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8.60x70mm (.338 Lapua)
The .338 is fairly new to the sniper community, but it does bear the distinction as
being the first and only caliber designed specifically for sniping. While this round was
actually developed back in 1983, it wasn't until the last few years that it has gained in
popularity. The caliber was designed to arrive at 1000 meters with enough energy to penetrate
5 layers of military body armor and still make the kill. The effective range of this caliber
is about 1 mile (1600meters) and in the right shooting conditions, it could come very close
to the 2000 meter mark, provided you have the right rifle/ammo/optics/shooter/spotter
combination. Realistically, 1200 meters is well within the average sniper. This caliber is
designed primarily as a military extreme range anti-personnel round, there really is no
Law Enforcement applications, unless you need a super penetrating round for either armored
vehicles, or for barricaded suspects. There is not a lot of rifles chambered for the .338,
but the list is growing with the likes of Sako, AI, and others producing .338 sniping rifles.
Ammo is another problem, match ammo is sometimes difficult to find, but it is becomming more
available as time passes. We all know the legal liability of using hand loads, so that is out
of the question. Another concern is the recoil of this caliber, even with a good muzzle brake,
its brisk. So don't try a rifle without one. Be sure to practice the fundamentals of shooting
to try and prevent a flinch from developing.
Recommendations: For military extreme long-range anti-personnel purposes, the .338 Lapua
is king. Even the .50BMG falls short (Do to accuracy problems with current ammo). This caliber
is not recommended for Law Enforcement.
Military Applications
I have chosen the Lapua factory load with a 250gr FMJ-BT at 3000fps (Wow!). This load has some
awsome down range ballistics.
.338 Lapua 250gr FMJ-BT (LockBase) at 3000fps
Bullet Drop (Inches)
|
100y
91m |
200y
183m |
300y
275m |
400y
366m |
500y
458m |
600y
549m |
700y
641m |
800y
732m |
900y
824m |
1000y
915m |
|
+11.1 |
+19.4 |
+23.0 |
+21.3 |
+13.9 |
Zero |
-21.1 |
-50.3 |
-88.6 |
-137.0 |
Energy & Velocity (Muzzle : 4996 Ft.-Lbs., 3000fps)
|
|
100y
91m |
200y
183m |
300y
275m |
400y
366m |
500y
458m |
600y
549m |
700y
641m |
800y
732m |
900y
824m |
1000y
915m |
|
Energy |
4525 |
4091 |
3692 |
3325 |
2986 |
2676 |
2392 |
2133 |
1896 |
1682 |
|
Velocity |
2855 |
2715 |
2579 |
2448 |
2320 |
2196 |
2076 |
1960 |
1848 |
1741 |
Wind Drift (Inches) 10mph Crosswind
|
100y
91m |
200y
183m |
300y
275m |
400y
366m |
500y
458m |
600y
549m |
700y
641m |
800y
732m |
900y
824m |
1000y
915m |
|
0.4 |
1.8 |
4.2 |
7.6 |
12.1 |
17.9 |
25.0 |
33.6 |
43.8 |
55.6 |
The following three images were taken from the Dakota Arms homepage, and I hope they are not copyrighted! If so,
someone let me know, or grant me permission to use them!
300gr bullet travelling at 2800fps.
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