The .338 Lapua Magnum (8.6×70 mm or 8.58×70 mm) is a rimless, bottlenecked,
centerfire
Two rounds of .357 Magnum, a centerfire cartridge; notice the circular primer in the center
A centerfire cartridge is a firearm metallic cartridge whose primer is located at the center of the base of its casing (i.e. "case head"). Unlike ri ...
rifle
cartridge. It was developed during the 1980s as a high-powered, long-range cartridge for military
sniper
A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision ...
s. It was used in the
War in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to:
*Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC)
* Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709)
*Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see al ...
and the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War
, partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror
, image = Iraq War montage.png
, image_size = 300px
, caption = Clockwise from top: US tr ...
. As a result of this, it has become widely available.
The loaded .338 cartridge is in diameter (rim) and long. It can penetrate better-than-standard military
body armor
Body armor, also known as body armour, personal armor or armour, or a suit or coat of armor, is protective clothing designed to absorb or deflect physical attacks. Historically used to protect military personnel, today it is also used by variou ...
at ranges of up to , and has a maximum effective range of about with C.I.P. conforming ammunition at sea level conditions. Muzzle velocity is dependent on barrel length, seating depth, and powder charge, and varies from for commercial loads with bullets, which corresponds to about of muzzle energy.
British military issue overpressure .338 Lapua Magnum cartridges with overall length, loaded with LockBase B408
very-low-drag bullets fired at 936 m/s (3,071 ft/s) muzzle velocity fired from a
L115A3 Long Range Rifle were used in November 2009 by British sniper
Corporal of Horse (CoH)
Craig Harrison to establish a new record for the
longest confirmed sniper kill in combat, at a range of (since broken). In reports, CoH Harrison mentions the environmental conditions at
Musa Qala were perfect for long-range shooting: no wind, mild weather, and clear visibility.
In addition to its military role, it is increasingly used by
hunter
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler ...
s and civilian long-range shooting enthusiasts. The .338 Lapua Magnum is capable of taking down any
big game animal, though its suitability for some dangerous game (Cape buffalo, hippopotamus, white rhinoceros, and elephant) is arguable unless accompanied by a larger "backup" caliber: "There is a huge difference between calibers that will kill an elephant and those that can be relied upon to stop one." In Namibia, the .338 Lapua Magnum is legal for hunting Africa's
big five game
In Africa, the Big Five game animals are the lion, leopard, black rhinoceros, African bush elephant, and African buffalo. They are examples of charismatic megafauna, featuring prominently in popular culture, and are among the most famous of A ...
if the loads have at least muzzle energy.
History
Initial development
In 1983, Research Armament Industries (RAI) in the United States began development of a new, long-range sniper cartridge capable of firing a , diameter bullet at , that could lethally penetrate five layers of military body armor at . After preliminary experiments, a
.416 Rigby case necked down to take a
bullet
A bullet is a kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is shot from a gun barrel. Bullets are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax. Bullets are made in various shapes and ...
was selected, since this diameter presents an optimum of
sectional density
Sectional density (often abbreviated SD) is the ratio of an object's mass to its cross sectional area with respect to a given axis. It conveys how well an object's mass is distributed (by its shape) to overcome resistance along that axis.
Secti ...
and
penetrating capability for practical spin-stabilized rifle bullets (bullets up to about 5 to 5.5 calibers in length).
The .416 Rigby is an English big game cartridge designed in 1911 to accommodate 325 MPa (47,137 psi) pressures. One of the disadvantages of these old cartridge cases, which were intended for firing
cordite
Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom since 1889 to replace black powder as a military propellant. Like modern gunpowder, cordite is classified as a low explosive because of its slow bur ...
charges instead of modern
smokeless powder
Finnish smokeless powderSmokeless powder is a type of propellant used in firearms and artillery that produces less smoke and less fouling when fired compared to gunpowder ("black powder"). The combustion products are mainly gaseous, compared to ...
, is the thickness of the sidewall just forward of the web. During ignition, the cartridge's base, just forward of the bolt face, is not supported.
During the process, RAI employed Jim Bell and Brass Extrusion Labs Ltd. (B.E.L.L.) of Bensenville, Illinois, to make the ''.338/416'' or ''8.58×71 mm'' cartridge cases,
Hornady
Hornady Manufacturing Company is an American manufacturer of ammunition cartridges, components and handloading equipments, based in Grand Island, Nebraska.
History
The company is currently run by Joyce Hornady's son, Steve Hornady, who took o ...
produced bullets, and RAI built a sniper rifle under contract for the U.S. Navy. RAI found that the BELL cases did not fulfill the requirements, since they were modified low pressure .416 Rigby cases. Pressed by military deadlines, RAI looked for another case producer and contacted Lapua of Finland in 1984. RAI was forced to drop out of the program due to financial difficulties. Subsequently, Lapua of Finland put this cartridge into limited production.
[Barnes, Frank C., ''Cartridges of the World 8th Edition'', edited by M. L. McPherson, DBI Books, 1997, .] The .338/416 rifle program was later canceled when the contractors were unable to make the cartridge meet the project's velocity target of for a bullet, due to excessive pressures rupturing cartridge cases.
