Ruger Precision Rifle .338 Lapua - Opinions?

[StephanieLynn]

Considering a Ruger Precision Rifle in .338 Lapua. Read a very positive review recently in either Shooting Illustrated or American Rifleman and was impressed. Anyone have experience or own one? Thoughts? Personal experience? Haven’t yet ventured into exotic calibers like .338 Lapua, which is extremely pricey, so a little cautious but intrigued. What say you? Jump in, or... ?

[nitehawk117]

I picked one up earlier this year, great rifle. Shoots real smooth with the tank brake on it. Definitely worth the money. I was hitting out to 600 yards consistently on 8" steel my first trip to the range.

[Aeonstar]

If you are going to spend the money to shoot 338L get a custom built gun.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by Aeonstar

If you are going to spend the money to shoot 338L get a custom built gun.

If you can afford a rifle chambered in $5 bills you can afford a custom gun.

[rudigan]

This is interesting, no long range experience but RPR price point is intriguing, same as OP, only heard and read good things about them, thought 338L would be cool but God the price per round. Toying with idea of RPR in 300 win mag, then there's the glass and all the other stuff, but...

[sigstroker]

I think I'd be more interested in the .300 PRC. Ballistic curves are similar to the Lapua. Even at Midway it's $2.25 a round for ELD-M.

[baih777]

Originally Posted by rudigan

This is interesting, no long range experience but RPR price point is intriguing, same as OP, only heard and read good things about them, thought 338L would be cool but God the price per round. Toying with idea of RPR in 300 win mag, then there's the glass and all the other stuff, but...

Don't confuse the two.
You want the 300 PRC.

[RugerNo1]

If you NEED/WANT the energy that .338 puts on target go for it, otherwise the 300 PRC will still smack steel waaay out there.

[ar15barrels]

Originally Posted by StephanieLynn

Considering a Ruger Precision Rifle in .338 Lapua. Read a very positive review recently in either Shooting Illustrated or American Rifleman and was impressed. Anyone have experience or own one? Thoughts? Personal experience? Haven’t yet ventured into exotic calibers like .338 Lapua, which is extremely pricey, so a little cautious but intrigued. What say you? Jump in, or... ?

What is your next smaller caliber/cartridge of precision rifle chambered in?
What distances do you routinely shoot it at?

[ar15barrels]

Originally Posted by rudigan

This is interesting, no long range experience but RPR price point is intriguing, same as OP, only heard and read good things about them, thought 338L would be cool but God the price per round. Toying with idea of RPR in 300 win mag, then there's the glass and all the other stuff, but...

For reference, the bullet drop and windage for a 6.5 Creedmoor with 140gr bthp bullets is roughly the same as a 300 win mag with 190gr bthps.
The primary difference is in the energy on target and recoil, the 300 win mag obviously having much more of both.

[StephanieLynn]

Originally Posted by nitehawk117

I picked one up earlier this year, great rifle. Shoots real smooth with the tank brake on it. Definitely worth the money. I was hitting out to 600 yards consistently on 8" steel my first trip to the range.

Nice! What loads were you shooting? Mfgr? Thanks!

[StephanieLynn]

Originally Posted by ar15barrels

What is your next smaller caliber/cartridge of precision rifle chambered in?
What distances do you routinely shoot it at?

Remington 700 Police Sniper and a Remington 700 Short Action w/ MCree G10, both in 7.62. Farthest so far, 300 yds. Would love a Barrett M82 in .50 BMG, but don’t have $8K laying around. Magazine review raved about .338 and the RPR, so figured nice step up on the way to a Barrett.

[BucDan]

Originally Posted by StephanieLynn

Remington 700 Police Sniper and a Remington 700 Short Action w/ MCree G10, both in 7.62. Farthest so far, 300 yds. Would love a Barrett M82 in .50 BMG, but don’t have $8K laying around. Magazine review raved about .338 and the RPR, so figured nice step up on the way to a Barrett.

I think the moment you step up beyond 6.5CM and .308 or any other short action calibers, you're in a whole nother ball game in terms of cost and expectations. I'm sure we all know that every round listed in this thread can hit 300 yards, easy and more. So if you're buying it for the novelty of it, cool, because I doubt you'll need it for 300. How far out will you be able to shoot, anyway?

[StephanieLynn]

Originally Posted by BucDan

I think the moment you step up beyond 6.5CM and .308 or any other short action calibers, you're in a whole nother ball game in terms of cost and expectations. I'm sure we all know that every round listed in this thread can hit 300 yards, easy and more. So if you're buying it for the novelty of it, cool, because I doubt you'll need it for 300. How far out will you be able to shoot, anyway?

