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Campfire 'Bwana
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Guess the title says it. Purpose is fun and LR hunting. It will be built heavy, and braked. Some considerations-
I don't want to go longer than 28" on the barrel, plus brake. Unless that's just flat stupid. If so please dope slap me.
I want to use a Remington action so it needs to fit that.
Brass availability could be THE deciding factor for this, which sucks, but it has to be considered.
I prefer to buy a Pac-Nor barrel if that factors in somehow.
What do you run? What WOULD you run, if building one in 2016?
Thanks--
The CENTER will hold.
Reality, Patriotism,Trump: you can only pick two
FÜCK PUTIN!
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I'd probably go .338-375 Ruger or just a plain .338LM.
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For me it would be a 338 Lapua w/ 300 grain bullets.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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You guys would go Lapua in a M700?
The CENTER will hold.
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FÜCK PUTIN!
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Campfire Ranger
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One guy made a 338 Edge. I never did research it.
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Campfire Ranger
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God, Family, and Country.
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Campfire Ranger
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Jeff_O,
I would go with a .340 Weatherby or .338 Lapua; whichever has the best brass value. My .375-.416 Rem has a 28" barrel and then a brake added.
"Only Christ is the fullness of God's revelation."
Everyday Hunter
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In a Remington 700 I would build a 338 RUM. I know Remington makes them but I don't like that big of rim on a 700 bolt face. I had one of the factory rifles and I could not get any speed at all out of it without massive pressure signs and the accuracy was not acceptable. I wouldn't even stay supersonic to a mile. You might consider a dedicated 300 RUM for the 230 Berger. I did one a year or two ago that is doing incredible things at long range and it's nipping at the 300 grain Lapua in energy. 230 grain bullets at 3200fps. Brass is seasonal but if you are patient it can be had. If you really want a 338 Lapua I would sell the 700 and pick up a Stiller Tac 338 action. It makes for a very sweet 338 Lapua. I have one and have built many for others. Mine has a PacNor barrel on it and it is a tack driver if there ever was one. Keep an eye on the new Curtis action that Joel Russo is involved with. It's a 3 lug action and very well thought out. http://www.curtiscustom.com/product/vector/ They also have a budget model for regular calibers showing for $750.
"Hired Gun" Quickest and fastest all motor sand car on the planet.
3.008 at 104.8 300' of sand.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Hired Gun, no, others are suggesting the Lapua... Google tells me it's a shoehorn at best into a M700 action. But I'm listening to anything. Using a M700 action is part of this equation folks. I should add, I don't need "biggest" to be happy here. ........ and here comes Deflave yelling COCK!! 
The CENTER will hold.
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So it has to be a .33 caliber 700 with no more than a 28" barrel for long range as possible. I stand by the 338 RUM. That will be a nice maxed out combination.
I had a factory 338RUM in here last week that he couldn't keep scope mounts on even with a Holland brake on it. He is a guide and frequently lets customers use it so it gets shot a lot. I think the light barrel was flexing the action and kept pulling the threads off the base screws and eventually the action. Not even a really heavy scope. He uses a VX3 6.5-20x50LRT on it. It is a light factory barrel and I suspect the Holland brake was flexing the barrel downward causing a tremendous vibration to transmit back through the action. We milled it for 8-40 screws to repair the damaged 6-48 holes and correct them to be aligned with the bolt raceway. Then custom fit the 8-40 screws so that it used 100% of all available threads. We pinned the rail front and rear with real tight fitting .094" hardened pins. Then epoxy bedded it to the action with no release agent. That ought to hold it. If not we will change the brake. Why the long story. I would think it over long and hard before putting a 338 Lapua in a 700 action. I personally think they are just too flimsy for this application.
"Hired Gun" Quickest and fastest all motor sand car on the planet.
3.008 at 104.8 300' of sand.
NRA Patron Life Member, Gunsmith, Instructor, Chief RSO
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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One guy made a 338 Edge. I never did research it. Edge makes all kinda sense. If I had to order my reamer tomorrow, that's what it would be. But I don't, so I'm all ears here. Thanks guys.
The CENTER will hold.
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FÜCK PUTIN!
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HiredGun, Yours is a long story to suggest he go with a .340 Weatherby. Factory load with 250 grainers used to be 3,025 feet per second. That is what I got when I loaded for one so it must be true. 
"Only Christ is the fullness of God's revelation."
Everyday Hunter
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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So it has to be a .33 caliber 700 with no more than a 28" barrel for long range as possible. I stand by the 338 RUM. That will be a nice maxed out combination.
