Barrels cost more than that for the "lowly" savages and remingtons.

Also, I am somewhat concerned about getting the ATF stamp for the suppressor. I have avoided going down that road thus far and having the ATF watching me is somewhat disconcerting.

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What would your concerns be about that? They aren't going to "watch" you. Generally speaking, the folks who take the trouble to file paperwork and follow the rules aren't the ones who get into trouble. The NFA guys and ladies at the BATFE have a reputation for being the very best and most helpful part of that organization.

I'd PM Zach Smith if you have any questions at all about suppressors in general and certainly their use on long-range precision rifles. He knows a little bit about that.

Oh, and, yes, $200 is a wee bit low to have a gunsmith replace that barrel with the kind you'd want on such a gun (threaded for the 'can, even). It wouldn't be a deal-killer for me, by any stretch, as it sounds like you'll end up with a HECK of a gun and the money doesn't sound like it's an issue.

Those 700 rnds will last awhile but eventually you'll have to 'up' your powder storage. Those 8# kegs take up some room. Outside of the ammo part of the deal, sounds like buying a problem/project. If it's got the parts you want then it's worth it.

If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is....

And 200 bucks for a match grade .338Lapua barrel replacement? I've never seen a .338Lapua rifle in my life, and can tell you that is a complete pipe dream.

I'm still waiting for TC with Warlord in .338 LM, they do have them currently in .308 MSRP at 3K what I like about them is their guaranty to shoot 1/2 MOA. Also the reviews are great as far as I can tell http://www.shootingtimes.com/longgun_reviews/ST_warlord_201004/index.html

I don't know the action type, but assuming a Rem 700, a decent barrel blank will run you $260-$350+ from Brownells. Then you've got the 'smith's time to thread the new one for the 'can, pull the old one, install the new one, and finish-ream the chamber, as well as possibly re-doing the bedding depending on how that was done.

I'd assume at least $500 for that work, at a guess.

CZ model 750 sniper using precision action http://www.impactguns.com/store/806703050010.html

Considering the costs involved, putting in a call to Ops Inc. might not be a bad idea.

If all else fails, buy the gun and sell the ammo to cover your expense. Then you've got a free gun you can piddle with over time Pure win in my opinion. I don't know about you, but ammo that costs $6 a shot is too rich for my taste anyway.

Do you have a long long range to shoot at in company with other monster magnums?
Seem a shame to blast away with a gun like that at the local 100 yard deer hunters' range.
It would annoy the hunters, too.

I assume it is on the big CZ action as used for .416 Rigby (.338 Lap started out as a necked down Rigby.) Probably best to let the original shop rebarrel it. That will not happen for $200 unless it is a prorated guarantee on the original because they felt bad about recommending some witches' brew cleaning. I've seen hydrogen peroxide recommended as an ingredient in some of those brews and it is very powerful when used right and when you are a bit lucky. But H2O2 is an oxidizer and will pit steel if it gets out of control. I suspect that is what happened to this one.

I don't know if $500 would cover a new .338 Lap. barrel and installation, I paid that for a Krieger .223 barrel turned, chambered, and installed. But my .308 Savage Pac-Nor was only $330 ready to install with the simple Savage procedure, so that is probably a reasonable estimate to plan with. So if it is $600, that is not a noticeable percentage increase in the cost of the gun.

Sam1911 said:

What would your concerns be about that? They aren't going to "watch" you. Generally speaking, the folks who take the trouble to file paperwork and follow the rules aren't the ones who get into trouble. The NFA guys and ladies at the BATFE have a reputation for being the very best and most helpful part of that organization.

I'd PM Zach Smith if you have any questions at all about suppressors in general and certainly their use on long-range precision rifles. He knows a little bit about that.

