Custom .338 Lapua Build - Remington 700 LA Mag

[Shooter2675]

Ok thank you Reynolds. If I were to buy the Remington, get the Lapua, how much money would a smith charge (on average) to bed and blueprint (give each estimate seperate if you can in case I don't want to do both)? Also, would I be better off getting a .300 win mag in the remy or would the Lapua be just as good? (In the remy 700)

[reynolds357]

Lapua VS Win mag is a choice only you can make. To square an action, lap lugs, cut chamber, assemble, and bed; you can expect to pay between $250 to $600. It just all depends on who you use. A good barrel will cost you $400 to $600. Stock, however much you want to spend.
When it is all said and done, more than you will pay for the Armalite.

[Jimro]

Bart B. is correct that the 300 Win Mag had better accuracy with the sniper trials, but we are talking the difference between 0.7 MOA and 0.5 MOA, so the advantage is small but significant enough to notice, and in competition that extra 0.2 MOA is more than enough for the best shooters to abandon one system and go with another.

The real benefit for the 300 Win Mag is in cost of components for making high quality long range loads. Over the life of a barrel, the cost difference in shooting 300 Win Mag over 338 Lapua is basically going to be about the cost of the barrel.

For 1000 yard target shooting, cheap Nosler Custom Competition 175 and 190gr bullets will work very well. The 300 Win Mag can even through the 168s fast enough to avoid the transonic region and get amazing accuracy at 1000.

If you go beyond 1k, out to 1500 meters, then a heavier bullet with known transonic performance will be the better choice. 220 SMK and 230 Berger Hybrid bullets are the best options out there.

If I were building a sniper rifle (again) I would choose the 300 Win Mag (again) over the 338 Lapua. Out to 1500 meters I just don't see any real ballistic advantage to the more expensive round.

Hope this helps.
Jimro

[Shooter2675]

From what I've now read, I'm definitely going to go with the .300, the cost, for one, and I would never be able to shoot at more than 1000 (for now). Also, after looking at my ballistics charts, the win mag wouldn't have much power at 2,000 but has the trajectory to do so.

I think I'm going to go the route of the rem 700 action with a nice barrel (I want a heavy bull, not factory rem), and a nice stock. From what you have said, the custom barrel is the most important and I'm not really wanting to drop $1000 on an action alone. Looking forward to building this gun and testing my shooting abilities!

John

[jehu]

I have a Sako TRG 42 in 300 win and 338 Lapua. The Lapua is a hammer at 1000yds on game the 300win not so much. Look at Sako long range hunter rifle as it comes in 300 & 338L. I shoot both mine suppressed which takes out most of the noise & recoil and the Sako's come with the bbl. already threaded. So if you don't want to bother with bedding,trigger job's and other build problem's then get the Sako which IMO will hang with any custom build.

[Bart B.]

Hunter's measurements:

my previous model 12 savage short action was .0020 off the centerline according to my smith who ended up truing it back to proper specs. ...gained 6 moa back on my windage and 5 moa on my elevation..

What's that two thousandths relative to?

Boltway axis parallel to but offset that much from barrel tenon thread axis?

Boltway axis center at the back relative to receiver outside offset from the barrel tenon thread axis through the receiver center?

.002" off a 6 or 7 inch base line in the receiver axis is only about 1 MOA. Your MOA numbers in elevation and windage mean the scope was off almost 8 MOA. You numbers don't calculate to the 5 and 6 MOA's you had to correct for which means almost an 8 MOA error.

None of my Win. 70's boltway axes are straight with the receiver axis nor barrel tenon thread axis but the receiver faces are square with the tenon thread axis and parallel to the bolt face. A small amount of crooked stuff doesn't matter.

I'd remove that 2" long bedding pad under the barrel and it'll probably shoot more accurate over time. Don't know of any rifle that doesn't start stringing shots vertically after a few are fired a minute apart or faster and the barrel heats up. The expanding chamber area increases the pressure against the bedding pad under it.

[Hunter2678]

Bart, I meant 20 thou off my mistake on the decimal, and yes I also meant the receiver face on that action as well...like I said it brought back a significant amount of windage and elevation to my Zeiss conquest scope that didn't have a lot to give in the first place. I shoot with alot of experienced LR steel shooters and BR shooters during the summer here in Ohio and they are all anal about accuracy stemming from the action/barrel junction, lug contact, proper action screw torque as well as scope alignment and mounting. One of them happens to be the head smith at Kelblys. As you know things being a little off axis are usually off alot at 1000 yds +. We shoot at various sized steel plates at these long distances some as small as 5 inches at 1050 yds. We also shoot the 600 yd BR matches too where you really see how good you are. If you're satisfied with factory actions then more power to you. I'd have no problem owning an older Mod 70 action or rem 40X/700 action myself as they are typically machined properly. But me being the person I am and having owned both newer factory actions and customs prefer custom as long as I can swing it as I feel they offer the shooter more in terms of features & resale. I tend to apply a bench rest approach to my rifle building in general. Seems you do a lot of prone service rifle shooting from your signature so it makes sense where your overall POV is coming from. FWIW I have been thinking an awful lot about shooting some hi power stuff in the future so maybe I'll pick your brain when the time draws near. As for the bedding amount in my current rifles the 2 inches of Devcon work wonderfully in supporting my heavier 6mm/7mm barrels as they are all straight taper 1.250/1.20breech to 1 inch at muzzle from lengths of 26", 28", 31".

[Bart B.]