Final development
![Cartridges 7](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Cartridges_7.62x51mm_NATO%2C_.300_Winchester%2C_.338_Lapua.jpg)
The current .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge was developed as a joint venture between the Finnish rifle manufacturer
SAKO Sako or SAKO may refer to:
People with the surname
* Bakary Sako (born 1988), French-born Malian footballer
* Hygerta Sako, Albanian beauty pageant contestant
* Louis Raphaël I Sako (born 1948), Iraqi cleric, head of the Chaldean Catholic Church
* ...
and the British rifle manufacturer
Accuracy International, along with the Finnish ammunition manufacturer Lapua, or more officially Nammo Lapua Oy, which since 1998 is part of the
Nordic Ammunition Group (Nammo).
Lapua opted to redesign the .338/416 cartridge. In the new case design, particular attention was directed toward thickening and metallurgically strengthening the case's web and sidewall immediately forward of the web. In modern solid head cases, the hardness of the brass is the major factor determining a case's pressure limit before undergoing
plastic deformation
In engineering, deformation refers to the change in size or shape of an object. ''Displacements'' are the ''absolute'' change in position of a point on the object. Deflection is the relative change in external displacements on an object. Strai ...
. Lapua tackled this problem by creating a hardness distribution ranging from the head and web (hard) to the mouth (soft) as well as a strengthened (thicker) case web and sidewall immediately forward of the web. This resulted in a very pressure-resistant case, allowing it to operate at high pressure and come within 15 m/s (50 ft/s) of the original velocity goal.
Lapua also designed a .338 caliber lock base B408
full metal jacket bullet
A full metal jacket (FMJ) bullet is a small-arms projectile consisting of a soft core (often lead) encased in an outer shell ("jacket") of harder metal, such as gilding metal, cupronickel, or, less commonly, a steel alloy. A bullet jacket usua ...
, modeled after its .30 caliber lock base bullet configuration.
The result was the .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge which was registered with
C.I.P. (
Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives) in 1989. With the procurement by the
Dutch Army, the cartridge became NATO codified.
The .338 Lapua Magnum fills the gap between weapons chambered for standard military rounds such as the
7.62×51mm NATO and large, heavy rifles firing the
.50 BMG cartridge. It also offers an acceptable amount of barrel wear, which is important to military snipers who tend to fire thousands of rounds a year in practice. This was achieved by coupling a sensible case volume (7.40 ml) to bore area (56.86 mm
2/0.5686 cm
2)
ratio
In mathematics, a ratio shows how many times one number contains another. For example, if there are eight oranges and six lemons in a bowl of fruit, then the ratio of oranges to lemons is eight to six (that is, 8:6, which is equivalent to the ...
(13.01 O
ratio) with ample space for loading relatively long slender projectiles that can provide good aerodynamic efficiency and external ballistic performance for the projectile diameter.
[The Finnish Army found out during a test/trials program and seven years of service that the barrels of their Sako TRG-42 sniper rifles lasted 7,000 to 8,000 rounds with Lapua lock base B408 factory ammunition before showing impermissible accuracy decay. The Finnish Army's consistent accuracy requirement for these rifles is less than one ]MOA
Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand.
The term has also come to be used for chicken in many Polynesian cultures and is found in the names of many chicken recipes, such as
Kale moa and Moa Samoa.
Moa or MOA may also ref ...
at 1,000 m. If this requirement is not met the TRG-42 gets a new barrel. This is normal practice for active high-performance precision rifle operators who regard barrels as expendable items. The continuous use of very powerful handloads (which results in higher muzzle velocities) results in much quicker throat erosion reducing the TRG-42 barrel's accuracy life to 1,500 to 2,000 rounds. Like every other comparable large magnum rifle cartridge, the .338 Lapua Magnum presents a stout
recoil
Recoil (often called knockback, kickback or simply kick) is the rearward thrust generated when a gun is being discharged. In technical terms, the recoil is a result of conservation of momentum, as according to Newton's third law the force ...
. An appropriate fitting
stock
In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a compan ...
and an effective
muzzle brake
A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted ...
helps to reduce recoil-induced problems, enabling the operator to fire more rounds before getting too uncomfortable to shoot accurately. Good factory loads, multiple projectile weights and factory special application ammunition are all available.
[In 1990, the US military Adjutant General's Office issued a legal opinion holding that the Sierra MatchKing bullet (and similar bullets of other manufacturers), despite being a hollow point design, is not designed specifically to cause greater damage or suffering in a human target, and in fact normally does not create a wound readily distinguishable from wounds caused by conventional full metal jacket bullets, and is therefore in their opinion legal under the Hague Convention for use in war.]
Due to its growing civilian popularity, several high-quality tactical and match (semi) custom
bolt actions designed for the .338 Lapua Magnum are becoming available. These (semi) custom bolt-actions are used with other high-grade rifle and sighting components to build custom sporting and target rifles.
Users
![Haenel RS9 noBG](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Haenel_RS9_noBG.jpg)
The .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge is in
law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The ter ...
or
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distin ...
service
[worldrifles.com](_blank)
. use with:
* :
RENEA
The Department of Neutralization of Armed Elements () commonly known by its acronym RENEA, is the main Albanian counter-terrorist and critical incident response unit. The force was constituted in the early 1990s in response to the growing crime le ...
