Mr Cheap goes buying a .338 Win Mag .... for cheap !

Okay, I'm mostly a shotgun guy, nothing fancy, just Mossberg pumps (500's and 535's).
I have a number of 22LR rifles (I'll admit it; they're Marlin 60's and Glenfields !).

I bought a T/C .243 Compass a little while back that wound up costing $160 (after rebate) because, well, just because. $160, worth trying out, I figured.

So, I'm browsing the gun/ammo sales and Sportsman's Guide had a Mossberg 4x4 Classic .338 Win Mag for pretty darn cheap. $256 and I've been sitting on a $20 coupon, so ..... okay, do I need a .338 Win Mag ?
No, probably not, but for $236 shipped, maybe I DO need a .338 Win Mag.

Now I'm not expecting a Tika class rifle, but darn it I NEED a .338 Win Mag. Not bad specs: 24" barrel, fluted, LBA trigger, recessed crown, etc so it should at least not suck too bad.
Besides, did I mention it has a Monte Carlo cheek piece !!! In genuine, 100 % synthetic polymer !!!

A lot of folks rightly could mention about the recoil of a .338 Win Mag, but as a shotgunner, I occasionally shoot Brenneke 3" Magnum Crush and Lightfield 3.5" IDS Commander without crying too much, so I figure the .338 Win Mag will be a piece of cake. :yikes:

Yep, I'm putting this down in the category of "Geezus, Dad, what were you thinking ?".

The first thing I would do is remove the butt plate and fill that Hollow plastic stock with sand and some lead weights. That will help a lot with the recoil and make things easier to stabilize because the gun won't be as muzzle-heavy.

I stick a plastic bag in there first and then fill it and tape it up shut before replacing the butt plate. That way you won't have dust leaking out of your butt stock when you fire.

Good advice, to be sure. I might go with a Boyd's stock for $150 but I'll wait to see how she shoots. No sense in putting lipstick on a pig if she turns out to be a pig.
I think it'll turn out at least all right, "Good Enough" so to speak.
I know one thing, rounds are a little more expensive than .22LR's.

I kind of get a kick out of some of the (older) reviews for the 4x4 that mention that the stock is designed to "flex a little" to absorb some of the recoil.
I kind of doubt that theory, to be honest.

Yep, Mossberg for high power rifles and Hi-Point for big boy pistols. What could go wrong ?

Well, just a quick, First-Peek-Out-Of-The-Box review:

Sweeeeeet. The barrel definitely isn't a bull barrel, but I wouldn't call it a pencil barrel, either. Kind of an in-betweener.
Fluted, which looks nice, and the muzzle has a nice crown, well done.
The button rifling is very well done, visually. Will only find out how well done until I get a couple of "pew-pew's" under its belt. Make that "POW POW".

The very end of the stock is a little "squeezy", but bearable.

What I found really satisfying is the bolt. Forget that it's also fluted, but WOW ! This bolt is butter smooth, as in "I can't believe it's butter !" smooth.

The only thing that falls into the "Geez, what were they thinking ?" category is the magazine. I suppose Mossberg could have made it out of cheaper
polymer/plastic, but I give the magazine a thumbs down.

But overall, so far so good, and I'm a happy camper.

..... you know, maybe I need a 6.5 Creedmor too ?