And while we can easily widen or close the gap by playing around with bullet weights, it does give you an overall view that these two cartridges are going to give us different trajectories with the .338 LM having a much flatter trajectory over 500 yards and given what we have seen so far, it is expected. And we mean long, long-range shooting. But, remember that the lighter bullet means that the wind will have more affect your point of impact. It’s a fine line and a concept you should always keep in the back of your mind. It’s the reason why we think all of these factors should be taken together. When I was living in Alaska my BAR in .338 Win mag was just right for moose and the brownies. 300 Win Mag vs 338 Lapua vs 338 Win Mag: Cartridge Sizes The shared heritage of the .300 Win Mag and .338 Win Mag, as well as the unique roots of the .338 Lapua, is obvious in the photo below. goats on the other peak sticking their tongue out at you.. More than adequate for anything short of the Elephant and Rhino, but plenty of rifle for Buff, Lion and Leopard when loaded and used properly. We have all the best brands for your rifle at low prices, ready to ship right to your door! ... Armalite 301ABT338 AR30A1 Rifle .338 Lapua Mag. And it makes sense as the kinetic energy increases you are dealing with heavier bullets. It was used in the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War. But, just because the military and professional shooters love it doesn’t mean that it’s right for you. If you’re a competitive long-range shooter or just a long-range enthusiast, you’ll appreciate the stability and flat trajectory of the 338 Lapua. Just so we are clear on SD and how it relates to penetration, let’s look at some quick examples. 338 Lapua is a wildly expensive round. Still, it’s something we want to address, and we can look back at some of the performance categories we have been discussing and draw some conclusions from that data to make some assumptions on accuracy. The .308 rounds are much more tightly clustered with a range between 1,023 and 1,346ft.lb. The science behind the ballistic coefficient is a great read, and while we are not the ones to dive into the physics and math behind it, anyone with interest in the shooting sports should take a deeper look. Most of us don’t need armor penetration, let alone armor penetration at 1000 yards. Which leaves just one question: Jay Chambers is a pro-free speech business owner based in Austin, Texas. The .338 LM rounds leave the muzzle with incredible energy ranging from 4200-4800ft.lb. This includes deer (both whitetail and mule), pronghorn, and hogs. When it comes to kinetic energy, there are some guidelines for how much energy is needed to bring down different size game. While the .308 Win also produces its fair amount of recoil, it’s nowhere near the level of the .338 LM. And they are just guidelines as again, shot placement can make up for being a few hundred ft.lbs off. Some shooters have called the 338 Lapua is a laser. If we change things up a bit and have Bullet A with a bullet weight of 150gr and a diameter of 0.1 inches with Bullet B keeping the same dimensions, we should see the Bullet A with a larger SD. We have compiled our numbers from the manufacturer’s websites as well as trusted ballistic calculators. And, it’s a very versatile round, despite being overpowered for some shooting contexts. Sectional density doesn’t give us a direct way to determine penetration as say a ballistic gel, but because the bullet weight and caliber are used to determine sectional density, it allows us to compare two cartridge types. For bullet energy, it is a clear advantage to the .338 Lapua Magnum. With interest in the .338 LM in civilian circles, there are more options for the cartridge than there once was, but you are still going to have more difficulty finding it when compared to other cartridges. Most hunters look for at least 1,000ft.lb of kinetic energy when dealing with whitetail size game. The reason it is so important is that it has a lot of influence on just about every other performance category. According to the Finnish army’s testing, their rifles maintained 1 moa accuracy at 1000 yards for 4000 rounds. Not saying the 338 Lapua mag noting as we move out to points down range, we do see huge! 5500 rifle in 338L has been successfully sold to various governments really like the Federal Vital-Shok ballistic Tip round! A laser Magnum ( also known as the 338 Lapua is just our opinion, and ballistics... A ballistics standpoint, the price point reserves this round for larger African game.338 mag! 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