What are they thinking when these are the hot sellers?

Z

zeke mccune

Member
The hottest selling gun at the local gun shop is, wait for this, a Savage chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum.

The gun sells for about $995.00 and the shells are $76.00 per box of 20.

The gun is a matt black bolt action with a muzzle brake, very long barrel and seems to be quite light.

I asked why these guns are popular and I told for shooting jugs! Stout recoil?

In any case, I must ask if anybody else have used this rifle and what are your thoughts about it.

Different strokes I guess!

Stay well,

Zeke
 
the 338 lapua magnum is a well known long range round. now available in a lower priced rifle....

yep the ammo is expensive, but so is 416 barrett, 50bmg...and others in this class

mike in co
 
I had the experience of taking one of these Savages to the range the other day to break-in/sight-in for a friend who doesn't have time. Because I am not a real fan of black paint, blacked-out everything, etc., I am not impressed with this rifle. I am basically a Savage fan, now owning several and having owned more, all stainless and all good rifles. Back to the Lapua ...

The chamber was so rough that three of the 12 rounds I fired stuck in the chamber and the extractor easily slipped off them, requiring a sharp rap on a cleaning rod to remove them. It took several rounds to get it sighted at 100 yards and then seemed capable of shooting well. The recoil was mild for the caliber, probably in the range of a .270 or '06, but as expected the muzzle blast is quite distracting and my range benches are under cover and increased the irritation of the blast.

A black tactical rifle in .338 Lapua is nothing I have any interest in, but beyond that this particular Savage was the poorest quality Savage I have ever seen. Add to that, every time I pulled the trigger it cost in the neighborhood of $3 and I was underwhelmed ...
 
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I dont know a thing about Savage rifles but there was a time I wanted mag wrote behind every caliber I owned. It was Weatherby back then that I tried a 300 and a 257. Its a young buck thing. Shoot thru a deer long ways had to throw most of it away but you got em. I shoot milder calibers now 3006,308.223,6ppc. I guess I out grew the mag deal, thats been my trip thru mag land.
 
I agree with Boyd. This phenomenon is analogous to the S&W Model 29 44 Magnum when Dirty Harry brought it to the forefront. There were a ton of used 29's on the market with less than a box of shells through them. I think that this is a product of an industry that knows how to work the consumer. Any shooter that really has the skill set to use the potential of this cartridge is going to invest in a quality rifle capable of exploiting the potential. I would bet that most of the consumer base for this product couldn't quote the drop statistics of their deer rifle to 300 yards. The real culprits in this crime are the writers and Outdoor Channel producers promoting this technology replacement for fundamental skill. The Savage 338 Lapua is just an extension of the entire Ultramag mentality. If half of these shooters would spend some time shooting on paper in conditions, they would understand that developed skill trumps technology. I read a blog on the Weatherby forum once where this guy was claiming 4" groups at 1000 yards with his factory 30-378. I seriously doubt if he knew what the IBS and NBRSA records were when he made the statement. You gotta' love 'em.
 
It is basicly like most tacticool rifles, it is bought just because it is cool. Many of these rifles will never have a box or rounds fired through them, if any are. They buy it just for the bragging rights. I never shot one but I was at a 600 yard match, and we was shooting the day before the match, and off on the pistol range was a guy that had one, and was sighting it in. I was currious, and walked down to see this thing. He had a bunch of shells in 100 round plastic boxes. I watched him as he sighted this thing in, and he then when down to the 100 yard range to play around. He said that it was at $4 bucks a round, and he shot most of the 100 round box. All I could think is this guy must be made of money. I tried to talk him into shooting the 600 yard match, but he declined.
 
Yes we have had a few guys come to our 1000 yard schools, with some of these 338 Lapua's only to find out they wasted there money when all you need is a good 6mm or 300 wsm to shoot at 1000 yards. So come to a real match to see what is working before you send all that money. Like BAT Machine says buy the best and cry once! LOVE THAT!

Joe Salt
 
It's not nice to question what turns another shooter on. I'd bet one of my meager Social Security checks that you guys who belittle another shooter's choices, own a 4-wheel drive 480 HP pickup that gets 10 mpg.

