Razor_J
Member
Hi y’all. I've been shooting for some time now and my favorite bolt rifle is a early model savage 110 in 243 (yes I know that fits in a short action but this model was long action only during the years it was made). It has a Farrell base on it and a Nikon Monarch 4-16 with everything epoxied and lock-tited down. The thing is just darn accurate at 500 yards and I don’t see myself outgrowing its accuracy.
I have a 30-06 and have had a chance to shoot 300win, and 375 H&H. Those rifles are fun to shoot but since I have both received a promotion at work and have been contacted about scholarships for medical school I feel a little reward to myself is in order.
As it stands I travel for business staying a couple months at a time and bring my rifle along. I always end up in small towns in the Midwest and in the Rockies where shooting safely beyond a mile is a possibility. My company covers gas so driving a couple hours out of town to shoot is no skin off my nose.
I have read plenty of arguments about what caliber to get but I am very excited about the 338 Lapua, or one of the Weatherby calibers in 30, 338, or even 375. I do know they are expensive, hard kicking, and take commitment to shoot well. I felt it was important to understand the realities of using a rifle like this and have read as many realistic accounts of ownership of these rifles as possible.
I do not expect to hunt big game at outrageous distances. I am not good enough to do it ethically and I do not harbor any hope, spoken or unspoken, of being able to do so. Stalking is the fun part and though I am a pretty good shot I will not shoot an animal past 250 yards. I also do not secretly pretend/wish to be some benevolent civilian sniper and I do not seek that mystique. I love to shoot, I love the science of ballistics and I enjoy the tactile stimulation of a heavy kick, the dust cloud blasted up, and the impressive concussion wave from touching off one of these beasts.
That being said my choice has come down to a savage 111 in 338LM or a Weatherby in one of the above Weatherby calibers. The savage is going for roughly 1100 right now and my history with savage has been nothing but awesome. I also like the fact that this rifle has a barrel nut and I will enjoy the possibility of an easy barrel swap to a 378 Weatherby parent case sized caliber if the interest strikes me or I wear down the lapua barrel some time in the next 5 years or so. I hear good things about Weatherby and I do see gently used/new but older stock accumarks which are calling me at 2-400 more.
Does anyone think the Weatherby is worth the price? It is stainless (which I prefer) but it would be harder to change barrels on my own. I do not care for the savage 111 stock and would like to get another but there don’t seem to be too many options out there. With the Weatherby I can purchase a nice walnut stock, which I prefer over plastic, but I can also find premium polymer stocks that come with pillars and all that jazz for a superb bedding job which overall gives me more options. For me the detachable magazine of the savage is a moot point. I might use it but I usually single load my bullets. Seeing as I went through all the effort to make the bullet and shell sit true to one another and true to the bore axis I don’t like loading a mag and bouncing the bullet around the inside of the action during the bolt cycle. Thoughts?
I have a 30-06 and have had a chance to shoot 300win, and 375 H&H. Those rifles are fun to shoot but since I have both received a promotion at work and have been contacted about scholarships for medical school I feel a little reward to myself is in order.
As it stands I travel for business staying a couple months at a time and bring my rifle along. I always end up in small towns in the Midwest and in the Rockies where shooting safely beyond a mile is a possibility. My company covers gas so driving a couple hours out of town to shoot is no skin off my nose.
I have read plenty of arguments about what caliber to get but I am very excited about the 338 Lapua, or one of the Weatherby calibers in 30, 338, or even 375. I do know they are expensive, hard kicking, and take commitment to shoot well. I felt it was important to understand the realities of using a rifle like this and have read as many realistic accounts of ownership of these rifles as possible.
I do not expect to hunt big game at outrageous distances. I am not good enough to do it ethically and I do not harbor any hope, spoken or unspoken, of being able to do so. Stalking is the fun part and though I am a pretty good shot I will not shoot an animal past 250 yards. I also do not secretly pretend/wish to be some benevolent civilian sniper and I do not seek that mystique. I love to shoot, I love the science of ballistics and I enjoy the tactile stimulation of a heavy kick, the dust cloud blasted up, and the impressive concussion wave from touching off one of these beasts.
That being said my choice has come down to a savage 111 in 338LM or a Weatherby in one of the above Weatherby calibers. The savage is going for roughly 1100 right now and my history with savage has been nothing but awesome. I also like the fact that this rifle has a barrel nut and I will enjoy the possibility of an easy barrel swap to a 378 Weatherby parent case sized caliber if the interest strikes me or I wear down the lapua barrel some time in the next 5 years or so. I hear good things about Weatherby and I do see gently used/new but older stock accumarks which are calling me at 2-400 more.
Does anyone think the Weatherby is worth the price? It is stainless (which I prefer) but it would be harder to change barrels on my own. I do not care for the savage 111 stock and would like to get another but there don’t seem to be too many options out there. With the Weatherby I can purchase a nice walnut stock, which I prefer over plastic, but I can also find premium polymer stocks that come with pillars and all that jazz for a superb bedding job which overall gives me more options. For me the detachable magazine of the savage is a moot point. I might use it but I usually single load my bullets. Seeing as I went through all the effort to make the bullet and shell sit true to one another and true to the bore axis I don’t like loading a mag and bouncing the bullet around the inside of the action during the bolt cycle. Thoughts?