—
Sako TRG-42
* :
Blaser Tactical 2
*:
Bangladesh Armed Forces
The Bangladesh Armed Forces ( bn, বাংলাদেশ সশস্ত্র বাহিনী, Bangladesh Sashastra Bahinī) are the combined military forces of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. It consists of the three uniformed m ...
-
Accuracy International AWM
The Accuracy International AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum or AI-Arctic Warfare Magnum) is a bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International designed for magnum rifle cartridges. The Accuracy International AWM is also unofficially k ...
* :
Canadian Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Forc ...
—
C14 Timberwolf Medium Range Sniper Weapon System (MRSWS)
*:
Chilean Army
The Chilean Army ( es, Ejército de Chile) is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade.
In recent years, and ...
—
APR338 and
PGM 338 Barrett Model 98B
*:
People's Liberation Army Ground Force
The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF; ) is the land-based service branch of the People's Liberation Army and the largest and oldest branch of the entire Chinese armed forces. The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 1927 as the Chine ...
—
QBU-202 (military designation for the 8.6×70mm CS/LR35 rifle)
*: TAP.
* —
Sako TRG-42
* :
Military of Denmark —
Sako TRG-42
*:
Military of Estonia reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...
units and special forces — Sako TRG-42.
* :
Finnish Defence Forces
The Finnish Defence Forces ( fi, Puolustusvoimat, sv, Försvarsmakten) are the military of Finland. The Finnish Defence Forces consist of the Finnish Army, the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Air Force. In wartime the Finnish Border Guard (whi ...
—
Sako TRG-42
* : French Army,
GIGN
The GIGN ( ; ) is the elite police tactical unit of the National Gendarmerie of France. Among its missions are counterterrorism, hostage rescue, surveillance of national threats, protection of government officials, critical site protection ...
and
Commandement des Opérations Spéciales —
PGM 338,
Sako TRG-42,
AWM .338
* : Police and military -
Accuracy International AWM
The Accuracy International AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum or AI-Arctic Warfare Magnum) is a bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International designed for magnum rifle cartridges. The Accuracy International AWM is also unofficially k ...
and
Sako TRG
The Sako TRG is a bolt-action sniper rifle line designed and manufactured by Finnish firearms manufacturer SAKO of Riihimäki. The TRG-21 and TRG-22 are designed to fire standard .308 Winchester ( 7.62×51mm NATO) sized cartridges, while the TRG ...
series, as well as
Satevari MSWP. Domestic analogue .338 GBM produced by
STC Delta
, type = State-owned enterprise
, industry = Defense
, founded =
, founder =
, hq_location_city = Tbilisi
, hq_location_country = Georgia
, area_served = Worldwide
, key_people ...
* :
Bundeswehr
The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part co ...
—
Haenel RS9 designated as G29 in service with the special forces; replacing the G22, Erma SR-100,
AMP Technical Services DSR-1,
GOL Sniper Magnum
* :
Anti-Terrorist Unit EKAM —
Sako TRG-41
* : Hungarian Police Security Service (Rendészeti Biztonsági Szolgálat) - Unique-Alpine TPG-1 (Taktische Prazisions Gewehr-1)
* :
Kopassus
The Kopassus ( id, Komando Pasukan Khusus, Special Forces Command) is an Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) special forces group that conducts special operations missions for the Indonesian government, such as direct action, unconventional warfare, sab ...
—
Accuracy International AWM .338
* :
Irish Army
The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The ...
—
Accuracy International AWM .338
* : Infantry -
H-S Precision Pro Series 2000 HTR Special forces —
McMillan Tac-338 and
PGM 338,
YAMAM
The Yamam ( he, ימ"מ, an acronym for ''Centralized Special Unit'' , ''Yeḥida Merkazit Meyuḥedet''), also called in Hebrew and Israel's National Counter Terror Unit (I.N.C.T.U.) in English, is Israel's national counter-terrorism unit, ...
—
Barrett MRAD
The Barrett MRAD (Multi-role Adaptive Design) is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed by Barrett to meet the requirements of the SOCOM PSR. The MRAD is based on the Barrett 98B and includes a number of modifications and improvements. The Barre ...
* :
Sako TRG-42
* :
Lithuanian Armed Forces
The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Naval Force and the Lithuanian Air Force. In wartime, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service ...
—
Accuracy International AXMC
* : ''
Pasukan Gerakan Khas'' —
Accuracy International AWM
The Accuracy International AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum or AI-Arctic Warfare Magnum) is a bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International designed for magnum rifle cartridges. The Accuracy International AWM is also unofficially k ...
—
Accuracy International AX338
* :
Dutch military —
Accuracy International AWM
The Accuracy International AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum or AI-Arctic Warfare Magnum) is a bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International designed for magnum rifle cartridges. The Accuracy International AWM is also unofficially k ...
and AXMC,
Sako TRG-41
* :
New Zealand Defence Force —
Barrett MRAD
The Barrett MRAD (Multi-role Adaptive Design) is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed by Barrett to meet the requirements of the SOCOM PSR. The MRAD is based on the Barrett 98B and includes a number of modifications and improvements. The Barre ...