I had a factory 338RUM in here last week that he couldn't keep scope mounts on even with a Holland brake on it. He is a guide and frequently lets customers use it so it gets shot a lot. I think the light barrel was flexing the action and kept pulling the threads off the base screws and eventually the action. Not even a really heavy scope. He uses a VX3 6.5-20x50LRT on it. It is a light factory barrel and I suspect the Holland brake was flexing the barrel downward causing a tremendous vibration to transmit back through the action. We milled it for 8-40 screws to repair the damaged 6-48 holes and correct them to be aligned with the bolt raceway. Then custom fit the 8-40 screws so that it used 100% of all available threads. We pinned the rail front and rear with real tight fitting .094" hardened pins. Then epoxy bedded it to the action with no release agent. That ought to hold it. If not we will change the brake. Why the long story. I would think it over long and hard before putting a 338 Lapua in a 700 action. I personally think they are just too flimsy for this application. Good info, thank you. It doesn't HAVE to be a 28" barrel but I'd want there to be a pretty good reason to go longer, and 50 fps doesn't count. Should I just go straight to 8-40 on the holes with a big .33?
The CENTER will hold.
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FÜCK PUTIN!
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The point was the weakness of the action. Save the 8-40 for repair if ever needed. I would buy long 6-48 screws and be sure you have 100% thread engagement. The 6-48's are plenty to hold a scope. I like the pin thing. That just looked and felt like the right thing to do. It looked factory done. I don't think any screw alone will hold the action from severe flexing. A heavy barrel should also help dampen that issue.
Hi Rich, I like the 340Wby (actually all of them) but I am trying to get away from belts.
"Hired Gun" Quickest and fastest all motor sand car on the planet.
3.008 at 104.8 300' of sand.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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HiredGun, Yours is a long story to suggest he go with a .340 Weatherby. Factory load with 250 grainers used to be 3,025 feet per second. That is what I got when I loaded for one so it must be true. I've not paid a lot of attention to the Weatherby's over the years... is brass generally available for the .340? I want a big hammer, but accuracy is of course the #1 priority. I've heard the RUM, EDGE, and Lapua described as accurate cartridges (whatever that really means). Is the .340 in that group as well?
The CENTER will hold.
Reality, Patriotism,Trump: you can only pick two
FÜCK PUTIN!
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
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You might consider a dedicated 300 RUM for the 230 Berger. I did one a year or two ago that is doing incredible things at long range and it's nipping at the 300 grain Lapua in energy. 230 grain bullets at 3200fps. Brass is seasonal but if you are patient it can be had.
Not to derail my own thread, but a 300 RUM is in consideration as well. Did you throat that one specifically for the Bergers? How's the round count? Think it'll make it to 1000?
The CENTER will hold.
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I have a 338 RUM. It shoots great, I had Mark Brown build it for me. It's a Remington 700 #4 Shilen barrel cut at 24". It's a great killer on game. Yet, so is my 30-06. That's prolly why I take my 06 hunting more often.
Life is what you make of it. Build your big 338 and have fun with it.
Take care
Randy
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You might consider a dedicated 300 RUM for the 230 Berger. I did one a year or two ago that is doing incredible things at long range and it's nipping at the 300 grain Lapua in energy. 230 grain bullets at 3200fps. Brass is seasonal but if you are patient it can be had.
Not to derail my own thread, but a 300 RUM is in consideration as well. Did you throat that one specifically for the Bergers? How's the round count? Think it'll make it to 1000? A 7 Rem Mag running 195 Bergers slaps the 30s around pretty good and there's not a .338 EDGE load that beats it by enough to warrant the additional recoil in my opinion, but I'm sure a hardened badass like yourself loves the slap of a 33 magnum on the chin. Berger boxes are pretty easy to open though so it's a win/win. Tanner
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I built a 340 Wby on a Rem 700 back in the early nineties before all the "long range rage" and didn't build it specifically with that in mind. Just a 26" tube with the overall idea of a portable (8.5 lbs), 500-yard, elk smack-down rifle which it surely was. Ended up shooting 210-gr TSXs at 3150 or so.
I'd look at the 338 RUM cartridge I guess and see if cases are somewhat obtainable and I don't know about that. The Lapua would work of course but so would the old Wby cartridge if given the right platform. And I'm sure you could go all esoteric with any number of wildcats.
Edit: 340 Wby brass is available and though my rifle wasn't "internet accurate" it would do five in a real 1.5" which for the intended game was ok. I would build more carefully and different now if building a thousand hard rifle.
Last edited by George_De_Vries_3rd; 12/22/15.
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