338 Lapua??

[lostcoyote]

i am using a 5-25x56 steiner MSR on mine.
with a 200 yard zero, i am getting about 23mRad up travel capacity on an integrated 30MOA scope base... which will hit 2000 yards.
anything longer than that, holdover needed for my setup. i wish my rifle (surgeon 1581xl action) had a 40MOA base... but it doesn't.

plan on getting one and you can nail 2500 yards without holdover with the right scope.

i settled on the steiner over the S&B because it's $1000 cheaper.
good luck.

[J-cat]

Get a scope with a lot of elevation, like a NF Beast. I believe it has 39 Mils. S&B has 26? You don't want to run a scope maxed out. Funny things happen to the image.

Also consider that a 50 is really really big. It's a rifle for Andre the Giant. A 338 is a lot more reasonable. It is a hair bigger than a short action

[Rickmcu]

NIKKO STERLING!!!!

[vliberatore]

If you don't have a price range yet, don't go Savage. Go with Accuracy International or Sako TRG for a bit less. They do very nice .338s, Savage, Barrett, Remington, etc., won't compare. Sako, AI, and Lapua developed the cartridge, so they've focused very closely on making great rifles for it.

Any opinion on the Blaser Tactical 2? Shot with a couple of guys from Lake City who were shooting that and a TRG-42, both in .338 Lapua.

[San_Diego_Shooter]

Got NF on my SA BA 110. If you have a chance, try out the steel at Pala Rifle range during one of the High Power matches. The swingers at the 222 line go around and around very nicely! (Don't tell Harold that you hit his steel with 5200 ft lbs of force or he'll be upset!)

[JMP]

Any opinion on the Blaser Tactical 2? Shot with a couple of guys from Lake City who were shooting that and a TRG-42, both in .338 Lapua.

I have never shot the Blaser Tac 2, so I cannot form an opinion.

[james758]

Match grade 338 Lapua is going to run close to $4/round.
Match grade 308 is goint to run close to $1.50/round.
The 308 can reach out to at least 1k yards and still hit a paper plate, the 338 should be able to do the same out to 1700 yards.
You are going to spend a LOT more for the rifle in 338 and a LOT more for the ammo. Even reloading, you use twice as much powder and bullets are twice as much.
BUT... I would get the 338 if I had the disposable income to do so.
Get the best glass you can afford. It's not inappropriate to spend as much for the scope as you do for the rifle.

[vliberatore]

Match grade 338 Lapua is going to run close to $4/round.
Match grade 308 is goint to run close to $1.50/round.

Unless you reload

[DaleAGribble]

I have a Ruger american 308. Not many upgrades available for it so maybe I will look into a remington 700 308 so I dont break the bank but it sure would be fun to have a 338 Lapua or 50DTC or something in that range

50dtc is a crazy animal. Very expensive to set up to reload for the big 50's. It's not hard to spend thousands on reloading equipment for 50dtc. Rifles are anywhere from about 3k to over 10k depending on what you want. Glass for 50's, you guessed it, expensive. For me it sometimes seemed like a bottomless pit to throw money in right now. I'm sure once I get my rifle it will all be worth it and I will have a smile from ear to ear, but right now every time I turn around it seemed like I throw hundreds at it. The waiting sucks also. Send off a check for thousands and then you just sit around waiting.

Wow ,just read what I wrote. I think you have to be partly insane to get into 50's.

[JMP]

The 308 can reach out to at least 1k yards and still hit a paper plate, the 338 should be able to do the same out to 1700 yards.

You must eat off large paper plates. 1/2 MOA is a very tough shot at 1,700 with a .338 Lapua.

[CNC_Apps_Guy]

I've got a Savage 110BA in .338LM. It's my favorite rifle. 'Spensive sucker to feed but worth every penny.

Leupold Mark 4 TMR 3.5-10x40mm LR/T was my scope of choice for three reasons (in no particular order), they are a customer of mine and I beleive in their product, it can take the punishment that round is going to deliver for years, and it was in my budget.

You MUST reload. @ $4.00/round for some match stuff... she'll wreak havoc on your bank account.

[CNC_Apps_Guy]

You must eat off large paper plates. 1/2 MOA is a very tough shot at 1,700 with....

Just about any rifle.

Fixed that.

[digispike]

$6K for a scope!?! I'm in the wrong game.

[bsumoba]

$6K for a scope!?! I'm in the wrong game.

No reason to not buy a $6K scope if it gives you $2-3K worth more advantage than say a NF, Vortex, Kahles, USO or lower S&B PMII versions or any of the $2-3K scopes really.

IMO, anything past $4K is not worth the squeeze. hell, anything past $3K IMO, is max for me since I dont see a benefit.

Ill take that extra money and buy reloading components, a better trigger, better, rings, better stock, or even another barrel setup.

I still like the Kahles 624, Vortex Razor Gen II, NF 5.5-22x or a used S&B PMII in the high $2k, low $3K range.

[JMP]

No reason to not buy a $6K scope if it gives you $2-3K worth more advantage than say a NF, Vortex, Kahles, USO or lower S&B PMII versions or any of the $2-3K scopes really.

Generally, prices with all gun related items have diminishing returns, so it just matters what your standards are.

If you are used to using cheap Japanese optics, you can get the job done fine. NF is popular because it'll get the job done fine for most applications, and the old-timers love them since they are just about the best offerings in MOA scopes. But, then if you look through a mid range European scope like a Kahles or a low end Schmidt, you'll think it's really nice. Then, if you go to a top shelf optic, it's another step up. I'd personally not drop $6,000-$7,000 on a scope except for ELR shooting beyond a mile. That's when the clarity and adjustments help big time. With an exceptional picture, you can see your target better with a lower magnification than a cheap scope set at a higher magnification.

So, at extremely long distance, your effective zoom is less because the targets still look really small from that far, so you want high clarity better see the target and spot your hit. Then, with very long distances, if the convection currents (such as hot desert conditions) are too strong, you are forced to back down on magnification because the mirage is too strong.