Educate a newbie.....

[Afy]

300 Win Mag versus a 338 Lapua versus... pick a caliber.

Which one to get? I am ordering a Sako TRG 42 which around here is a very big deal... >$5K and have a six month wait before it gets delivered.

Typical ranges here do not go beyond 300 meters with 100 being the norm. The chance to shoot at 500+ is limited to under a dozen occaisions a year. And no chance for regular practise.

Ammo... typically $1.3 for factory loads... to about $5.5 for 338 per round.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Unless you just have to have a magnum, why not a .308? It'll shoot fine out to 500 meters, ammo is more affordable, and it recoils a lot less.

The .300 and .338 have a lot of recoil, which can lead to flinching which is hard to cure. As a newbie (in your words), you'll benefit from the lighter recoil of a .308.

If you WANT a magnum by all means buy one, but it may not be the best choice for you at this time.

Hope this helps.

 

[kcmarine]

Yo, dang, man, get tha .308, yo dang.

 

[Afy]

.308 is classified as a Military caliber... so a 6 month to 1 year wait.

Same goes for 30-06, .223 etc. Anything that was used by the army gets classified as a Military caliber...

And thus the rifle would be a year away.

I do have a SHR 970 in 300 Win Mag, which I am finally getting to group sub-MOA at 100 meters. But cant fire more than 30-40 shots a sitting.
Takes too long.. barrell heat and recoil though not unbearable does make me a little sore at times.

 

[possum]

well my dream gun is an Accuracy International trg 42 in 338 Lapua.
so my vote goes for that. but either way you go you will have plenty of range and power to spare. ammo is expensive but if you can afford the rifle i guess you can buy the bullets.

 

[270Win]

Given your range limits, the 338 Lapua is almost wasted - it's always said that it shines best past 1000 yards.

With that in mind, and given the cost of the Lapua rounds, I would go 300 Win Mag.