* :
GROM
Grom may refer to:
Military
* JW GROM, a Polish special forces unit
* ORP ''Grom'', several ships of the Polish Navy
* Grom (missile), a Polish anti-aircraft missile
* A Yugoslav/Serbian version of the Kh-23
The Zvezda Kh-66 and Kh-23 ''Gro ...
—
Accuracy International AWM
The Accuracy International AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum or AI-Arctic Warfare Magnum) is a bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International designed for magnum rifle cartridges. The Accuracy International AWM is also unofficially k ...
,
1 Pułk Specjalny Komandosów
* —
Accuracy International AWM
The Accuracy International AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum or AI-Arctic Warfare Magnum) is a bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International designed for magnum rifle cartridges. The Accuracy International AWM is also unofficially k ...
—
Accuracy International AXMC
* :
Alpha Group
Spetsgruppa "A", also known as Alpha Group (a popular English name), or Alfa, whose official name is Directorate "A" of the FSB Special Purpose Center (TsSN FSB) (Russian: Спецназ ФСБ "Альфа"), is an elite stand-alone sub-unit o ...
and
SOBR
The Special Rapid Response Unit or SOBR (russian: СОБР - Специальный Отряд Быстрого Реагирования, Spetsial'niy Otryad Bystrovo Reagirovaniya, lit. ''Special Unit of Quick Response''), from 2002 to 2011 k ...
—
Accuracy International AWM
The Accuracy International AWM (Arctic Warfare Magnum or AI-Arctic Warfare Magnum) is a bolt-action sniper rifle manufactured by Accuracy International designed for magnum rifle cartridges. The Accuracy International AWM is also unofficially k ...
* :
Special Brigade —
Sako TRG-42.
* :
PGM 338
* :
Military of Slovenia
The Slovenian Armed Forces or Slovenian Army (SAF; sl, Slovenska vojska; 'SV'' are the armed forces of Slovenia. Since 2003, it is organized as a fully professional standing army. The Commander-in-Chief of the SAF is the President of the Rep ...
—
PGM 338
* :
GOE —
Sako TRG-41
* :
Sako TRG-42
*:
Sako TRG-42
* : Used by the army snipers: the Netherlands donated Accuracy International AWM rifles to Ukraine in 2022.
* :
British military
The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...
—
Accuracy International AWM .338[L115A3 Long Range Rifle](_blank)
British Army.
* :
US Navy Special Warfare —
McMillan Tac-338
The .338 Lapua Magnum has been designated a "cartridge of interest" by the
National Defense Industrial Association
The National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) is a trade association for the United States government and defense industrial base. It is an 501(c)3 educational organization. Its headquarters are in Arlington, Virginia. NDIA was establishe ...
(NDIA). It is being groomed to replace the
.300 Winchester Magnum and the .50 BMG for anti-personnel long-range service in the U.S. military. On June 17, 2008, the U.S. government issued a market survey to support a requirement for a precision sniper rifle (PRS) to possibly replace the currently-fielded bolt-action SOF Sniper Syst's0126.
On 7 March 2013, the
Remington MSR
The Modular Sniper Rifle, or MSR, is a bolt-action sniper rifle developed and produced by Remington Arms for the United States Army. It was introduced in 2009, and was designed to meet specific United States Army and USSOCOM Precision Sniper Rifle ...
was declared the winner of the
precision sniper rifle
The Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR) was a program by United States Special Operations Command to replace all bolt-action sniper rifles in use by United States special operations snipers with a single bolt-action rifle chambered for a large caliber Ma ...
competition. Remington announced that the MSR had won on 8 March, and it was publicly confirmed on 9 March. This was followed by a $79.7 million contract for 5,150 rifles with suppressors, along with 4,696,800 rounds of ammunition to be supplied over the next ten years.
The contract was awarded on 12 September 2013. Remington Defense would produce the Mk 21 sniper rifles and utilized two other companies for other system components, with
Barnes Bullets for ammunition and
Advanced Armament Corporation
Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC) is an American company that develops and manufactures firearms, firearm suppressors, muzzle devices and related accessories.
History
Kevin Brittingham founded Advanced Armament Corporation in 1994 to manufactur ...
for muzzle brakes and suppressors; all three companies are subsidiaries of
Remington Outdoor Company
Remington Outdoor Company (ROC) was an American firearms manufacturer and holding company. The company had notable brands under its umbrella, such as Bushmaster, DPMS, Remington and Marlin.
History
On August 15, 2017, James Marcotuli announc ...
. However, it was then decided that the Mk 21 did not conform to SOCOM requirements, and the program was re-competed with the
Barrett MRAD
The Barrett MRAD (Multi-role Adaptive Design) is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed by Barrett to meet the requirements of the SOCOM PSR. The MRAD is based on the Barrett 98B and includes a number of modifications and improvements. The Barre ...
selected in 2019 as the Mk 22 Advanced Sniper Rifle solution. The US military opted to use
7.62×51mm NATO,
.300 Norma Magnum and instead of the .338 Lapua Magnum the
.338 Norma Magnum chambering in their Mk 22 rifles, which have a field-convertible barrel/chambering switch capability.
Cartridge dimensions
Extremely thick-walled brass results in a 7.40 ml (114
grains
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit ( caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...
