I have done some research allready and know about Armalite and Sako's factory guns. I personally do not care much for Armalite in generaland want to stay under the pricetag of the Sako. I also know that it is based off of a redesigned 416 Rigby case to manage the pressure, and that Lapua was the first to manufacture factory ammo for it(hence the name). From what I have been able to research, it was originally designed to meet a request for the military for a medium+ range sniper round(800yrds+) without the cumbersome wieght of the M82A1 50 BMG currently in use. However, in early test stages, military brass was not happy with what they say and scraped it. Lapua picked it up and it is where it is.

I guess what I am trying to figure out is if anyone has personal experiance with this round and can share, any opions for a similar performing cartridge, what type of realistic hunting applications this round has, cost effectiveness when all is said and done vs. one of the similar rounds, etc... I intend for this to be a primary long range(400+ yrds) hunting rifle for elk and such. I know that I can shoot accurately enough for elk out past 800 meters in ideal conditions with proper setup and enough practise, but am just trying to find the most bang for my buck I guess. Thanks.

Jerry