I've never known an unpadded barrel's chamber area prevent 1/2 MOA many shot long range groups. Prone shooters putting 25 to 30 shots through bong heavy barrels see vertical shot stringing until they remove that pad put there 'cause someone suggested it. It happened with all three of my long range match rifles testing them with 25 shot strings.

If a match rifle won't hold at least 3/4 MOA accuracy at 1000 yards properly tested with 25 shots, it won't shoot inside 2 MOA slung up in prone to shoot winning scores on the 20" ten ring shooting 5 sighter's then 20 record shots in less than 30 minutes.

The difference on the barrel shank threads and shoulder on the receiver from its weight is very small between padded chamber areas versus free floating ones. There's sill a lot of steel compression and expansion at both the top and bottom of the fit and threaded areas. Whatever it is isn't as much is the stress on the barrel shank is from the ammo's peak pressure and it's exactly the same from shot to shot. That pad under the chamber area with the barrel pulling down on it varies the pressure you've torqued the front guard screw to pulling the receiver bottom at its front to the stock when the barrel whips vertically. Free floated barrels keep that pressure more constant

Why do long heavy barrels totally free floated shoot the smallest 20 to 40 shot groups at long range?

[Shooter2675]

After much thought and a ton of help from you guys, I think I've decided on building a .300 win mag bolt gun based on a remingon 700 action. I'll probably go the E.R. Shaw route for the barrel, as I've had good experiences with them and they are local (within 30 minutes) of me. What are some of your stock reccomendations for less then $300? What about scope for under $300?

John

[reynolds357]

If you want an accurate rifle, E.R. Shaw may or may not work. A $300 scope definitely will not do what you want done.

[riflemen]

What rifle do you use to shoot under 1000yds now? Maybe making that gun better would be a better option for you, shooting at 1000 isnt easy by any means, no matter what gun, but with a less than $300 scope, I am not sure it will even be fun trying... You scope budget should be around $800+

[Jimro]

If you want a scope under 300 dollars, there are two that are designed for tactical shooting, not target shooting, that will work.

Bushnell Elite 10x40 and SWFA Super Sniper 10x42. There are no serious competition shooters using these scopes, but for getting started they will work.

If you can double your scope budget to 600 dollars you start opening up some Vortex options. Go up to 900 dollars and you can shoot using glass that the professionals wouldn't pass up.

Jimro

[Bart B.]

Fixed power scopes are better if repeatability is important. Few people test variables zoom for reticule shift when changing power. A $400 Weaver T24 is hard to beat. My Weaver model T's have made my three 30 caliber magnum barrels perform admirably.

Spend less on the scope the put what's saved into a Kreiger Tight barrel with .2980" bore and .3075"'groove diameters 28" long with a 1:12 twist. It's capable letting one shoot .300 Win Mag bullets near 5" at 1000 yards if all else is right. A Shaw barrel won't even come close and may not shoot under 20 inches. They've got no track record for excellence. Barrels are many times more important than scopes, but most people put their big money on scopes and skimp on barrels. A 1/2 MOA barrel aimed by a bad scope with 1/2 MOA slop will shoot 1 MOA on paper. A 1.5 MOA barrel won't shoot any better with a perfect scope.

Whadda you wanna use testing your ammo?

[edward hogan]

Building a .338 lapua on a 700 action is a mistake.
Just because Remington decided to cash-in on the market desire for the big medium bore ctg don't make it a good choice.

Like that long bodied Lapua ctg? Have you seen the .338 Norma? Then there is the .338 edge which needs no boltface alteration, no other gunsmith work if you begin with a factory Ultra Mag action.

Really a big deal to open that 700 bolt rim further, from .535" to .592" Really leaves almost nothing of the "ring of steel" surrounding the ctg head.

I owned senderos in .338rum and .300rum. Sold them. Got into the .338/300win as a better solution allowing more versatility with handloads. Basically it duplicates the .340wby and .338 Dakota, but can be downloaded to .338win levels. The case is large enough to go high velocity and not so large you can't load it light w/o risk of detonation.

Really a mistake to push the 700 receiver. The Weatherby action, The Sako M995, some of the non-700 clone custom actions are more suited.

Want to save yourself money and time? Buy a Sako TRG-42 and call it a day.
On the cheap? The .340wby chambered Fibermark.

Study the loading manuals and see for yourself that the .340wby is not lacking when compared to the .338 Lapua. Norma brass at $2ea. Once-fired is plentiful, or neck-up the even more common .300wby. Cheap brass from R-P and Federal also out there, plus lots of loaded ammo.

Got the itch to build? Doing a Rem 700 mod'ed action is the best way to be sure you will NEVER recover any of the couple thousand you will put into the project. The time you will never recover.

[Bart B.]

Reloading belted cases for best accuracy at long range is tedious. You've got to size the fired case body down all the way to the belt; not a few or several thousandths short of it. Which is why many won matches and set records with new belted cases. The collet die (www.larrywillis.com) is used after a full length brushing die has set the shoulder back a couple thousandths and sized most of the body down.

[Shooter2675]

Ok, well I called my gunsmith and all I have to say it wow. It's expensive. Other smiths were similar costs so I don't know about this build. However, I was shooting my ar15 recently and I thiught, why not an AR-10? A 24 inch bull stainless barrel on a .308 ar should give be good accuracy (not match but good) and the ammo is nice and cheap and is very plentiful. I caught the black rifle bug last Summer I think I'm being forced to build this one lol!

[Hunter2678]

shooter the savage model 11/111 in 338 lapua is $1350 so knock about 100 off that for real life price...

[Shooter2675]

After doing several days of research, I think a LR-308 rifle is what I'm looking for. What is your opinion on Kak Industries bolts?

John