About
The .338 Lapua Magnum Ammo or .338 LM Ammo for short, is a rimless bottlenecked centrefire cartridge mainly developed for sniper rifles capable of taking out long ranged targets. The loaded 14.93 mm cartridge can penetrate body armor that is considered above military standard at ranges climbing up to 1,000 meters. Although, the maximum effective range of .338 Lapua Magnum Ammo has been recorded at 1,750 meters.
Manufacturer
The beauty that is .338 Lapua Magnum Ammo was a result of a joint venture between the Finnish rifle manufacturer, SAKO, the British rifle manufacturer, Accuracy International, and the Finnish ammunition manufacturer, more commonly known as Nammo Lapua Oy.
Uses
The .338 Lapua Magnum Ammo is the ultimate centrefire rifle cartridge and since it specializes in long ranged targets, it’s the perfect choice for military snipers. Thanks to the bullet’s long effective range and the accuracy it provides, it’s the first choice for sniper rifle users during wars. However, it’s reputation just doesn’t end in the military, when the target is beyond 1,500 meters, the hunters’ first choice is .338 Lapua Magnum Ammo. Regardless the type of game they are hunting, the choice is always .338 LM Ammo because of the excellent and accurate results it is capable of yielding.
This combat proven rifle round provides incredible performance, penetrating power and precision in the essential role of long range shooting.
The .338 Lapua Magnum was created through a partnership of Sako, Accuracy International and Lapua and was introduced in 1989. It was designed for military applications to penetrate body armor at 1000 meters (1090 yards) with the intention of filling the gap between 7.62x51mmNATO and .50 BMG while offering better accuracy than either combined.
.338 Lapua Magnum History
.338 Lapua Magnum Usage
.338 Lapua Magnum Usage
The .338 Lapua Magnum is used by militaries and law enforcement globally in a sniper/counter-sniper role. It has also found use among civilian hunters for big game and for long range shooting competitors. The round has also found some popularity and favor with big game hunters due to its ability to transfer a larger amount of kinetic energy than a .300 WINMAG.
.338 Lapua Magnum Trivia
The .338 Lapua Magnum’s effective range for a target measuring 17.7 x 35.4” is 1640 yards in warm temperatures at sea level. At freeze point temperatures, this effective range is reduced to 1422 yards and reduced again to 1203 yards in arctic conditions with standard factory match loads using 250 grain bullets with a velocity of 3000 feet per second.
.338 Lapua Magnum Trivia
.338 Lapua Magnum Design
.338 Lapua Magnum Design
The .338 Lapua Magnum is a rimless, bottleneck cartridge with an overall length of 3.681” and a case capacity of 116.24 grains (H2O). It fires a .339” diameter bullet using large magnum rifle primers and a maximum pressure of 60,916 PSI. Standard rifling twist rate is 1:10”.
.338 Lapua Magnum Types
Ammunition options for the .338 Lapua Magnum include full metal jacket, open tip match, polymer tipped, and hollow point in weights ranging from 250 grains to 300 grains depending on intended use or tactical application.