H
2O) cartridge case capacity for the .338 Lapua Magnum. The exterior shape of the case was designed to promote reliable feeding and extraction in
bolt action
Bolt-action is a type of manual firearm action that is operated by ''directly'' manipulating the bolt via a bolt handle, which is most commonly placed on the right-hand side of the weapon (as most users are right-handed).
Most bolt-actio ...
,
semi-automatic, and
automatic firearm
An automatic firearm is an auto-loading firearm that continuously chambers and fires rounds when the trigger mechanism is actuated. The action of an automatic firearm is capable of harvesting the excess energy released from a previous discha ...
s alike, under extreme conditions.
![338 Lapua Magnum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/.338_Lapua_Magnum.svg)
.338 Lapua Magnum maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimeters (mm).
Americans define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 ≈ 20 degrees. The common
rifling
In firearms, rifling is machining helical grooves into the internal (bore) surface of a gun's barrel for the purpose of exerting torque and thus imparting a spin to a projectile around its longitudinal axis during shooting to stabilize the ...
twist rate
In firearms, rifling is machining helical grooves into the internal (bore) surface of a gun's barrel for the purpose of exerting torque and thus imparting a spin to a projectile around its longitudinal axis during shooting to stabilize t ...
for this cartridge is 254 mm (1 in 10 in), 6 grooves, Ø lands = 8.38 mm, Ø grooves = 8.58 mm, land width = 2.79 mm and the
primer type is large rifle magnum.
According to the official
C.I.P. (Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes à Feu Portatives) decisions and tables edition 2007 the .338 Lapua Magnum case can handle up to P
max piezo pressure. This now prevails over the C.I.P. decisions and tables edition 2003, that rated the .338 Lapua Magnum at P
max maximum piezo pressure. The P
max maximum piezo pressure C.I.P. ruling for the
.300 Lapua Magnum cartridge, which is based on the same case, was at the time not accordingly changed. In C.I.P. regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be
proofed at 125% of the prevailing maximum C.I.P. pressure to certify for sale to consumers. This means that .338 Lapua Magnum chambered arms in C.I.P. regulated countries are currently (2013) proof tested at PE piezo pressure.
Lapua has been ambivalent on the maximum piezo pressure of this cartridge. In the article "From an American dream to a Finnish success story" by Janne Pohjoispää, Lapua propagates the C.I.P. 2007 ruling of maximum piezo pressure. To further complicate matters the mentioned 56,000
CUP
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
C.I.P. copper crusher pressure translates to around C.I.P. piezo pressure according to a study on the conversion from CUP to PSI for rifle cartridges by Denton Bramwell. The C.I.P. 2003 ruling of piezo pressure is corroborated by Lapua Australia in the "History and development of the .338 Lapua Magnum" article by Alan C. Paulson. A reverse engineering simulation with
QuickLOAD internal ballistic software predicted that Lapua load their factory .338 Lapua Magnum ammunition at about piezo pressure, as Paulson asserts in his article.
The large bolt face combined with the maximum pressure means that the .338 Lapua Magnum is normally only chambered in rifles that are capable of handling such large high-pressure cartridges, and thus high
bolt thrust Bolt thrust or breech pressure is a term used in internal ballistics and firearms (whether small arms or artillery) that describes the amount of rearward force exerted by the propellant gases on the bolt or breech of a firearm action or breech w ...
, safely. Chambering such powerful super magnum cartridges in rifles intended for normal magnum rifle cartridges and using high-pressure loads can cause serious or fatal injury to the shooter and bystanders.
The American
.338-378 Weatherby Magnum cartridge introduced in 1998 and the American
.338 Remington Ultra Magnum (.338 RUM) cartridge introduced in 2000 are probably the closest ballistics-wise to the .338 Lapua Magnum commercially available . The .338-378 Weatherby Magnum is, however, a
belted cartridge and the .338 Remington Ultra Magnum is a
rebated rim cartridge.
The American
SAAMI
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI, pronounced "Sammy") is an association of American manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and components. SAAMI is an accredited standards developer that publishes several Ameri ...
(Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute) has no normal voluntary guidelines for the .338 Lapua Magnum. On 14 January 2013 it opted to use the metric C.I.P. rulings and add some dimensions that have no C.I.P. analog.
Supersonic range performance of the .338 Lapua Magnum
Performance with C.I.P. conforming cartridges
For a typical .338 Lapua Magnum high-end factory military sniper rifle like the Sako
TRG-42 with a long 305 mm (1 in 12 inch) rifling twist rate barrel at sea level, is considered to be the maximum shooting distance for man-sized targets. When using standard Lapua military 16.2 g (250 gr) loads it has a supersonic range of under warm summer conditions at a muzzle velocity of . However, to be able to maintain 80 to 90% hit probability on non-moving reactive army targets, this maximum shooting distance has to be reduced to at freezing point conditions or in Arctic winter conditions, when the muzzle velocity may drop to —i.e. only during optimal warm summer conditions the maximum shooting distance is realistically achievable.
