Lapua .22lr ammunition is the best – and the 2021 Biathlon World Championship results can prove it! ALL medals in ALL events were taken with Lapua ammo. Congrats to all athletes on their success!
Lapua .22lr ammunition is the best – and the 2021 Biathlon World Championship results can prove it! ALL medals in ALL events were taken with Lapua ammo. Congrats to all athletes on their success!
In this two-part feature, we share the background behind the legendary .338 Lapua Magnum and how it came to be a cartridge from Finland, even though the idea was born on another continent.
The .338 Lapua Magnum caliber originates back almost forty years to 1982, when the .338/416 cartridge was developed for the United States military purposes. Officially, the project was to develop a target rifle and cartridge for 1000 yards, but in reality the purpose was more likely to develop a 1500 meter sniper rifle.
The .300 Winchester Magnum and other commercial cartridges did not meet penetration requirements, so the search for a heavier caliber with better ballistics was on. The result was a new wildcat cartridge that was originally formed from a necked down .378 Weatherby Magnum case, and finally from the .416 Rigby case. The new cartridge was known as the .338/416 or 8.58×71.
Lapua finished development of the first bullets and cases for the .338/416 cartridge in 1985. Its first .338 caliber projectile was the B408, which in 1985 looked more like a D46 bullet on steroids than the Lock Base type currently produced.
In 1986, the .338/416 cartridge with a Lapua bullet and case won the 1,000 yard navy rifle competition in Quantico, Virginia. In spite of that, the U.S. military selection criteria went in a different direction. At that point, Lapua was left more or less alone with the new caliber cartridge, still management decided to continue product development. This resulted in specifying the measurements, and the cartridge was named the .338 Lapua Magnum. The .338 Lapua Magnum was slightly different than the original .338/416 case. Case and chamber dimensions were modified, along with the interior structure of the case to withstand higher chamber pressures than the .338/416 design. The .338 Lapua Magnum had arrived.
Continued in part 2!
Stability is an essential part of bullet accuracy. Stability is affected by several factors, the most important factors being barrel twist rate and the length of the projectile. To a lesser degree it is also affected by the bullet shape, velocity and environmental conditions. You can estimate bullet stability during the flight path with the stability estimator function in Lapua Ballistics. In this article, we will explain bullet stability to a high detail and how to use Lapua Ballistics as a tool to understand it.
Twist rate is defined as the length of one full turn of the bullet (360 degrees) in inches or millimeters in the barrel. E.g. 1:10” means that the bullet makes one full turn over the distance of 10 inches. You can measure the twist rate of your rifle barrel by marking e.g. a cleaning rod with a flag made of adhesive tape, and measuring the distance where the flag rotates 360 degrees. Make sure that the cleaning rod follows exactly the lands in the barrel.
If the bullet is too long compared to the twist rate, it will be unstable and may start to wobble or even turn completely crosswise. For the shooter, this translates as poor accuracy and oval or ”keyhole” shaped holes in the paper target. An overstabilized projectile does not follow exactly the trajectory of the curved flight path but flies slightly nose up. Technically speaking, the axis of the bullet does not follow the tangent of the trajectory. This increases the air drag and shortens the flight range. An unnecessary high rotation speed also intensifies the adverse effect of smaller shape and symmetry defects of the projectile.
The stability of a bullet can be increased by the following factors (roughly in the order of importance):
Lower air density means less aerodynamic forces affecting the bullet so it remains stable easier.
Traditionally, bullet stability is estimated by using quite simple equations like the Miller and Greenhill equations. Lapua Ballistics estimates the bullet stability by using both dynamic stability ’Sd’ and gyroscopic stability ’Sg’ during the full bullet trajectory. The value of the stability calculator is more in comparing different combinations with each other (twist rate, bullet to be used, muzzle velocity, environmental conditions, etc.) than trying to say simply if a bullet is stable or unstable.
Gyroscopic stability Sg means the ability of a rotating object to resist the change of its rotating axis. Sg is quite easy to calculate and its value at the muzzle has to be absolutely over 1.0 for a bullet to be stable. In practice some safety margin is needed there so the recommended minimum value is 1.4. Values clearly over 2.0 are unnecessary high because an overstabilized bullet has higher air drag due to the ”nose up” flight position and is more critical to small imperfections in the bullet shape and symmetry. Gyroscopic stability increases with flight time/distance because the rotational speed of the bullet does not decrease as fast as the forward velocity.
