Show me a cartridge that is "better" suited for elk hunting. Or deer hunting, for that matter. Or for doing both.
When hunting at 1200 yds and further the 338 lapua is better. I'm thinking I will trade it in for a 50 cal so I can be the end all of cussing and discussing 👍
At less than 300 yds I use my 6.5X55 swede however if I had a 6.5 creedmoor you would not be authorized to so much as question me!
Any other questions?
Trystan
There are far more people with custom barrels than those who hunt over 600 yards, let alone 1200, yet you felt using custom barrels was being unfair in the .27 vs .28 comparison?
In any case, a .338 Lapua is not necessarily better than a .28 (7mm RM specifically since that is what I asked you to compare against), even at 1200 yards. It depends on what you are hunting and the capabilities and needs of the shooter. Yes, a .338 Lapua can deliver more energy to the target than any .28 caliber cartridge I'm aware of, but that alone does not make it "better" for any particular purpose other than delivering the most energy.
If sniping large big game at that range, it may be a fine choice. For smaller big game, such as antelope, it really isn't necessary, Delivering energy downrange comes at a cost, though. Recoil is one. In the Savage .338 Lapua (8.85 pounds), a 265g LARB at 2900fps (pushed by 86.0g powder) generates over 50ft-lbs of recoil without a brake. Most people can't tolerate that much recoil so the brake is needed. Even then there are people that will have a hard time with the remaining recoil.
You could go to something like a Barrett MRAD to reduce recoil but who wants to carry a 13 to 14.5 pound rifle very long? Or up and down mountainsides? And how many can afford $4500 or more for such a rifle?
A 7mm RM with a 195g Berger VLD @ 2850fps can deliver 1300fps and 780 ft-lbs past 1500 yards. Significantly lower cost, weight, recoil - things that are not a "nice to have" but a "must have" for some. For them that may make the 7mm RM a "better" choice. A 7mm RUM would push the 1300fps performance envelope out to about 1700 yards.
As a more practical matter, where most game is shot within 600 yards and the vast majority of that at 300 or less, the discussion of a .338 Lapua being a "better" cartridge than a .280/7mm RM/.280AI for deer/elk/both is rather ludicrous. Inside 350 or so I'd take a .338 Fed over a Lapua. For the ranges I'm willing to shoot (600 yards max but only under perfect conditions, 487 longest ever), my 22" .338WM does just fine with 225g AB @ a rather sedate 2742fps. No need or desire for a Lapua for my needs.