Loaded with more aerodynamic
very-low-drag bullets such as the traditionally lead-cored 19.44 g (300 gr) Lapua Scenar GB528 VLD bullet (
G1 BC = 0.736) or the Lost River Ballistics J40 .338 17.5 gram (270 gr) CNC manufactured mono-metal bullet (G1 BC = 0.871) the long-range performance and supersonic range of .338 Lapua Magnum rifles can be improved. These longer very-low-drag bullets require a 254 mm (1 in 10 inch) twist rate to stabilize them. Due to the lower practically possible muzzle velocities for a relative heavy bullet like the 19.44 g (300 gr) Lapua Scenar GB528 VLD bullet it gains about extra supersonic range under
International Standard Atmosphere
The International Standard Atmosphere (ISA) is a static atmospheric model of how the pressure, temperature, density, and viscosity of the Earth's atmosphere change over a wide range of altitudes or elevations. It has been established to provide ...
sea level conditions (
air density
The density of air or atmospheric density, denoted '' ρ'', is the mass per unit volume of Earth's atmosphere. Air density, like air pressure, decreases with increasing altitude. It also changes with variation in atmospheric pressure, temperature a ...
ρ = 1.225 kg/m
3) at a muzzle velocity of 837 m/s (2750 ft/s) when compared to the standard 16.2 g (250 gr) Lapua Scenar GB488 VLD at a muzzle velocity of 915 m/s (3002 ft/s). For significant supersonic range improvement, the aerodynamic efficiency of the employed bullets has to be significantly improved without sacrificing a lot of practically achievable muzzle velocity - meaning that besides the
coefficient of drag of the projectile weight is also an important parameter for its actual downrange flight behavior. The .338 17.5 gram (270 gr) Lost River Ballistic Technologies J40 match bullet made out of a copper-nickel alloy is one of the most aerodynamic .338 calibre bullets available. It has an supersonic range under optimal warm summer conditions at a muzzle velocity of . This makes engaging static targets up to feasible.
Performance improvement experiments with non-C.I.P.-conforming cartridges
Improvement beyond this standard while still using standard .338 Lapua Magnum brass is possible, but the bullets have to be very long (over 5.5 calibers in length) and the normal cartridge overall length of 93.5 mm has to be exceeded, making such cartridges
wildcats
The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...
. The common 254 mm (1:10 inch) rifling twist rate also has to be tightened to stabilize very long projectiles. Such commercially non-existent cartridges are termed "wildcats". The use of a wildcat .338 Lapua Magnum-based cartridge demands the use of a custom or customized rifle with an appropriately cut chamber and fast-twist bore. The
firearm action
In firearms terminology, an action is the functional mechanism of a breech-loading firearm that handles (loads, locks, fires, extracts and ejects) the ammunition cartridges, or the method by which that mechanism works. Actions are technically ...
and if a repeating arm is required the
magazines
A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combin ...
must also be able to cope with dimensional increases.
An example of such a special .338 caliber extreme range bullet is the German CNC manufactured mono-metal 18.92 gram (292 gr)
LM-105 (C
d = 0.2487 at
Mach 2.216 – this
drag coefficient
In fluid dynamics, the drag coefficient (commonly denoted as: c_\mathrm, c_x or c_) is a dimensionless quantity that is used to quantify the drag or resistance of an object in a fluid environment, such as air or water. It is used in the drag eq ...
and the corresponding G1, G7 and G8 ballistic coefficients are established by
Doppler radar
A Doppler radar is a specialized radar that uses the Doppler effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance. It does this by bouncing a microwave signal off a desired target and analyzing how the object's motion has altered the f ...
measurements
Measurement is the quantification of attributes of an object or event, which can be used to compare with other objects or events.
In other words, measurement is a process of determining how large or small a physical quantity is as compared ...
).
The LM-105 has a supersonic range of ≈ at a muzzle velocity of under
International Standard Atmosphere
The International Standard Atmosphere (ISA) is a static atmospheric model of how the pressure, temperature, density, and viscosity of the Earth's atmosphere change over a wide range of altitudes or elevations. It has been established to provide ...
sea level conditions (
air density
The density of air or atmospheric density, denoted '' ρ'', is the mass per unit volume of Earth's atmosphere. Air density, like air pressure, decreases with increasing altitude. It also changes with variation in atmospheric pressure, temperature a ...
ρ = 1.225 kg/m
3). The 2010 version of the LM-105 bullet has an overall length of or 6.33 calibers and derives its exceptionally low drag from a radical
LD Haack or
Sears-Haack profile in the bullet's nose area. Rifles chambered for this wildcat cartridge, with a cartridge overall length of , and equipped with custom made 178 mm (1:7 inch) progressive twist rate long barrels with a 2° cone-angle (the standard C.I.P. cone-angle for the .338 Lapua Magnum is 6°) cone area finished first and second at several long-range competitions. Its most recent win (2007) was in an international
special forces
Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equ ...
and police sniper competition in Switzerland against rifles chambered for
7.62×51mm NATO up to .50 BMG at ranges from 100 m – 1,500 m (109 yd – 1,640 yds). The LM-105 bullet exhibited its very low wind drift susceptibility notably at ranges beyond .
A real-world average G1 BC of around 0.83 or a G7 BC of about 0.42 is commonly adopted by the users of this bullet, for making long-range trajectory predictions using ballistics calculators.
