andy_o

I was looking into getting a .338 win mag for a moose, and black bear, gun or if i ever get the chance maby elk, bufflo, or even grizzley. I want to know if i should go with the A-bolt or BAR. I want it to be accurate like the bolt action but i like the semi ability for quicker follow up shots. I also want it to have the boss system because i have heard nothing but good about it. If anyone has one of the either in .338 what model is it and when you sight it in if you use a bench what kind of groups do you get.

Aught Six

The BARs have a reputation for shooting as accurately as bolt-actions. Their actions are great, and the BOSS really does tighten groups. But you have to make sure it's mounted properly or else it can throw off your aim. Also, with a .338, the auto will certainly more pleasant to shoot that the bolt-action.

stubblejumper

I owned a bar in 7mmremmag and while it was more accurate than most semi autos it was not as accurate as my bolt guns.It also jammed twice while hunting in cold wet weather despite meticulous care in cleaning it.I have owned one boss equipped rifle and I will never owned another.It took just as many shots to fine tune the boss as it takes me to develop a handload.If you change loads you have to go through the entire process again.You must never fire a brake equipped gun without hearing protection as I fired one shot with the regular boss in place while hunting and my ears rang for over an hour.To top it off the boss kept coming loose and when it did the point of impact changed.The boss equipped guns also come equipped with a 2" shorter barrel in order to compensate for the boss.The result is a loss of velocity compared to the non boss equipped guns.

153

Andy I own both Abolt and BAR both with BOSS.The A-Bolt(.434 @ 100 yards)will out shoot the BAR(.735 @ 100 yards).I have never had my BAR fail me and hunt in all conditions,rain,snow and cold.The BOSS will make my 3006 BAR feel as if I am shooting a .243.My ABolt 270 kicks a little more that the BAR,the gas auto helping their.Shoot both and see which you like best.No bad choice.

Quilly

i own both .. a BAR safari MKII 30-06sprg and a a-bolt medallion in 30-06sprg.

both shoot great even though they do not have a BOSS system on them.

i would go with the 338wm in the BAR because the a-bolt's are rather light and the recoil might be pretty good.

what about a 30-06sprg or 300win mag??? they would do just the same as the 338win mag for what you are gonna hunt?

andy_o

Quilly, I was thinking of those calaibers but I have access to both, and would rather have something that I cant just go buy a box of shells for from my local wal-mart.

firsttimeelkhunter

Buy a Savage or Tikka! I'm not a Browning guy I'd definately get some recoil help. I have a Tikka Whitetail Hunter in .338 win Mag. I shot it a lot before the elk hunt. I put a Simms Revoil pad on and it cut the recoil by 50%. I am seriously considering a brake for it as well. SHe is a real shooter though. I debated on the caliber and chose the .338. No looking back!

ColoradoElk

I would go for the .338 A-Bolt w/o BOSS. The .338 doesn't recoil too much, especially if you spend $35 for a prefit decellerator. Most of the time the a-bolt shoots marginally better than the bar from the bench, but not really enough to make a difference in a hunting situation. I have a .300 Bar, and the reason I don't hunt with it is because I like the idea of being able to remove a round from the chamber and push it down into the magazine for safety (or chamber a round), without the LOUD clank of the bar. If you want to always have a round chambered. more power to you, but the bar is LOUD when operating the action, which I feel is the largest detractant. The BOSS looks good on paper, but is a waste of time, IMO. Shortens the barrel (lower velocity) and if you ever try to develop loads, you will curse every time you try a new one. Also, if you do, make sure to buy an extra box of the nylon bushings for the BOSS threads, they do wear out pretty quickly.

handloader1

I would go with the A-bolt. I have freinds who love the Boss System's for its enhanced accuracy. The only disadvantage is velocities will be slower due to a shorter barrel which is been shortened to accommodate for the Boss System's length. Good luck.

Quilly

andy_o..

well if you can handle the recoil go with the a-bolt for a bolt action. or a BAR then in the 338wm.
if you are gonna hunting grizzlies i would not go with the BOSS. what happens if your tunning gets jarred you will be off and you have one mean grizzlies looking down at you ..

stuble..

when you ay that the BAR you had shot good but not as good as your rifles you already own. these rifles are handloaded by your specs to acheive these groups?
do you think if you did not reload then the BAR would be very close to using factory loads out of ..lets say your guns?