Last year I moved out of the PRC to the Midwest, so now the sky’s the limit!

[M1NM]

If you are just looking for the ding then even a 7mm Rem Mag will fit the bill with a lot cheaper/common caliber. Energy on target matters not on steel plates. Unless you want to knock a pig target over at 800 yards then walk that 1/2 mile to stand it up again.

[ar15barrels]

Originally Posted by StephanieLynn

Remington 700 Police Sniper and a Remington 700 Short Action w/ MCree G10, both in 7.62. Farthest so far, 300 yds. Would love a Barrett M82 in .50 BMG, but don’t have $8K laying around. Magazine review raved about .338 and the RPR, so figured nice step up on the way to a Barrett.

Take your 308 out to 1000yds before you even bother with a 338 Lapua.
You won't gain much at 1000yds and closer with a 338 if you are not already comfortable using your 308 to 1000yds.
You really need a 1400yd range before you can use what a 308 has to offer over a 6.5 Creedmoor.
Rebarrel one of your 308 bolt guns into a 6.5 Creedmoor before you bother with bigger cartridges.
The 6.5 will take you to 1400yds.

[LynnJr]

Look for posts by Calguns member Shaun Brady.
He regularly shoots beyond a mile and he owns a RPR in 338 Lapua Magnum.
The 338 gets you to 2000+ yards and allows you to spot your misses which is vital in making corrections.
I have used a 6 Dasher at over 2000 yards but spotting a miss at that distance is all but impossible.
Do you reload?

[StephanieLynn]

Thanks for the input everyone. I am kind of surprised at the wet blanket, no fun allowed responses. Shooting sports are all about challenge, stretching oneself, expanding horizons, getting cool new toys, and fun! It’s not just about frugality and practicality. I’m sure there are many of us who have plenty of superfluous firearms in our collection, that may be beyond our ability to use up to their full capabilities, or are completely redundant which doesn’t mean that we couldn’t enjoy them, learn from them, and expand our skills. Sure, I could continue shooting my existing rifles out to distances that are provided here to shooters (1 mile +), but what fun would that be? If I were to look at my collection critically and frugally, I’d stop right now. I could probably accomplish just about any shooting goal I set for myself with something in my existing collection, but what fun would that be?

[sigstroker]

Originally Posted by StephanieLynn

Remington 700 Police Sniper and a Remington 700 Short Action w/ MCree G10, both in 7.62. Farthest so far, 300 yds. Would love a Barrett M82 in .50 BMG, but don’t have $8K laying around. Magazine review raved about .338 and the RPR, so figured nice step up on the way to a Barrett.

You might want to aspire to something other than a Barrett M82. Most people probably would not call that a "precision" rifle. One of their bolt guns, like an M99, would make a better precision rifle and half the cost.

[triggs75]

Get it and enjoy it. If you reload it will cut the cost of ammo in half. Just getting behind a 338 and feeling the power the round has will put a smile on your face. It is not a rifle you will probably take out every month but it is a rifle when you take it out you will be happy.

When I take my 338 LM out I put about 60 rounds down it and am good, then I will shoot the lighter rounds.

Hope you get it and enjoy it.

Chad

[StephanieLynn]

Originally Posted by LynnJr

Look for posts by Calguns member Shaun Brady.
He regularly shoots beyond a mile and he owns a RPR in 338 Lapua Magnum.
The 338 gets you to 2000+ yards and allows you to spot your misses which is vital in making corrections.
I have used a 6 Dasher at over 2000 yards but spotting a miss at that distance is all but impossible.
Do you reload?

Thanks! I’ll look him up. Don’t reload, but have found prices vary quite a bit on .338 out here. First time I spotted it in the store I had a heart attack ($90 for 20 rnds), but since then after looking around I have found some much better prices ($3.00 per rnd.)

[StephanieLynn]

Originally Posted by triggs75

Get it and enjoy it. If you reload it will cut the cost of ammo in half. Just getting behind a 338 and feeling the power the round has will put a smile on your face. It is not a rifle you will probably take out every month but it is a rifle when you take it out you will be happy.

When I take my 338 LM out I put about 60 rounds down it and am good, then I will shoot the lighter rounds.

Hope you get it and enjoy it.