In contrast the LM-105 designer Lutz Möller originally calculated an optimistic G1 BC of ≈ 0.93 and a supersonic range of ≈ at a muzzle velocity of under
International Standard Atmosphere
The International Standard Atmosphere (ISA) is a static atmospheric model of how the pressure, temperature, density, and viscosity of the Earth's atmosphere change over a wide range of altitudes or elevations. It has been established to provide ...
sea level conditions (
air density
The density of air or atmospheric density, denoted '' ρ'', is the mass per unit volume of Earth's atmosphere. Air density, like air pressure, decreases with increasing altitude. It also changes with variation in atmospheric pressure, temperature a ...
ρ = 1.225 kg/m
3).
The .343 Lapua Magnum LM-107 was a wildcat cartridge under development based on the standard .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge case.
The LM-107 was hoped to boost the ballistic performance of the LM-105 by achieving an increase in supersonic range. The 19.3 g (298 gr) LM-107 projectile design is long and has a Haack profiled nose and an Adams profiled tail. The rifling twist rate for the .343 Lapua Magnum LM-107 wildcat cartridge was chosen at 180 mm (1:7 inch), Ø lands = 8.72 mm, Ø grooves = 8.45 mm and loaded with the LM-107 projectile has a cartridge overall length of . The length of the neck is increased from 8,31 to 8,50 mm to support the bigger LM-107 bullet. Several other dimensions of the .338 Lapua Magnum parental cartridge are also changed. The shoulder angle gets steepened from 40° to 60° and the body taper is set at 1°. The throat area is set at a 2° cone-angle. All these modifications make the .343 Lapua Magnum a fairly comprehensively revised wildcat cartridge. Out of a long progressive twist barrel Möller expected to achieve muzzle velocity. If Möller's design assumptions are correct the LM-107 projectile with a calculated G1 BC of 1.02 will offer a supersonic range of ≈ at a muzzle velocity of under International Standard Atmosphere sea level conditions (air density ρ = 1.225 kg/m
3).
As a parent case
.300 Lapua Magnum
The commercially successful .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge has functioned as the parent case for the
.300 Lapua Magnum, which is essentially a necked-down version of the .338 Lapua Magnum. The .338 cartridge case was used for this since it has the capability to operate with high chamber pressures which, combined with smaller and hence lighter bullets, result in very high muzzle velocities.
The Finnish ammunition manufacturer Lapua got the .300 Lapua Magnum C.I.P. certified, so it became an officially registered and sanctioned member of the Finnish "family" of super magnum rifle cartridges. The .300 Lapua Magnum is not commercially available and currently exists only as a C.I.P. datasheet. It is however still used by a few shooters who produce the cases from .338 Lapua Magnum brass by reshaping the shoulder and neck, and handloading it with .30 calibre bullets.
The .300 Lapua Magnum has a 7.33 ml (113 grains H
2O) cartridge case capacity.
![300 Lapua Magnum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/.300_Lapua_Magnum.svg)
.300 Lapua Magnum maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimeters (mm).
Americans define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 ≈ 25 degrees. The common rifling twist rate for this cartridge is 240 mm (1 in 9.45 in), 4 grooves, Ø lands = 7.62 mm, Ø grooves = 7.82 mm, land width = 4.47 mm and the primer type is large rifle magnum.
According to the official C.I.P. rulings the .300 Lapua Magnum can handle up to P
max piezo pressure. This now prevails over the C.I.P. decisions and tables edition 2007, that rated the .300 Lapua Magnum at P
max piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be
proofed at 125% of this maximum C.I.P. pressure to certify for sale to consumers.
This means that .300 Lapua Magnum chambered arms in C.I.P. regulated countries are currently (2013) proof tested at PE piezo pressure.
The large diameter bolt face, combined with the high maximum pressure, means that the .300 Lapua Magnum is normally only chambered in rifles that are capable of handling the resulting high bolt thrust, safely. Chambering such powerful super magnum cartridges in rifles intended for normal magnum rifle cartridges and using loads can cause serious or fatal injury to the shooter and bystanders.
7.62 UKM
The .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge is also used as the parent case for the German-designed
7.62 UKM, which is essentially a necked-down shortened version of the .338 Lapua Magnum. The use of the .338 cartridge case with its capability to operate at high chamber pressures resulted in a magnum case capable of producing high muzzle velocities.
The 7.62 UKM was developed by Michael Uekötter and was C.I.P.-certified in 2002, making it an officially registered and sanctioned member of the Finnish "family" of super magnum rifle cartridges. The 7.62 UKM is not commercially available and currently exists only as a C.I.P. datasheet. It is however still used by a few shooters who produce the cases from .338 Lapua Magnum brass by reshaping the shoulder and neck, and handloading it with .30 caliber bullets.
The 7.62 UKM has a 5.84 ml (90 grains H
2O) cartridge case capacity.
![7](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/7.62_UKM.jpg)
7.62 UKM maximum C.I.P. cartridge dimensions. All sizes in millimeters (mm).
Americans define the shoulder angle at alpha/2 ≈ 20 degrees. The common rifling twist rate for this cartridge is 254 mm (1 in 10 in), 6 grooves, Ø lands = 7.62 mm, Ø grooves = 7.82 mm, land width = 2.79 mm and the primer type is large rifle magnum.
