The .338LM Convert

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OVERKILL

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This is a funny story (to me at least) that happened the previous weekend with a good friend of mine.

My buddy Jon is my shooting buddy. We have bought most of our rifles together and his dad's land is where we have our ranges setup. He's always teasing me about spending too much on optics (which aren't really anything nuts, just a few Bushnell Elite 6500's) and crazy guns like my .338LM (Savage 110BA).

Anyway, another friend of mine who moved away a few years ago to be with his soon-to-be wife was down for Christmas break and was hoping he could tag along for one of our shooting days. I said sure! and he said he'd bring along his deer/moose rifle, which is an old (WWII) Enfield with irons in .303 British.

He messaged me later asked me if I could bring the Lapua. I told him OK. Originally I was just going to bring the .223 and the .308.

So we get out there and setup our targets. We plink at a few things I brought (Samsung Galaxy tab with a dead screen, Netopia router.... which had a lithium Ion battery that exploded in a dramatic display of awesome) and some typical "normal" targets. We are only shooting 100 yards at this point as the 220 yard range is N/A right now.

Jon and I start with our favourites. He's using his Mini-14, I'm using the 110BA. My buddy joins in and he squeezes a few out of the Enfield. It is WAY high at 100, like several feet. Can't see what he's hitting so I'm spotting him with the scope on the Savage. He hands it to me and I empty a mag. It is a fun gun, probably great in the bush. He's looking at the Lapua. I load the AI Mag with 5 rounds and give it to him, told him to go ahead. He sits down, chambers a round and apparently nails whatever he's pointing it at. He sets down the rifle, turns to me and says "I hit it. I just pointed it and it blew it away!" I'm like "yeah, that's what it is supposed to do dude". He laughs, picks it back up and nails the Motorcraft Thermostat we have setup on the shooting apparatus. Fires a few more, puts it down and says "Dude, this thing is incredible! It hits whatever you point it at!" I start laughing and say yeah, it is sighted for 100, we are shooting 100, and it is an accurate rifle. We are wasting it shooting it 100 yards. But yeah, it is a lot of fun
grin.gif
Anyway, he's intoxicated with the thing so I let him empty another mag down range and he's in love. I guess from our convo that he's never used a quality scope before and this has blown his mind.

Two days later on BBM in a group convo he starts again still going on about the Lapua and how he can't get over it
grin.gif
I'm guessing that's his next gun purchase, LOL! He just loves it.

FTR BTW, not that it is anything to write home about at this range, but shooting from the picnic table I was able to shoot inside my own hole 3x with it that weekend. Fractional cloverleaf. It has broken in nicely and is now more accurate than my .308 IMHO.
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You have to try that .338 LM at 1000 yards, you'll love it!!! It is addicting.
 
I have a Mini-30 that is about 15 years old now, and it isn't accurate.

Anyway, I have a cheap Bushnell Trophy on it that I really like.

The Mini shoots so rough it made the scope slide back in the rings.

The point of my story is if you LOVE a scope, put some GE Clear Silicone Caulking in the rings so when it dries the scope doesn't move and scrape the scope tube.

And use locktite on the mount screws too!

Had I know that gun would have been Minute of Pie Plate accurate I would have never bought the scope.

Now when I rarely use it I just use the peep sights it came with.

I just really wanted to share this story so nobody else gets the heartbreak!
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
You have to try that .338 LM at 1000 yards, you'll love it!!! It is addicting.


Realistically the max I'm going to be able to shoot it around here is around 6-700 yards. That's both fields put together. We don't have anything longer than that readily available
frown.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Falken


Had I know that gun would have been Minute of Pie Plate accurate I would have never bought the scope.

Now when I rarely use it I just use the peep sights it came with.

I just really wanted to share this story so nobody else gets the heartbreak!



I just LOL'd at that! Jon loves his mini-14 but it certainly isn't for the accuracy. Lots of fun to dump cheap ammo down-range though, that's for sure. It sprays like a champion. He has a cheap .223 Bushnell on it too.
 
You need to come down to Phoenix and shoot your .338 in one of the canyons my son and I shoot at. 3000 yards is no biggy!
 
Sounds like fun! Reminds me of when I was younger with alot more time on my hands than I do now. It wasn't uncommon for me to shoot a couple thousand rounds on a weekend with the cheap and plentiful surplus ammo that used to be available. Just blast away in the back fields at my mother's farm at targets I made up.
 
Originally Posted By: MolaKule
You need to come down to Phoenix and shoot your .338 in one of the canyons my son and I shoot at. 3000 yards is no biggy!


3000 Yards? Consider me jealous. 100 yards with my .22 is so much fun I can barely contain myself. I can only imagine the joy of putting holes in paper from 3000 yards.
 
I had the same reaction as your friend when I shot my brother's Remington 700 in .308 with a Leupold scope at 125 yards. I just use the iron sights on my .22LR rifle and I can generally do OK even in the 100 yd range but I was amazed when I was 3 for 3 with his gun. I was telling some buddies at work about it (one of whom has a Savage 110BA) and they were like, "yeah, that's how it's supposed to work!" So I'm definitely getting a scope this year.
 
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Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
You have to try that .338 LM at 1000 yards, you'll love it!!! It is addicting.


Realistically the max I'm going to be able to shoot it around here is around 6-700 yards. That's both fields put together. We don't have anything longer than that readily available
frown.gif



I feel your pain. It's been a few years since I shot 1000 yards. Maybe this spring/summer. I shot my 30-338 LM to a mile once, maybe this spring summer I'll get to do it again.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
You have to try that .338 LM at 1000 yards, you'll love it!!! It is addicting.


Realistically the max I'm going to be able to shoot it around here is around 6-700 yards. That's both fields put together. We don't have anything longer than that readily available
frown.gif


I think you could go shoot on a lake, there are some nearby with few cottages and a good crown land backstop. I read that its up to you to prove you are not hunting, so letting the local CO know you will be out would be a good idea.
 
Originally Posted By: MolaKule
You need to come down to Phoenix and shoot your .338 in one of the canyons my son and I shoot at. 3000 yards is no biggy!


That would be awesome!!!
 
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
You have to try that .338 LM at 1000 yards, you'll love it!!! It is addicting.


Realistically the max I'm going to be able to shoot it around here is around 6-700 yards. That's both fields put together. We don't have anything longer than that readily available
frown.gif


I think you could go shoot on a lake, there are some nearby with few cottages and a good crown land backstop. I read that its up to you to prove you are not hunting, so letting the local CO know you will be out would be a good idea.


You thinking like up north of Bancroft?
 
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