Talk me out of this savage 112 .338 lapua

[maddhatter82]

I have an opportunity to pick one of these up and I'm trying to talk myself out of it. It's a great looking piece and has good glass and a couple boxes of ammo. I can get it for around the 1200 mark.
Need- no but I have a lot of stuff I don't need. Lol
Want- meh but it looks great and would be a cool addition to the collection
Opportunity for use- I have a few places that I could stretch out to 450 or so but I don't.

Thoughts? Reasons to buy? Reasons why not?

 

[maddhatter82]

Literally this with a viper 5-25x56

 

[ttfreestyle]

Using a 338 at 450 will get very boring fast. I have had that exact rifle, was accurate with n570 and 300 grain Bergers. Not cheap to shoot even handloading.

 

[TNRifleman]

Honestly, unless I had a place I could consistently take it to shoot to 1200-1500 yards or more, I'd pass.

Now build a sweet .22 long rifle to shoot at 450 would be fun as heck.

 

[nso123]

338 Lapua is fun at distance, but at 450 it's going to take some serious wind to even make it interesting. If you don't reload, get your checkbook out for ammo. If you do reload, you still need to get your checkbook out.

 

[ttfreestyle]

Plus it's excessive recoil for what it is. I much rather do same thing with my 300wsm on targets that is.

 

[ImThere]

You need a reason to buy a new gun? Take some midol on the way to the bank!!!

 

[jlanecr500]

Thats a good price. Im a Savage junky so I have the same gun. Cost to reload is comparable to 300PRC, 28 Nosler and other large magnum. The factory brake is pretty good so.recoil isn't terrible. ( I shoot heavy stuff at high velocity in sml's so my idea of terrible might not align with yours) If you enjoy benchrest shooting then by all means get it. It could be taken hunting but is heavy and cumbersome. Personally, I'd be more inclined to buy a 300PRC, 7MM PRC in a carbonfiber barrel/stock that is really lite. Put a good brake or suppressor on it and hunt with it while occasionally bench shooting it.

Im shooting a Berger 195gr EOL in my 7mm PRC and a Berger 245gr EOL in my 300 PRC. Both are very capable on the bench and are very light for hunting.

You're making me want to sell mine now. I've got a 40cal sml bench gun that will walk all over it anyway. It's a rare day either one see's sunlight.

 

[TN Song Dog]

The price is good but nothing else would draw me to it. Factor in ammo cost and being short on time and convenient places to shoot out far… then I'm out.

Like @TNRifleman I'd rather shoot .22lr at 450yd or try

 

[mr.big]

I had the 110 fcp 338 LM and it shot well. Hit the long gong at Rockcastel with it , which I think was like 1600 yards , with a 4.5-14 Mark 4 scope.

It just would not extract 100% maybe 75-80%. It didn't matter factory ammo, reloads down as much as 10 grs under max or 3 grs over max. Changed extractors and did about everything except change barrels and it just wouldn't extract. At the time I couldn't get anybody to chamber a 338 LM for it , for liability reasons they all said.
Everybody i talked to said the bolt diameter wasn't big enough for the Lapua case head.
I parted it out and cut my losses. If it would have extracted correctly I would still have it as it was a blast to shoot.

 

[ttfreestyle]

I had the 110 fcp 338 LM and it shot well. Hit the long gong at Rockcastel with it , which I think was like 1600 yards , with a 4.5-14 Mark 4 scope.

It just would not extract 100% maybe 75-80%. It didn't matter factory ammo, reloads down as much as 10 grs under max or 3 grs over max. Changed extractors and did about everything except change barrels and it just wouldn't extract. At the time I couldn't get anybody to chamber a 338 LM for it , for liability reasons they all said.
Everybody i talked to said the bolt diameter wasn't big enough for the Lapua case head.
I parted it out and cut my losses. If it would have extracted correctly I would still have it as it was a blast to shoot.

There was a big discussion about this being a unsafe chambering on a savage action by a few of the most reputable savage smiths when this first came out. Like you I tried to get a custom barrel spun up for mine and was told no by a couple of smiths so like you I cut my losses and moved on to custom actions.

 

[jlanecr500]

That Savage target action is a beefy action. I've got one in a RBRP with a Rock Creek 408 cheytac barrel that I chambered as an sml. Shoots great. I have its sister barrel on another Savage action. Believe me, I've sent heavier lead at higher velocities in sml's than a 338 lapua or 408 cheytac ever thought about.