According to the official C.I.P. rulings the 7.62 UKM Magnum can handle up to P
max piezo pressure. This now prevails over the C.I.P. decisions and tables edition 2007, that rated the 7.62 UKM at P
max piezo pressure. In C.I.P. regulated countries every rifle cartridge combo has to be proofed at 125% of this maximum C.I.P. pressure to certify for sale to consumers.
This means that 7.62 UKM chambered arms in C.I.P. regulated countries are currently (2013) proof tested at PE piezo pressure.
.375 Swiss P
The
.375 Swiss P (9.5×7 0mm) is a C.I.P. registered chambering introduced in 2021 and advertised by RUAG Ammotec as a cartridge that "fills the gap in ballistic performance between the .338 Lapua Magnum (8.6×70 mm) and the
.50 BMG (12.7×99mm NATO)". As such, .375 Swiss P was designed to be relatively easily rechambered by a rebarreling as a performance upgrade in sturdily-built rifles originally designed around the .338 Lapua Magnum chambering.
The .375 Swiss P is a rebated rim bottlenecked cartridge that shares its bolt face, rim diameter, overall length, and maximum operating pressure with the .338 Lapua Magnum chambering. It features a larger base diameter as found in the
.500 Jeffery. This results in a (P1 - R1 = ) rebated rim.
Wildcats
![338 YOGI and 338 Lapua Magnum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/338_YOGI_and_338_Lapua_Magnum.jpg)
The .338 Lapua Magnum case is also used as the parent case for a host of modified variants that are not officially registered with or sanctioned by C.I.P. or its American equivalent,
SAAMI
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI, pronounced "Sammy") is an association of American manufacturers of firearms, ammunition, and components. SAAMI is an accredited standards developer that publishes several Ameri ...
. By changing the shape of standard factory cases (decreasing case taper or changing the shoulder geometry) the wildcatter generally increases the case capacity of the factory parent cartridge case, allowing more propellant to be used to generate higher velocities. Besides changing the shape and internal volume of the parent cartridge case, wildcatters also can change the original caliber. Because the .338 Lapua offers a large and exceptionally sturdy, pressure-resistant cartridge case that can be relatively easily reloaded and hence be reused several times, it has become quite popular amongst wildcatters. With the .338 Lapua Magnum as the parent case wildcatters have created 7 mm (7 mm Allen Magnum, 7 mm Katzmeier, 7 mm Fatso), .30 (.30-338 Lapua (Triebel), .30 Wolf, 300 Allen Express), 8 mm (8 mm-338 Lapua (Triebel), LM-101), .338 (.338 Yogi, LM-105), .343 (.343 Lapua Magnum LM-107
), 9.3 mm (9,3-338 Lapua Magnum (Triebel)), .375 (9.5×70 ELR) and .50 calibre (
.510 Whisper) variants. Tom Sarver used a .300 Hulk wildcat cartridge, which is basically a necked-down, blown out, shortened .338 Lapua Magnum variant, to achieve a diameter
benchrest five-shot group on 7 July 2007, establishing a world record.
Sarver Shoots 1.403″ Group at 1000 Yards
.
See also
* 12.7×55mm STs-130
* 6.5×47mm Lapua
* 7.62 UKM
* 8 mm caliber
This is a list of firearm cartridges which have bullets in the caliber
In guns, particularly firearm
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in di ...
* List of firearms
This is an extensive list of small arms—including pistols, revolvers, submachine guns, shotguns, battle rifles, assault rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns, personal defense weapons, carbines, designated marksman rifles, flamethrowers, m ...
* List of rifle cartridges
List of rifle cartridges, by primer type, calibre and name.
File:Cartridge Sample 2.jpg, 350px, From left to right: 1 .17 HM2,2 .17 HMR, 2.5 .17 wsm, 3 .22LR, 4 .22 WMR, 5 .17/23 SMc, 6 5mm/35 SMc, 7 .22 Hornet, 8 .223 Remington, 9 .2 ...
* Table of handgun and rifle cartridges
This is a table of selected pistol/submachine gun and rifle/machine gun cartridges by common name. Data values are the highest found for the cartridge, and might not occur in the same load (e.g. the highest muzzle energy might not be in the same ...
* List of sniper rifles
This article is a listing of major precision rifle variants used by snipers from around the world.
A hunting or precision rifle equipped with a telescopic optic has been long described as a sniper rifle. Below is the list of precision rifles us ...
Notes
References
External links
Lapua product brochure .338 Lapua Magnum ammunition
(.338 Lapua Magnum and .408 Chey Tac chamberings)
.338 Lapua Magnum reloading data at Reloader's Nest
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20111010060255/http://www.98bravo.com/lapua-338-magnum-exclusive-caliber-for-the-new-age-of-sniping.html Lapua 338 Magnum, Exclusive Caliber for The New Age of Sniping
.338 Lapua Magnum - "Generation II" ordnance development program by Caina Longbranch
* ttps://bobp.cip-bobp.org/uploads/tdcc/tab-i/338-lapua-mag-en.pdf C.I.P. TDCC sheet 338 Lapua Mag.
{{DEFAULTSORT:338 Lapua Magnum
British firearm cartridges
Magnum rifle cartridges
Military cartridges
Pistol and rifle cartridges
Nammo Lapua cartridges
Military equipment introduced in the 1980s