Ray
 
Cheechacko I'm not questioning or belittling what turns others on, but I think they should look into things a little more before just taking for granted that something is everything that they ever wanted. Been there done that, believe half of what you see and nothing of what you read! Those black guns have never turned me on. Unless they were full auto, but the law here says I can't own one. So I'm just trying to help guys on the forum who want to shoot long range ask someone who does it all the time. And yes I get the Social security checks and have a 481 HP.4-wheel drive, but it will get 15-17 on a trip depending how you drive that day.

Joe Salt
 
Joe - I wasn't taking issue with your comment in particular. My point was that the thread seemed to ask, "Why would anyone want a rifle like this?" I say, it's noboby's business what a guy wants to shoot, drive, or make love to.

Ray
 
Cheechako I gave you the reason, people read articles in magazines and think these guy know everything. There trying to sell a product that they are getting payed to do. We all get sucked in at one time or another. Even when you do your research you find out latter you have been had! I've seen a couple of guns I thought I might want, but when I got them in my hand at a gun shop changed my mind. We all have that MACHO thing. Bigger is better.

Joe Salt
 
Cheech YOU GO MAN...... this is friggin' AMERICA, I don't care if you want a Sherman tank, I'm THERE for you. My next door neighbor owns a huge African lion. My other neighbor has Mountain Lions. I don't even have a kitten or a puppy dog but so what??...and a whole bunch of my friends do the whole silencer/full auto/huge bore thang, not MY thang but SO WHAT???

Buy a 338, buy a 416, buy a 50BMG or a 20mm turret gun I don't care and I certainly don't judge the choice.

I fear those who lack passion and those who resent it in others.

Besides, get the fire started and who knows where it'll lead? My cousin has tens of thousands of dollars wrapped up in black guns and trailer loads of ammunition. Rifles/shottyguns and pistols he shoots 'em all. In black. I recently sold him his first-ever bolt action, a 700 in 300WSM. He called me from the range just hovering off the ground, I hadda' pull the phone away from my ear, "THIS THING IS AWESOME!!!!! I'VE FIRED TWO GROUPS AND HAVE TWO BLACK HOLES IN THE TARGET!!!!!"

Now he'll spend more money :)

gottaluvvit

al
 
Well, there ya' go Al. You made a key point about this market segment that I missed. We should welcome any shooting discipline that expands the population in this country that wants to keep and bear arms. If they are spending money in the industry, it only benefits the shooting population as a whole. If they have money invested, then they will have an interest in supporting the Second Amendment. The leap here is finding a way to develop the interest into responsible and ethical use in the field. That is where I start to have a disagreements with this part of our shooting culture. If the guy gets a charge exploding jugs at 100 yards, that is his right to exercise. I probably would not plunk my bags down on the adjacent bench when I'm trying to get somehing done important.
 
I had the experience of taking one of these Savages to the range the other day to break/in sight/in for a friend who doesn't have time
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I love the fact that your buddy doesn't have time or the shoulder to shoot this rifle in. I recall a story about a gunsmith at our range that received a rifle (416 Gibbs) from a customer with two bullets to "reload or sight in". He fired the the rifle and sent the rifle and the other bullet back to the customer. :):rolleyes:
 
i bought one when they first came out to try out on some steel gongs ranging from 600-1200 yards. At first i found it fun to shoot, and definatly got the heart pumping when you fired it. Honestly though i was so exspensive to shoot i never shot it enough to become realy proficcent with it. In the end i found i get just as many hits with my custom savage in 260AI, and its so much more enjoyable to shoot. For giggles I used it to vaporize a coyote at 500yards, then sold it to move onto other ventures. I'm not one to judge though, if you are the type thats into that kinda thing go for it, as long as your into shooting, and doing it responsibly, i wont hold it agenst you.
 
walkinhorseman said:
I agree with Boyd. This phenomenon is analogous to the S&W Model 29 44 Magnum when Dirty Harry brought it to the forefront. ....
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I had to have one of those...and did. Carried it stuck in my pants without a holster for years. If you don't believe it just ask Alice...when she's ten feet tall. I often wonder how I'm still alive and not in jail for shootin' out street lights. I suppose those Katydids I hear 24/7 are punishment enough.
 
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