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I'm going to build a 338 win mag. Whos action do you recommend I use??

Go play with a 70 and a 700 and use whichever one blows your skirt up.

Do your own reasearch. Get a copy of Frank DeHaas's book, Bolt Action Rifles. It describes the good and bad of every action you've ever heard of. E

Anything but the Rem 700 action, what a POS!!!!! SAVAGE 99 will be able to tell you more, but they have extremely weak extractors, bolt handles which often fall off, and very unsafe triggers/safetys. Furthermore, they have poor manufacturing tolerances and were made strictly for economics from round stock, even the recoil lug is cheap, just a thin piece if steel sandwiched between barrel and receiver. In short, they SUCK!!!!!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

280_ACKLEY

Speaking of bolt handles coming off Remmie 700 actions, the H-D Rifles site even mentions that! How odd! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

If you can afford it the McMillan MCR-T action is a great action.

The 338WinMag is not a varmit caliber,it is very fine big game hunting caliber.Bill Leeper feels the MRC'99 is a better action to build from than any of the other popular ones,pre'64 M-70,"classic" M-70,FN,M-700 or M-77. Here is the dirt on it http://www.accuratereloading.com/ub...mp;amp;sb=5&o=21&fpart=1

You're obviously going to get a lot of opinions on this one. My personal opinion is to find a Pre 64 Model 70 or a new Model 70 Classic in Magnum bolt face and have it cleaned up and rebarreled. The Pre 64 can be a plain old 30-06 (read cheap), as the bolt face can be easily opened up and rebarreled to whatever floats your boat. The 3 or 4 I've seen done (including mine) feed fine from the original magazine box.
These make a really classic rifle that functions wonderfully and the Pre 64's I've seen done in this fashion have all been terrific shooters. Did I mention they are really classy looking rifles when they're done?- Sheister

280Ackley-Actually savage99 will tell him not to get a 338win mag at all because of their defective belted design that will fail and destroy both the gun and shooter.

It happens once in a while. 90% of the time it is because of a hot load, or shooting in certain conditions that can cause over pressure.
Some of the guys shooting in a sniper comp had over pressure problems because it was pouring rain for two day of the comp. They where out in it and laying in it. Some of the rifles had gotten very wet chambers and some had very hard to extract empties.

For the most part, the mod we do is a hardening of a rifle for extreme use, such as military and LE snipers may see. They can not have a failure.

A Texas NG sniper / NCOIC has now had all of his personal rifles done, after one of his men came to him off the firing line with a bolt handle in hand. He is still working on get6ting his unit this upgrade.

I am not saying it happens everyday, or that it will happen to you. It does however happen once in a while.
Once again, this is a hardening of the rifle for extreme use when equipment failure is not an option.

Celt

I like Rem700 actions. If I had some extra money to spend, I would like a Prairie Gun Works M15 or M18, Ti, or SS

http://www.prairiegunworks.com/id8.htm

MM

Another vote for the Rem 700 or Win 70 Classic.

MtnHtr

I faced this choice at the first of the year. Either
a 70 or 700. I liked attributes of the 70 but went with
the 700 for weight reasons and erganomics. I like
the position of the safety on the 700 and it is a lighter
action. I swaped out to a Mcmillian stock on the factory 700. My rifle weighs in at 8 lbs. Nothing wrong with the
70 but it was heavier especially with the steel floor plate. Nice, but not needed.

I like the Remington 700, even if the bolt handle does fall off. The cheap tubing they call an action is easy to bed and everyone makes a trigger for it. Every scope mount manufacturer in the world makes scope mounts for it and some make them in 20 MOA so you can shoot all the way to the moon. If needed someone can weld the scope mount bases to the receiver, ( using their special space age super duper welder) saving you the cost of taping the base hole to #8 screws, highly needed as the 6-48's always break off. Be sure to change the factory trigger, as you will surely shoot yourself in the foot if you don't. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Dan

Dan,

I hate to admit it, but I am actually starting to become a bit amused with your sarcasm.

Though, you still have issues! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I have a .338 Remington 700 and a Winchester model 70. I enjoy carrying the lighter Remington over the Winchester. I don't see problems with either action.

If I had to do it all over I would have started with the remington and called it good. Instead of buying, and building a winchester and then buying the remington.

For a .338 Win Mag I would prefer the M70. I own rifles in both, as as much as I like 700s, when a M70 is feeding and functioning like Mr. Mauser intended, they are hard to beat in that price range.

The .338 is going to kick some. The extra weight of the 70 is OK with me in that application.

Call me crazy.

Rick

Sorry Bud, you are the one with issues. I'm fine and having fun.

Dan

hglass,

Why do you say "build" a .338? Many stock rifles are just fine in that caliber. It's not like one needs 1/2 MOA.

As some know there are Remington 700 fans here. They might even want one in that cartridge. But this is a good area to get CRF. Ruger and Winchester make such rifles. Select one of these and try it out. Most are fine as the come. If not send it back or get it modified if necessary.

The .338 WM is belted but factory loads will be fine. If you reload for a belted cartridge be sure to double check that your not pushing the shoulder back too far when FL sizing. They are more prone to this problem than rimless cartridges due to the design. Also check the inside of the case with a feeler wire for insipiant head separations.

The only non belted "338" right now is the 338 RUM. That's a double faced hammer.

Because they are such "cheap POS" actions with "very weak" extractors, etc. the ignorant folks who equip the highly trained snipers of the US military use these actions. They have merrily stood the test of time and the really tough field conditions of combat. The poor, misguided folks who get out of the military and have custom rifles built for kind of shooting continue to make these bad chioices, etc.
The truth is a Remington extractor will rip the head off of a stuck cartriage case. Nothing else in current production, to my knowledge, will do this. All of them will slip side ways and slip off the rim before they reach this point.
The current M70 bolts are also welded or brazed as well. There is nothing wrong with this as long as it was done right. If they weren't so made, there is a way to determine this and redo them.
Have you ever seen the small recoil lug of the Ruger actions ? Makes the Remington lug look beefy.
They all have their points. I suggest you figure out what you want or need and go from there. As I suspect Celt was hinting at, you can modify these thing as you feel is needed.
I like and use all three, Remingtons, Rugers and Winchester Classic M70's. E