Dynamic stability Sd means the ability of the bullet to decrease a wobbling motion caused by an internal or external effect. In a dynamically stable bullet, the wobbling decreases with the time/distance and in a dynamically unstable bullet the wobbling increases with the time. Sd is much more difficult to evaluate than Sg and it needs 6 DOF calculations. Lapua Ballistics is one of the very few ballistics software solutions that is capable of utilizing this and possibly the only one completely free of charge. Most software are capable of estimating stability only by Sg which is usually reasonable good enough for short distances but not to long distances and to the transonic region – where Sd is the main factor for stability. The vertical axis of the stability curve expresses Sg and the horizontal axis Sd. The favorable stability region is expressed as light blue but high quality bullets often retain the stability also in the dark blue region.
Dynamic stability is affected by e.g. the bullet length and shape and the positions and distance between the center of mass (cm) and the center of pressure (cp). The distance between cm and cp is very important because it defines the aerodynamic moment vector that tries to turn the bullet crosswise. Air density is also important, the stability is better in a higher altitude and warm weather. The grooves (made by the lands in the barrel) on the bullet surface slightly affect the dynamic stability and decelerate the rotating speed faster compared to a smooth surface. Dynamic stability is usually the problem only at long distances and in the transonic region.
Stability is not an ON/OFF phenomenon, so Sg and Sd basically describe the tendency or risk for unstability. For that reason the graph in Lapua Ballistics is not black and white but light/dark blue. The bullet can fly – and often does – fly stable and accurate also far inside the dark blue region. As a rule of thumb, we can say that at the later (number of 100 m/yds markers) and in the more upper direction the line exits the light blue region, the better the bullet can resist external forces trying to make the bullet wobble, meaning that the stability and accuracy potential is better.
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In this graph you can see the effect of the twist rate to gyroscopic and dynamic stability in a .308 Win. rifle with the 10,85 g / 167 gr GB422 Scenar bullet. This OTM bullet is mainly designed for short and medium ranges – up to about 600 m/yds.
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In this graph you can see the effect of twist rate to gyroscopic and dynamic stability in a .338 Lapua Magnum rifle with the 19,44 g / 300 gr GB528 Scenar OTM bullet.
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In this graph you can see the effect of bullet length to gyroscopic and dynamic stability in a .338 Lapua Magnum rifle with a 1:10” twist rate.
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In this graph you can see two .222 Rem. caliber bullets, both shot with a 1:14” twist rate rifle.
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| In this graph you can see a temporary loss of stability at a distance of 650 – 850 m/yds with a 6 mm 90 gr GB543 Scenar bullet. In this case the projectile reaches the transonic area at the distance of 700 m. Stability will revert soon after that and the bullet likely continues a stable flight without a loss of accuracy. This is also helped by the high gyroscopic stability value of over 3.5. |
Lapua Ballistics 6 DOF is the only free of charge consumer software capable for these kind of studies. For those interested to understand the theory behind bullet stability even further, we recommend the following reading:
Our next tip will feature the use of spin drift adjustment. Stay tuned!
Gavin at Ultimate Reloader did a great piece on our large rifle primer (LRP) and small rifle primer (SRP) 6.5 Creedmoor cases. Watch full video below!
For 2021, Lapua offers three new cartridges for .300 Winchester Magnum. The .300 Win Mag. is known for its extreme versatility and as such it’s a great cartridge option for hunters, target shooters, military and law enforcement departments alike. Lapua is happy to offer two new options for hunters and one for target shooters.
As the .300 Win Mag. is known for its accuracy, hunters have found the cartridge to be an effective all-around choice for various types of game and hunting conditions. Most firearms manufacturers chamber for this caliber and there are numerous rifle options to choose from. With the new .300 Win Mag. Lapua case we now also offer two new factory-loaded hunting cartridges:
Both cartridges offer something for every hunter. A fan favorite for many years, the traditional MEGA is a lead core, mechanically bonded, soft point hunting projectile. The third generation Lapua Naturalis bullet with its special valve design offers a completely lead-free option with that perfect mushrooming effect. With muzzle velocities that enable extremely straight flight trajectories, these rounds are an obvious choice for long range hunting or for situations that demand significant stopping power.
