I might be on the lookout for a good used 338 Win Mag rifle with a synthetic or laminate stock. I'm prepping for an upcoming elk hunt and have always wanted a 338 (even though I have a perfectly good 30-06 that I may end up using).

Wish list:
- 338 Win Mag
- Synthetic or laminate stock
- Must be accurate
- would like a quality thick recoil pad
- Win model 70 would be nice, but will consider other models

Thanks,

David

New, but looks like a great deal to me.
https://www.cdnnsports.com/rugerr-m77r-hawkeyer-338wm-all-weather.html?___SID=U

interesting. Thanks for the link.

BTW - I meant to post this in the Classifieds. Maybe a mod can move it.

Excellent choice. I have two - a custom 1944 Winchester model 70 in a McMillan Synthetic stock and a '95 Remington Custom Shop Stainless Steel M700 with a Brown Precision synthetic stock. Both shoot very well with handloads.

Good luck in your search.

Maybe I'll buy that gun RHClark linked to, cerakote the action and put it in a Boyd's laminated stock. I could bed the action and chop some off the stock to install a limbsaver 1.5" nitro pad. I'm not interested in developing a flinch by dabbling in more gun than I can handle! Ha

That is a good price on that gun. I don't know what you are used to shooting recoil-wise, but I was pleasantly surprised at the recoil the first time I shot a 338 WM. It does bite back, but it's not as bad as you may believe and with good practice you will become used to it. Just don't sit at the bench and try to shoot 20-30 rounds through it in one session. it does tenderize the shoulder after a while.

My Remington M700 is a lightweight rifle for this caliber - about 8 lbs with scope. If your going elk hunting this should be a consideration - you don't want a heavy rifle if you will be at higher elevations. The barrel is mag-na-ported, which reduces recoil but not as much as a full muzzle brake. It handles and balances great. A laminate stock is going to be considerably heavier that a good fiberglass stock that can handle the recoil of this round.

Thanks for the info. I shoot a 30-06 and a 7mmMag right now. The 7mm doesn't hurt me, but I can tell I have to fight anticipating the shoot after several rounds. My idea with the laminated was to add some weight to dampen things some.

What I really want is a gun to match my 30-06: M70 Extreme Weather. But I fear it will be too lightweight.

Personally,I wouldn't bother to Cerakote a stainless gun. All stainless will rust a little but the thing I love about stainless is the easy maintenance.They don't rust easily and if you get a little spot,just clean it up with some Flitz.

I suppose you know that your 30-06 or 7 mag will do fine for Elk too. If it shoots good I might get a McMillan Edge for it instead and have a lighter rifle to Elk hunt with. Maybe upgrade the optics too,maybe even get a barrel and have the action trued up and Edge bedded by a competent smith. You would likely wind up with a lighter and more accurate gun with less recoil than a factory 338 Mag.

I might even turn that 30-06 into a 338-06 depending on what kind of action it is. Actually changing a barrel on either would depend on what they are.

That's just me though,and if you have a 338 itch that needs scratching,you might as well go that route.

Here's you a 338.
https://www.gunsamerica.com/911740908/Co...l-stainless.htm

Personally this is my ultimate Elk hunting rifle and it only weighs 5-3/4 lbs. Add a Swaro Z5 3.5-18X44 and you would have a long range rig right at 7 lbs all up that wouldn't be hard on the shoulder,hard on the pocket book maybe but just about my idea of perfect.
https://www.gunsamerica.com/928685941/Cooper-Model-92-Backcountry-280AI-black-gray.htm

Yeah I know they both would work, but the 7mm is set up with a 56mm scope as my last light greenfield gun, and I still haven't really found a load that's very accurate in it. I may still use the 30-06, but I was really wanting something that would deliver more energy at say 300-350 yards.

As for cerakoting, I was thinking of doing it for glare mostly. Although I have experienced minor pits in my 30-06 from allowing it to stay wet without oiling one time.

Those guns you linked are mighty nice. I was hoping to spend as little as possible since elk hunting may only happen a handful of times over the course of my life

That is a little too light for a 338 WM IMHO. It would also be difficult to shoot accurately due to it's light weight. Hard-kickin' lightweight guns require a little extra attention to your shooting form or you will spray the bullets. I think this was is of the reasons Kimber Montanas have a reputation as poor shooters, and people have blamed it on Kimber. Truth probably is that many of the people who can't shoot their Kimbers have bad shooting form which is amplified with lighter weight guns. My 338 WM is 8 lbs and it will open up groups if you do not have a firm hold on the rifle.

The 338WM will also work very well on an Alabama whitetail.

A very good gun that will be similar to your 30-06 would be a Montana Rifle Co. rifle. The action is a clone of the model 70 Winchester. No dealers in Alabama, but you might want to check out their website.

For 300-350 yards, a 7-08 with 140 grain Partition would be good for elk. You don't need a cannon to kill an elk, unless you just want to tote one.

The 338 isn't light.It's the model 92 that's light and I listed the 280 for just that reason. It's about my limit on recoil.

I agree about light rifles being harder to shoot to some extent but it isn't the huge issue some people think it is. I worked on my light rifle technique for a year with my Montana and groups got better but I was really surprised at how easy my gun suddenly became to shoot accurately after I bedded it.

So if you just are doing a budget elk hunt and you'll shoot a cow and be happy just use the 30-06.

If you are going on that once or twice in a lifetime trip and about to drop $5k+ and are hunting for a trophy get the .338 if you don't want to worry about recovering the animal. There is such a thing as "use enough gun" when it comes to bigger critters. Sure the smaller stuff will kill them I have shot a couple with 7 mag. Kinda the old argument asking can you kill on any "deader"? Not really. A double lung will kill anything. However... I like .340 even better but .338WM will flat out drop one. I have shot one with .338 through the front shoulders and he never took a step.

This is a do it yourself (limited budget) hunt in a very remote section of Idaho that a buddy happens to be familiar with. He tells me the terrain is extremely steep and rugged. My idea behind a 338 is preventing/limiting the animal from escaping to some cliff or ravein that we can't hardly get him out of. I'm currently in the process of endurance training and weight lifting to prepare me physically. I might would do this hunt a couple more times if I like it and can see it being successful, but I doubt i can make it a regular thing. So, I sort of want to take the gun out of the equation and have high energy/knockdown power up to my own personal shooting skill limit (currently if I'm honest around 300 yards).

It sounds like this will be a physically challenging hunt and you really need to consider the weight of your rifle. A Kimber Montana in a 300 WSM would fit the bill very well in these circumstances. Loaded with a 180 NAB or Partition it will be light and have plenty of juice when it reaches the critter. You will be cussing yourself if you have a heavy rifle to tote in the terrain you described. Winchester and Ruger actions weigh more than a Remington, which is heavier than a Kimber Montana action.

I think a WSM in a Kimber would be an 8400 action which may not be any lighter than some others. If I wanted light,I would step down to a 280AI in the Montana 84L. It will kill elk just fine.

Net necessarily. I've got a Mountain Rifles Inc Super Mountaineer that weighs 4.5lbs less scope and rings. A little over 6lbs ready to hunt with a Swarovski 2-10x50. It's not hard on the shoulder, more like a shotgun recoil. It's ported but the gentleman that built it designed his own brake that helps with recoil without extreme increases in loudness. It will shoot the first 2 rounds in the same hole and throw the 3rd an inch high and a little to the right.