[xAaron14x]

So I'm new to the 338 lapua and know very little about them so looking for a little help.

I picked up savage model 111 338 lapua magnum the other day cause I got a good deal on it. So the questions I have are 1) lapua vs lapua magnum is there a difference or is the term used interchangeable and if they are different can you fire normal lapua round through a magnum. 2) what's a decent scope for that rifle? I was looking at vortex viper psd but was told it can not handle the recoil and will break so I'm looking for something that's not gonna break the bank people keep saying nightforce but I don't have 3k to drop on a scope. 3) where is a decent place to get ammo that's not gonna cost me 100$ a box? Thanks in advance.

 

[SMK-1000plus]

The 338 Lapua Magnum is often referred to as the 338 Lapua, 338 Lapua Mag or the 338 LM. It is the same Cartridge.

Good luck finding any decent factory ammunition for 338 Lapua Magnum for under $100.00 per box of 20! I hand load mine on Lapua brand cases.

A 5.5-22x50mm or 5.5-22x56mm Nightforce NXS scope is a great choice for optics on any rifle and can be had with the ZeroStop for $2,000.00 at numerous places on the internet. With a decent muzzle brake and a reasonable to heavy rifle weight, recoil is very manageable and any better quality scope should hold up fine. SWFA makes some excellent scopes for under $1,000.00 and Burris makes their XTR Ii series scopes for about a grand as well. In the Burris XTR II the 4-20x has the best reviews in the Burris line. It does have a 34mm main tube so quality rings are a little more costly.

 

[SMK-1000plus]

Of course, there are other fine scopes out there. Several of my long range rifles wear Leupold VX3 Long Range scopes in 6.5-20x50mm and 8.5-25x50mm, and I have a couple of Leupold Mark 4s in 6.5-20x50mm as well. They all do fine. Several of these rifles are 300 Win Mags without muzzle brakes. Though fairly heavy, with the 230gr Berger Hybrid bullets at 2,770 fps the felt recoil is worse than my 21 lbs. 338 Lapua Mag with the Badger muzzle brake, using 300gr SMK bullets at 2,840 fps (30" barrel and very slow powder!)

 

[2Bits]

I will just tell you right out the gate, that you don't need a $3,000 dollar rifle scope in order to have that rifle preform as it should on the range. I would go with Leupold, as I have one on my custom built Edge rifle (.338/.300-Ultra Mag) and it shoots and handles just fine. Yes it is a little on the heavy side compared to my other model 70 Winchesters but even at 12.8 pounds it is not impossible to carry for a younger person OK.

Now at first, I put a Bushnell 5 x 15 power scope on the rifle and it held up just fine. I also replaced it later with an older Leupold called a "shotgun scope" that was on a big bore African rifle and never had any trouble with either rifle scope but it did not have the magnification I needed. So after working up loads for the rifle range, I put that scope back on my .458-LOTT. The rifle now sports a Leupold 6 X 24 and I don't worry about recoil causing damage to the scope.
This rifle has been Mag Na Ported and it really helps the muzzle jump and recoil.

 

[Darkker]

Have a few friends with that very rifle.
One wears a $75 NcStar, the other has the same 4-14 FFP mil/mil Primary Arms I shoot on my Creedmoor. Neither has failed, can't tell you their round counts, but know that the NcStar has over 300 rounds through it.

So the "Best" scope is what you want.

 

[kdub]

Scroll to the bottom of this page and visit the "Similar Threads" section - click on the various previous threads and gain all the info you'll ever want to know.

 

[SMK-1000plus]

Have a few friends with that very rifle.
One wears a $75 NcStar, the other has the same 4-14 FFP mil/mil Primary Arms I shoot on my Creedmoor. Neither has failed, can't tell you their round counts, but know that the NcStar has over 300 rounds through it.

So the "Best" scope is what you want.

Got a 4-14x44mm FFP Primary Arms with a 40 MOA Nightforce base on one of my Remington 700 5R Mil-Spec 308s. Put a little over 2,300 175gr Black Hills Match and 175gr SMK handloads through it with that Scope. Scope holds Zero and tracks excellent. I often shoot this rig to 1,000 yards. Can't say it out shoots my Leupolds but, the Leupolds sure as heck don't outshoot my Primary Arms that cost lest than 1/4 the money!

 

[Darkker]

That has been my experience with it.
The quality for price paid is WELL beyond its price point.
Not the second coming, but should certainly cause many others offerings some heartache.