Chad

Thanks! I’m sure I will. Saw the RPR in one of the local toy stores and fell in love. The cost of ammo scared me off initially, but after shopping around town I’ve found it for as low as $3.00/rnd. It will no doubt be a special rifle to take out maybe 3 or 4 times a year as you say, just for kicks! 😁

[StephanieLynn]

Originally Posted by sigstroker

You might want to aspire to something other than a Barrett M82. Most people probably would not call that a "precision" rifle. One of their bolt guns, like an M99, would make a better precision rifle and half the cost.

I wasn’t looking at the M82 as a precision rifle like the RPR, but as a cool toy to have some fun with. I think that anything above .338 would probably be enough of a round in a precision rifle to do just about anything, but the M82 has been used as a sniper platform by the US Military.

[sigstroker]

Originally Posted by StephanieLynn

Thanks! I’m sure I will. Saw the RPR in one of the local toy stores and fell in love. The cost of ammo scared me off initially, but after shopping around town I’ve found it for as low as $3.00/rnd. It will no doubt be a special rifle to take out maybe 3 or 4 times a year as you say, just for kicks! 😁

Three bucks a round? Are you sure that's .338 Lapua and not .338 Win Mag?

Originally Posted by StephanieLynn

I wasn’t looking at the M82 as a precision rifle like the RPR, but as a cool toy to have some fun with. I think that anything above .338 would probably be enough of a round in a precision rifle to do just about anything, but the M82 has been used as a sniper platform by the US Military.

Yeah, but to shoot at trucks and ground based missiles and like that. They don't care about 2 moa accuracy when the targets are that big.

[csshih]

I was not impressed when I handled a 338 RPR.. the brake was canted and the brake itself was not deburred before coating.. sharp edges, I didn't look much further after that.

I got a bunch of $1.50 338 lapua when it was on sale at midway! the cheapest I've seen is 1.33.

[triggs75]

I put about 100 rounds of S&B 250gr Match down mine and it shot great.
It's only $2.50 a round, def worth picking up a box or two and see if your rifle likes it, mine did.

https://2awarehouse.com/s-b-338lapua...ra-hpbt-10-bx/

Just have to find a Cali friendly dealer now.

https://ammoseek.com/ammo/338-lapua-...ifle-250grains

Chad

[StephanieLynn]

Originally Posted by triggs75

I put about 100 rounds of S&B 250gr Match down mine and it shot great.
It's only $2.50 a round, def worth picking up a box or two and see if your rifle likes it, mine did.

https://2awarehouse.com/s-b-338lapua...ra-hpbt-10-bx/

Just have to find a Cali friendly dealer now.

https://ammoseek.com/ammo/338-lapua-...ifle-250grains

Chad

Thanks!

[ShaunBrady]

Originally Posted by StephanieLynn

Thanks for the input everyone. I am kind of surprised at the wet blanket, no fun allowed responses. Shooting sports are all about challenge, stretching oneself, expanding horizons, getting cool new toys, and fun! It’s not just about frugality and practicality. I’m sure there are many of us who have plenty of superfluous firearms in our collection, that may be beyond our ability to use up to their full capabilities, or are completely redundant which doesn’t mean that we couldn’t enjoy them, learn from them, and expand our skills. Sure, I could continue shooting my existing rifles out to distances that are provided here to shooters (1 mile +), but what fun would that be? If I were to look at my collection critically and frugally, I’d stop right now. I could probably accomplish just about any shooting goal I set for myself with something in my existing collection, but what fun would that be?

Buying guns just because you think they're neat is a good enough reason.

I bought the 338 RPR the first week it came out. I have 2 of the smaller ones. I'm intrigued by the design. They're described as chassis guns, but they're not. They're the next evolution past that. The receiver is the chassis. The 338 RPR is also the first modern mass produced gun I know of specifically designed for the 338 Lapua cartridge. In my mind, it is also the most cost effective by a wide margin.

I can't tell you how it shot though. I replaced 26" 338 barrel with a 32" 300 Norma before I fired a shot. Look me up if you shoot out yours.

I live ~75 minutes from the NorCal URSA range and 30 minutes from a private ranch with targets from 1200 to 2300 yards. I have other ELR guns, but the RPR is one of my favorites.

[ShaunBrady]

Originally Posted by ar15barrels

For reference, the bullet drop and windage for a 6.5 Creedmoor with 140gr bthp bullets is roughly the same as a 300 win mag with 190gr bthps.
The primary difference is in the energy on target and recoil, the 300 win mag obviously having much more of both.

