For you magnum hunters would you go with the 300 win mag or .338 Laupa?

What round is easier to load the 300 or the 338?

Thank you!

The Lapua! Great bullets, great ballistics, bigger holes! The downside: generally... much heavier rifles or more recoil in reasonably light rifles. memtb

Hunting what?

6.5 Creedmoor.

Thats what I'm thnking.

FWIW the military chose 300 WM over 338 Lapua as their long range sniper round.

What is a meter?

300 Win mag, Best bang for buck out there.

What hanco said !

Bingo... easier carrying rifles, tons of load options and great bullets. Love the 338's but I would wanna carry a 338 Lapua around the elk mountains that was comfortable to shoot.

An 8.5-9lb 300 Win Mag is pretty easy and very deadly.

600 yards is well within the limits of a good 300WM. No need for a 338 Lapua at that range. The military is actually going to be using a 300 Norma not the 300 WM (also not the 308 Norma) going forward.

The .300 RUM is also not a bad bet. With good bullets the wind drift at range isn't much more than the .338 Lapua

Something 6.5 or 7mm

I would avoid the Lapua unless you can afford to invest in a special length custom action or spend the gunsmith time to modify an existing action to accommodate Lapua length cartridges and magazines. Also, extremely expensive brass.

Either the 300 WM or 338 WM should have no problem at 600 yards- at least mine don't.....

Unless, of course, you just want a 338 Lapua.... then just get it- no explanation necessary.....

Bob

I have had both, my take is:

Good points, 338 Lapua ;
wind drift, retained energy.

Good points 300 Win mag. ;
Trajectory, burns less powder, cheaper components, less recoil, lighter rifle.
Easier to shoot. Plenty of energy at long range. Normal sized action.
Better component availability and selection.


Bad points 300 Mag.;
more wind drift.


Bad points 338 Lapua;
Component cost and availability. Muzzle blast and recoil. Trajectory. Action compatibility, I.E. you need a larger action. Heavier gun. Harder to spot your shots.


I sold my 338 Lapua to a young man, I couldn't talk him out of it! he wanted the horsepower and thought it was "cool"

600yds no question the 300mag wins, the 338 Lapua advantage doesn't show up until you get further out.

You may want to consider a 7 Mag or 280 A.I. if you are only shooting 600yds?
Hell a 6.5 Creed may be a better solution?

A measurement of distance first world countries use.

.223

Thanks for your 'personal' experience - knowledge - recommendation.


I've always liked the 300 Win Mag, can't really define why. Red/Blue
Vanilla/Chocolate


Jerry

300 WM due to better bullet selection, availability and cost

I have wanted a 338 lapua for awhile.

memtb - "The Lapua! Great bullets, great ballistics, bigger holes......" Sure it's a bit heavy and clunky to haul around in comparison to the .300WM. BUT in case you ran into a rogue elephant, in the wilds of say NJ, which would you rather be armed with??? Just kidding...wouldn't want to PO the infamous "Jersey Devil" Homesteader

You should use a 338 with a partition and a Leupold. Is that the answer you wanted?

Here's another one to ponder...300 Norma Mag.

Or 308 regular

OK, the Lapua CAN hit harder at 600 yards and drop and drift CAN be less. But...

Using Nosler AccuBond data and normalizing for 24" barrel on the Lapua (-50fps from the 26" barrel Nosler used), my Point Blank calculator shows the following. All calculations are for 50F, 7500ft and MPBR zero for a 6" diameter target and a 600 yard range. Recoil calculations are for a rifle/ammo/scope @ 8.3 pounds.

.300WM, 24" barrel
180g @ 3160fps = .507 B.C., .271 S.D., -44.1", 2325fps, 2160fpe, 16.7" drift, recoil @ 31.8 ft-lb
200g @ 2972fps = .588 B.C., .301 S.D., -49.9", 2271fps, 2291fpe, 15.4" drift, recoil @ 32.9 ft-lb

.338WM, 22" barrel (Mine, with handload)
225g @ 2742fps = .550 B.C., .281 S.D., -63.8 ", 2033fps, 2064 fpe, 18.7" drift, recoil @ 33.8 ft-lb

