338 lapua

I don't think that anyone makes a "bad" .338. Budget would be the deciding factor. The Savages get rave reviews and the LRH can be had for under a grand. From there you can go all the way up to the Barrett or the Sako or any of a number of custom rifles with prices in the $5k+ range.

Recoil without a brake would be, in a word, "punishing". There's a reason that most all the factory rifles have brakes on them. I think that the Sako TRG is the exception, but the barrel is threaded for one.

At the premium price range that .338LM rifles and ammunition exist in, silencers are also a commonality (and highly recommended for anyone living in a state that does not prohibit their private ownership). Silencers will not only cut down felt recoil, but also drastically reduce the report for both your own sake and the sake of those shooting nearby. A muzzle brake will amplify the report to those adjacent.

I only put a few round through my DTA conversion barrel. Not cheap, but very accurate. I only shot it with the brake, and the gun weighs about 12 pounds, so recoil wasn't too bad. I don't shoot long enough ranges to keep the .338 barrel so I'll be selling it and just sticking with the .308 and .260 barrels.

I would look into the 338 edge if you dont mind a bit of a wildcat. Brass will be MUCH cheaper, so it will be much more friendly on the wallet, yet not sacrifice much performance.

I have shot the DTA with a 26 inch 338 with brake. Brisk recoil with 300g pills, but not bad. Also shot an AICS stocked one that weighed about 18 lbs with a nice brake on it. Quite friendly really, but both are a bit "blasty."

I don't think I would shoot one without a brake lol.

Heck of a round though.

Recoil without a brake would be, in a word, "punishing".

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I have a .338 ultra magnum which is almost identical to the Lapua and I didn't find the recoil to be unpleasant at all when shooting my unbraked Remington 700 AWR from the bench. Then again, it does have a nice recoil pad and I'm over 250 lbs so I'm sure that had something to do with it.

If I were in the market for a Lapua I'd probably go with a Savage, though Remington has a couple of pretty nice looking ones as well.

redbullitt said:

I would look into the 338 edge if you dont mind a bit of a wildcat. Brass will be MUCH cheaper, so it will be much more friendly on the wallet, yet not sacrifice much performance.

I have shot the DTA with a 26 inch 338 with brake. Brisk recoil with 300g pills, but not bad. Also shot an AICS stocked one that weighed about 18 lbs with a nice brake on it. Quite friendly really, but both are a bit "blasty."

I don't think I would shoot one without a brake lol.

Heck of a round though.

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Edge brass might be cheaper, but it's not going to last nearly as long as Lapua brass. How much do you truly save in the long term?

I have been running a Sako TRG 42 for several years and many will agree it's one of the best factory 338LM's out there. I started without a brake and the recoil was quite brisk shooting prone. With the brake it's much more pleasant prone other than the dust signature.

aubie515 said:

Edge brass might be cheaper, but it's not going to last nearly as long as Lapua brass. How much do you truly save in the long term?

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Nosler brass would really be the only choice for the Edge. With Privi Partisan making .338 Lapua brass, the cost difference is negligible.