Another perspective is the military was happy to have the 6.5cm performance 15 years before the Creedmoor was actually introduced. Even if it was a bit of a brute force approach using a bullet design from the '50s.

In the context of the big RPR, things are different. If we take the perspective that the rifle is in it's element at a mile and look at performances there, with modern 300 win mag ammo, the difference between it and the 6.5 gets larger and the the difference between it and the 338 lapua gets smaller.

Starting with 24" barrels to simplify using standard rated velocities:

6.5cm, 140 Amax, 2700 fps, 29.3 mils (original SAAMI spec)
300wm, 190 SMK, 2900 fps, 26.3 mils ('92 vintage Mk248 Mod0 or Federal Premium)
300wm, 195 ELDm, 2930 fps, 22.5 mils (current production Hornady)
300wm, 215 Hybrid, 2826 fps, 20.9 mils (Berger, -60fps for 24" barrel, longer than SAAMI, but chambers in RPR)
300PRC, 225 ELDm, 2810 fps, 19.7 mils (current production Hornady)
338 Lapua, 285 ELDm, 2745 fps, 20.6 mils (current production Hornady)
300 Norma, 230 Hybrid, 2874 fps, 18.6 mils (Berger, -60fps for 24" barrel)
300 Norma, 230 Hybrid, 3060 fps, 16.0 mils (32" barrel, my current load)

Barrel length and bullets are a bigger deal than cartridge on this list. I do think the 300wm will go the way the 243 did on the first RPR. It'll be available for people that load custom ammo for it and be gone after a year or two because that market is small. The principal advantage of the PRC over the WM is the PRC isn't stuck with an OAL from the '60s and can use bullets more modern than 165 grain power points. The principal disadvantage of the PRC is Hornady brass. It took a decade before decent brass was available for the 6.5cm, it'll likely be longer for the 300PRC because the market is so much smaller.

OP - this isn't intended to change your mind on the 338 Lapua.

[snowdog650]

Originally Posted by StephanieLynn

Thanks for the input everyone. I am kind of surprised at the wet blanket, no fun allowed responses. Shooting sports are all about challenge, stretching oneself, expanding horizons, getting cool new toys, and fun! It’s not just about frugality and practicality. I’m sure there are many of us who have plenty of superfluous firearms in our collection, that may be beyond our ability to use up to their full capabilities, or are completely redundant which doesn’t mean that we couldn’t enjoy them, learn from them, and expand our skills. Sure, I could continue shooting my existing rifles out to distances that are provided here to shooters (1 mile +), but what fun would that be? If I were to look at my collection critically and frugally, I’d stop right now. I could probably accomplish just about any shooting goal I set for myself with something in my existing collection, but what fun would that be?

Sounds like your mind was made up well before you posted your original pontification.

Enjoy your rifle.

[sigstroker]

Originally Posted by ShaunBrady

The principal disadvantage of the PRC is Hornady brass. It took a decade before decent brass was available for the 6.5cm, it'll likely be longer for the 300PRC because the market is so much smaller.

Doubt it. There are more boutique brass makers now than a few years ago.

[StephanieLynn]

Originally Posted by ShaunBrady

Buying guns just because you think they're neat is a good enough reason.

I bought the 338 RPR the first week it came out. I have 2 of the smaller ones. I'm intrigued by the design. They're described as chassis guns, but they're not. They're the next evolution past that. The receiver is the chassis. The 338 RPR is also the first modern mass produced gun I know of specifically designed for the 338 Lapua cartridge. In my mind, it is also the most cost effective by a wide margin.

I can't tell you how it shot though. I replaced 26" 338 barrel with a 32" 300 Norma before I fired a shot. Look me up if you shoot out yours.

I live ~75 minutes from the NorCal URSA range and 30 minutes from a private ranch with targets from 1200 to 2300 yards. I have other ELR guns, but the RPR is one of my favorites.

Thank you!

[StephanieLynn]

Originally Posted by snowdog650

Sounds like your mind was made up well before you posted your original pontification.

Enjoy your rifle.

Actually, no.

[rudigan]

Originally Posted by baih777

Don't confuse the two.
You want the 300 PRC.

Huh, had not heard of the 300 PRC before, looks like its a pretty recent round, interesting.

[nitehawk117]

Originally Posted by StephanieLynn

Nice! What loads were you shooting? Mfgr? Thanks!