I haven't had the first problem with my 338 lapua extraction.

 

[fairchaser]

Buy it! YOLO

 

[ewc]

At that range, I'm killing everything with a 223. Longest kill was 570 with a 62 ttsx.

I'd get good at shooting first.....

 

[Quiver]

I agree with most. This is long range gun for killing evil and larger game. I've never used mine much in TN. It barely gets hungry under 500 yards. There are fun out west. You really need to reload to get best results also.

 

[maddhatter82]

So…. I got it. I don't know what the heck I'm gonna do with it but this thing is huge compared to normal 110 and I'm pretty sure the trigger is set to like 2 ounces.(exaggerating I'm sure.) but it is extremely light.(trigger not the rifle). I'll post pics soon of it beside my normal savage.

 

[maddhatter82]

At that range, I'm killing everything with a 223. Longest kill was 570 with a 62 ttsx.

I'd get good at shooting first.....

Oh yeah definitely , I've got plenty of other things that cover that range really well and farther no reason I was even considering this thing is just because I didn't have one but now I do lol

 

[Billboy]

I built a 338RUM years ago for hunting out West and a trip to Africa. It proved its worth in Africa with several 350-501yd shots. For deer in east TN, it is waaay overkill, but it's fun. Also right at home in the strip mined mtns of SE KY where you could easily get 500-1000yd shots. Rem 700 with 27" Krieger barrel shooting 210 TTSX or 250 Accubonds.

 

[BPhunter]

Everything I own as far as long gun and pistol, I keep standard and low cost and readily available ammo. Unless you intend to be a professional sniper, no need for any of the high dollar crap on the market, or unless you just have more money than sense.

 

[Hduke86]

Enjoy the purchase, you don't have to shoot it like it's 22lr ammo. What's the price of ammo in the grand scheme of things we buy in general (not much). I have a 325wsm sending 200gr Accubonds at East Tennessee deer. Is it overkill, sure is and do I take it to the woods every trip…nope. When I'm hunting somewhere I don't want the deer to move after being shot. The 325wsm gets toted along and it's done great on mule deer. Hopefully here soon it'll get a crack at a elk.

 

[maddhatter82]

Everything I own as far as long gun and pistol, I keep standard and low cost and readily available ammo. Unless you intend to be a professional sniper, no need for any of the high dollar crap on the market, or unless you just have more money than sense.

I mean, I definitely don't have more money then I have sense, but I do work hard and work a lot so that I can buy what I want when I want. I figure worst case as I shoot it I don't like it that's around sell it or trade it off for something that I would best case I shoot it and I like it it sits in the gun safe and cost me anything anymore than what I've already spent on it

 

[hunter0925]

Enjoy the purchase, you don't have to shoot it like it's 22lr ammo. What's the price of ammo in the grand scheme of things we buy in general (not much). I have a 325wsm sending 200gr Accubonds at East Tennessee deer. Is it overkill, sure is and do I take it to the woods every trip…nope. When I'm hunting somewhere I don't want the deer to move after being shot. The 325wsm gets toted along and it's done great on mule deer. Hopefully here soon it'll get a crack at a elk.

That rifle already had a crack at an elk and did great. Lol

 

[jlanecr500]

I've been shooting 250gr Lapua Scenar projectiles over N565 in my 338 Lapua.

 

[ImThere]

Now you're ready to go to New Mexico and hunt Oryx! Congrats on the new toy!

 

[BPhunter]

I mean, I definitely don't have more money then I have sense, but I do work hard and work a lot so that I can buy what I want when I want. I figure worst case as I shoot it I don't like it that's around sell it or trade it off for something that I would best case I shoot it and I like it it sits in the gun safe and cost me anything anymore than what I've already spent on it

Didn't mean anything derogatory. That is just me. I'm just a big believer in "KISS". If you buy it, enjoy it.

 

[Hduke86]

That rifle already had a crack at an elk and did great. Lol

I'm going to blame the previous owners of the rifleman if I miss an elk with it

 

[hunter0925]

I'm going to blame the previous owners of the rifleman if I miss an elk with it

His name is @7mm08 lol

 

[Hduke86]

His name is @7mm08 lol

Probably the smell of red fish slime is scaring everything away