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So if a stamp is required, are you promoting that this individual stray from the law and not purchase one because assumably, the ATF is not going to "watch" him. I doubt the ATF would watch me or even turn a head if I had a Class 3 weapon, but doesn't mean that I'm not going to follow the necessary procedures because of it.
Just think it's interesting that you are a moderator, and shut down another thread which lead into stories of bad occurences with law enforcement; but yet here, you nonchalantly advise someone to ignore the law because, what is out of sight, is out of mind....but maybe being a moderator of THR places you above the law and grants special considerations where the law should be enforced

I don't think Sam was advocating any ignoring of laws.

AZ you read that wrong.

Hey AzBuckFever...

How did you misread that QUITE that badly? I can understand being a little confused, but you were like WWWWWaaaaaayyyyy out of the park on that one.

If you've read much I've ever written, I am a stickler for understanding and following the law, especially the sections of NFA '34 and FOPA '86 that pertain to NFA Title II firearms.

(I could throw in a few hard digs about you calling them "Class 3 weapons" when such a thing doesn't exist ... but that wouldn't be very nice of me, so I won't!)

Seriously, I'm going to laugh at this one as one of the funnier misunderstandings I've seen, but ... WOW. How in the world did you get that out of what I said?

"The mind wobbles..."

TO recap, just in case anyone else is confused by my obtuse prose... "Go ahead and do the paperwork to legally own the suppressor. The folks at the NFA branch of the ATF are very nice and helpful. And, folks who do the paperwork and follow the law don't end up getting in trouble."

Is the pitting external (cosmetic) or inside the barrel? I would contact Ops Inc. if they built the rifle and get the information straight from them. If you're not interested in the can maybe your buddy can find another buyer for it.

Oh, and I suggested the OP contact Zak Smith (spelled Zach...sorry!), a fellow mod, of Thunder Beast Arms (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...sD-yM6i69aH67xlyw&sig2=4FmUxLV_qoUyyG9WICPxpA) -- a SOT2 manufacturer of suppressors!

You can buy an outstanding stainless steel barrel from Krieger for $310 (flutes extra) but you'll most likely end up paying that much or more again to have your friendly gunsmith ream the chamber, set up the correct headspace and install the barrel on your action. I like straight taper barrels and Krieger has some contours with the chamber O.D. extended to 5" rather than the standard 2.75". This could be helpful if you burn the throat out every 1,000 rounds. Your gunsmith could run a reamer in 1/2" or so (whatever is required) to cut a new throat as needed.

You can buy an outstanding stainless steel barrel from Krieger for $310 (flutes extra) but you'll most likely end up paying that much or more again to have your friendly gunsmith ream the chamber, set up the correct headspace and install the barrel on your action. I like straight taper barrels and Krieger has some contours with the chamber O.D. extended to 5" rather than the standard 2.75". This could be helpful if you burn the throat out every 1,000 rounds. You gunsmith could run a reamer in 1/2" or so (whatever is needed).

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That is exactly the route that I would go (save for the SS, which is just not my thing)...and make sure and go with a bare minimum of a 26in. barrel (28" greatly preferred). FWIW, it sounds like one heck of a deal to me.

"...would be about 200 bucks to replace the barrel..." He's confused.
Look into the cost and availability of ammo first. .338 Lapua is very expensive stuff. Runs over $100 per 20 from Midway. Hornady brass runs $31.99 per 20. Most of their offerings are on back order too.

Guess I misread it then. I apologize....

Maverick223 said:

That is exactly the route that I would go (save for the SS, which is just not my thing)

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Mav, you're just weird!!

Maverick223 said:

FWIW, it sounds like one heck of a deal to me.

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One correction re the "heck of a deal" which it is ... the Leupold scope is either a 4.5-14 or 6.5-20 ... somehow I doubt that it's a 4.5-20. Even if a new barrel costs $600 by the time the thing is installed, this is still an excellent deal. I'll admit that if I were building a .338 Lapua from scratch this isn't what I'd build, but as it stands, I think this is a no brainer IF you want a .338 Lapua and IF every other compenent is copesetic. The ammunition alone is worth $$$$$. If you plan to reload, once you've shot the factory ammuntion, you've got a bunch of brass that would cost you $$$$$ too.