The only thing I have shot out of it so far has been S&B 300 grain match. I picked up about ten boxes for around $3 a round. I intend on hand loading but wanted to send some factory ammo through it first.

[osis32]

Originally Posted by ShaunBrady

Buying guns just because you think they're neat is a good enough reason.

I bought the 338 RPR the first week it came out. I have 2 of the smaller ones. I'm intrigued by the design. They're described as chassis guns, but they're not. They're the next evolution past that. The receiver is the chassis. The 338 RPR is also the first modern mass produced gun I know of specifically designed for the 338 Lapua cartridge. In my mind, it is also the most cost effective by a wide margin.

I can't tell you how it shot though. I replaced 26" 338 barrel with a 32" 300 Norma before I fired a shot. Look me up if you shoot out yours.

I live ~75 minutes from the NorCal URSA range and 30 minutes from a private ranch with targets from 1200 to 2300 yards. I have other ELR guns, but the RPR is one of my favorites.

I think the savage 110ba was a338 lapua mag production rifle before the rpr was ever announced. There may have been something before that I can't remember. The rpr is a cool rifle for sure.

[ShaunBrady]

Originally Posted by osis32

I think the savage 110ba was a338 lapua mag production rifle before the rpr was ever announced. There may have been something before that I can't remember. The rpr is a cool rifle for sure.

I thought the AI, Sako, and Barrett guys were going to push back on that design comment first. My reply would be those were all essentially hand built guns. Maybe not the TRG42, but it's design roots go back to the late '80s and it's still a $4K+ gun.

Remington has also been selling 338 Lapua rifles for some time, but like the Savage, the design was set 25 years before the 338 Lapua was around. Many smiths will decline to rebarrel a Remington or Savage in that caliber.

I have 2 long range test mules built on Savage actions modified to the 110BA dimensions to use 338 Lapua cases. They're in XLR chassis. If the 338 RPR had been available when I built those guns, I'd have started with the Ruger because its a better value.

It was interesting to see what Ruger beefed up, and what it didn't. They did not just drop a long action American into a chassis and call it good.

[SmokeTheClay]

Originally Posted by ShaunBrady

Buying guns just because you think they're neat is a good enough reason.

I bought the 338 RPR the first week it came out. I have 2 of the smaller ones. I'm intrigued by the design. They're described as chassis guns, but they're not. They're the next evolution past that. The receiver is the chassis. The 338 RPR is also the first modern mass produced gun I know of specifically designed for the 338 Lapua cartridge. In my mind, it is also the most cost effective by a wide margin.

I can't tell you how it shot though. I replaced 26" 338 barrel with a 32" 300 Norma before I fired a shot. Look me up if you shoot out yours.

I live ~75 minutes from the NorCal URSA range and 30 minutes from a private ranch with targets from 1200 to 2300 yards. I have other ELR guns, but the RPR is one of my favorites.

How is the trigger on the magnum RPR? Is it as good as the 6.5 creedmoor? I replaced my trigger spring with one from a ball point pen and now it’s 15 Oz with practically no travel or overtravel

[ShaunBrady]

Originally Posted by SmokeTheClay

How is the trigger on the magnum RPR? Is it as good as the 6.5 creedmoor? I replaced my trigger spring with one from a ball point pen and now it’s 15 Oz with practically no travel or overtravel

I found a Timney on sale for $149 and went with that. It breaks at 2# even. One of my other 2 RPRs still has the stock trigger and it's fine.

It appears to be the same trigger as the short action guns, but the original Timney housing had to be modified because the trigger cutout in the action was shorter on the big guns and Timney skips the spring loaded locking piece at the back of the housing. The new Timneys have been modified to fit both guns, but heads up if you get old stock.

The old design had material behind the rear lug that prevented the trigger from dropping into the receiver and sliding into place.



I modified the housing on mine to remove that material, and so has Timney on current production.

[Ki6vsm]

Originally Posted by sigstroker

You might want to aspire to something other than a Barrett M82. Most people probably would not call that a "precision" rifle. One of their bolt guns, like an M99, would make a better precision rifle and half the cost.

A friend of mine has one, a Barrett single shot in .416 Barrett. From what I have read, it's actually superior, ballistically, to the 50BMG. (If this isn't true I'm sure someone here will tell me about it fast.) Farthest he's been able to shoot it though is only 1300 yds. Kinda hard to reach out farther at our "range" in the desert without putting a target way up on a hilltop. He hits it without any trouble.

He later bought the same basic rifle in .338L, so he can shoot his targets more "economically". LOL