.338WM, 24" barrel
225g @ 2882fps = .550 B.C., .281 S.D., -55.7 ", 2151fps, 2311 fpe, 17.5" drift, recoil @ 37.0 ft-lb
250g @ 2780fps = .575 B.C., .313 S.D., -60.6 ", 2094fps, 2433 fpe, 17.5" drift, recoil @ 40.6 ft-lb

.338 Lapua, normalized for 24" barrel at -50fps M.V.
225g @ 3054fps = 550 B.C., .281 S.D., -47.3", 2296fps, 2633fpe, 15.9" drift, recoil @ 50.5 ft-lb
250g @ 2891fps = .575 B.C., .313 S.D., -54.5", 2187fps, 2655fpe, 16.6" drift, recoil @ 48.5 ft-lb

From a practical and personal perspective, the .338 Lapua would mean a heavier and much more expensive rifle, brass that costs $1.40 to $2.00 more per piece, a higher rate of powder consumption and significantly more recoil. Adding a brake to the Lapua would reduce recoil but, apples to apples, a .300 WM with a brake would have far less recoil.

At 600 the .300WM wins the race in drop or drift, depending on which load you look at. The 180g load wins the drop race and loses in drift by less than 1". The 200g load wins the drift race and falls in-between the Lapua loads for drop.

Again at 600, my slowpoke 22" .338WM only gives up 2.1" to 2.8" in drift to the Lapua and adjusting for the extra 9.5" to 16.5" in drop is easily done - so much so that I've shot clay pigeons at 600 with it and regularly use it to bang 10" steel at that distance. All with significantly less cost and recoil.

While my .338WM/225g AB load is a hammer on elk, my .300 WM/180g TTSX load is no slouch. Both are Ruger MKII rifles in skeleton boat-paddle stocks and both are reasonably light weight with easily tolerated recoil, but the .300WM shoots flatter with 600 yard drop and drift at -50.6" and 18.8" respectively. The .300WM/180g TTSX load delivers 2185fps/1908fpe at 600, similar to a .30-30 at the muzzle.

For me the choice is a no-brainer. Out to 600 I'll take quite a few cartridges over the .338 Lapua. That list includes my 6.5-06AI, .280 Rem, 7mm RM. .30-06, .300 WM, .338WM and a bunch of others I don't already own.

The best and easiest way to measure anything. Increments of 10 in all measurements, unlike the ridiculous English system.

What kind of critter are you hunting that requires a 338 Lapua? Lol. 600yds isn't far regardless. A 7 rem mag would do it all for less...

Well [bleep] me

Plus one!

A nominal division from the N. pole (geographic, not magnetic, which moves) to the equator IIRC. French built. The metric system is the only thing they ever did that's worth a damn IMO.

I like it, easy to use within system, but the conversions to it are a PITA!

Given the choices, I'd go 300 win mag. Probably short mag. For best accuracy with reloads you want to head space off the shoulder anyway (my and my hunting bud's .338WMs both showed a significant improvement), so the belt becomes superfluous. The short mag can almost equal the mv of the WM, but that too is negotiable and largely unimportant within limits. You want to go for best accuracy, whatever. MV is way over-hyped- again, to a point. Danged near anything will kill to 600 yards, if properly placed.

Know the range (range finder) and the drop of your load, and you are home free.

Factor in wind of course.

Personally, I'd go with a .30-06 with a moderately heavy barrel. It will do anything the 300, 7 Mag, or .338 will, with what should be obvous advantages, and few if any signifcant disadvantages. My heavy barreled '98 in '06 is zeroed at 300, producing from solid rest, 3 shot groups right at 1" plus or minus at that range. I'm pretty sure I'm the inconsistent factor- and limit myself to 500 yards on game. So far.

The rifle is more capable than I am....I haven't shot the .338 in 8 years.... :and it is a 1.25MOA or less, 500 yard capable rifle. but then, I've not been in .338 circumstances, either.

Most people shoot lighter calibers (and heavier guns) better (other things being equal), even if they can handle a boomer's recoil... fact of life. You will have to decide where your compromises lie.

heck 600 yards is well within reason for a plain vanilla 06...

I once thought I needed a 300 Win Mag and even a 338...

both pretty accurate... but they collected a lot of dust in the gun safe I use to have...

only time I really shot them was to pull them out and take them to the range to get the dust off of them...

usually was just shooting them down loaded...

if ya gotta need for a mag tho, make it a Magnum..

with these new Hornady ELD bullets up to 225 grains... that will put a lot of long range thump out there...

gotta friend who thinks he needs one for elk hunting...

I'm trying to tell him an 06 or even 270 with partitions and he's good to go..

for some reason, everyone thinks you only shoot elk at 1000 yds...not if you are a good enough hunter...

so many guys here in Oregon think that way... you need w things for elk hunting... a Magnum and a 4WD full size pickup for the road hunting you're going to be doing...

Why burn anything more than 45 grains of powder for 600 yards....

Anything -08 cased or similar is the easy answer....

More oomph doesn't get you anything if you cant place it...

Or a WSM or SAUM. Stay short-action for sure.

Stick w/ the 300win.. lots of brass and good loads.. An 06 is good, but still an 06..

Some guy at the range was strutting around after hitting the 900 yd gong with his 338 lapua. Then I pulled out the 6 creed "ding" and he and his redneck buddy looked confused. Those who actually shoot know...

You told your buddy right.

Before my hip surgery I was pretty much reduced to road hunting the last year - that or nothing. Didn't need a "1,000 yard rifle" because I couldn't get anywhere near that far from the road. Don't remember what I was using and too lazy to look it up. Given that fact that I was alone and had to pack whatever out by myself, my .30-30 would have been adequate. Still, I had a good time. As a result, I empathize with those who choose to road hunt rather than stay home.

The truth is an -06 is more than adequate for the vast majority of hunting situations. As is pretty much anything based on a .308, x57 or -06 case.

(Says the guy who just loaded up fifty 225g rounds for his .338WM last night...)

Q. What do you shoot now and how accurate are you with that gun? say at 500 yards.

dogcatcher223, We've got a 6.5-284 for long range fun. There's a considerable difference between "ding" at extended ranges and "rocking the steel" with mass and velocity!! memtb

i agree with gtscotty,hunting what? i would use a 300 wsm,or 7mm or 270 wsm

That gets lost somewhere along the way.
Good point.

Jerry

Hear hear !! That English measuring system is absolutely ridiculous. Absolute gibberish.

A 300 is still very manageable w/o a brake, that would decide it for me as I despise them. 338L is too much of a good thing.

I also have to agree with others on the 7RM, but I'm a bit biased. I run 300s and 7RMs and can't really tell that the 300 will outdo the other. Yes, it'll chunk a larger bullet, but ballistics between the two with like bullets are too close to edge the other out. That said, less recoil wins.

Big difference between ringing steel and dumping critters at 600. I've done a fair amount of the first.... and very little of the second.

For steel and vermin... I'll take a mid-size 6mm or 6.5mm all day.

For pretty much ANY big game hunting.... be it 60 yards or 600 yards.... pass the 7 Mag please...

A 7mm RM is I started with bolt guns back in 1982. 20+ years later I bought a .300WM to see what i had been missing.

Turned out it was only the recoil.

Well,.......if you a 7 RM & 300 WM.........


You don't miss anything. grin


Jerry

I used to be a recoil sponge but a brain injury ended THAT nonsense.

6.5's and 7's for me, for precision work anyway.

How about a better set of boots so you can get closer?

We always have these get closer comments, sometimes it ain't going to happen, hunt long enough you know!😝

what two projectiles did you use to determine the difference in wind-drift?

well I don't know, some on 24CF claim bigger cals can shock animals to death.
no need to even wait till they bleed out anymore. They even claim to have seen it happen!

30-06 would do it just fine, especially if you reload.

If I were going to build something today though, it would be a 300 Norma.

In my 338 Lapua I loaded a Hornady 285 bthp at 2750 fps

In the 300 Win mag I loaded a 208 Amax at 2850 fps

The question about the intended use was never answered. That makes me wonder why the OP thinks he needs a shoulder/pocketbook wrecker.

I started off with 7 mags for years-which I really like for hunting elk. I have more and more gone back toward milder calibers for deer and antelope, but still like my 7 mags for shooting elk at the almost standard 300-yard plus ranges that my Wyoming hunts have offered me. My 7 mags are not prohibitive with recoil, or reloading costs. I don't just go out and shoot them a whole bunch, though.

For smaller critters and just fun, I have gone to my .308s and a superb .260 to take care of business.

I agree that you should try to get closer, but anybody that thinks you can always get within 300 yards, has not hunted the open hills of Wyoming very much.