For the demanding target shooters, long range enthusiasts and tactical units, Lapua offers the perfect cartridge option: the .300 Win Mag. with the 12,0 g / 185 gr OTM Scenar bullet.
This round offers accuracy and power well beyond 1,000 meters/yards with the Scenar projectile staying supersonic. The unique design of the 185 grain Scenar (GB432) together with the short case neck and relatively short C.I.P cartridge specs create an undeniably powerful combination for long range target shooting. With a high quality powder and a muzzle velocity of 930 m/s or 3051 fps, this cartridge is destined to become the number one choice for any long range shooters demanding peak accuracy.
All three Lapua cartridges will be hitting the markets in the spring of 2021.
Go to the .300 Win Mag cartridge page for trajectory information here
A trajectory table in printed form can come in handy on many occasions, eg. when hunting or if you want to compare trajectory data on your computer. With Lapua Ballistics, you can export trajectory tables in a printable format. In this tip, we will tell you how to generate a table and export it to Excel.
Tap to view in full size
Tap to view in full size
Tap to view in full size
Step 2: Share the trajectory table to your registered email
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Next, save the LapuaBallistics.csv file from your email to your own computer to a folder of your choice.
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After that, open an empty workbook in Excel, and in the toolbar go to Data (→ Get External Data) → From Text. Choose the LapuaBallistics.csv file from the location you saved it to on your computer. Excel now opens the Text Import Wizard. Click Next, which takes you to Step 2 of 3. Choose ’Comma’ as your delimiter → click Next → Finish.
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After this, your Lapua Ballistics calculation with the given distances will open in Excel. The trajectory table is at the top of the table, other properties can be seen at the bottom. You can pick the information you want and display it in the way you prefer.
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…And you’re done!
Our next tip will feature the use of stability estimation. Stay tuned!
We wish you Happy Holidays and a Fantastic New Year 2021!
(For the previous Lapua Ballistics tips go to the Lapua Ballistics Tips page)
Lapua Ballistics offers you the opportunity to compare data for three different cartridges or bullets in the ballistic calculator.
You can use comparison data for your cartridges or bullets, for example to compare trajectories or impact velocity and / or impact energy in different hunting situations. You can also use the cartridge/projectile comparison to determine the best Point-blank Range (PBR) and to estimate stability. In addition, you can share the picture and information via email or other possible communication applications on your phone.
You can easily compare data in the Ballistics app for the following ballistics calculation features:
– Elevation
– Windage
– Velocity
– Energy
– Point-blank Range
– Trajectory
– Velocity / distance
– Energy / distance
– Stability estimation
All these features are accessible in the lower views of the Calculator mode in the Ballistics app. In the comparison created, you can clearly see the differences between the 3 bullets / cartridges you have chosen in the same graphic.
Step 1. Go to cartridge settings and set eg. muzzle velocity (Sight-In V0 value) and other basic values for your cartridge/bullet of choice. (Tap image to expand.)
Steps 2 and 3. Open the Calculator and swipe to the third lower view and tap to expand. Choose the cartridges / bullets you want to compare. (Tap image to expand.)
Step 4. Swipe right in the expanded view to quickly and easily view the comparison data separated by different colors. (Tap image to expand.)
| You can also pick just one cartridge / bullet and compare different muzzle velocities, weather conditions and twist rates for that cartridge by copying it in the Manage Rifle/ Cartridge Data menu and changing the desired settings for the copied items.Next time, we’ll look at how to export trajectory tables to excel! |
For 2021, Lapua offers new Open Tip (OT) bullets and factory-loaded cartridges for target and hunting practice: Introducing the 8 mm OT bullet and 8×57 IS OT cartridge, and the 9.3mm OT bullet and 9.3×62 OT cartridge.
The 8×57 IS has earned a strong hunting reputation in recent years, but is now taking a step in the target shooting direction. Lapua Sales Manager, Erkki Seikkula, explains the thought process behind our new 8mm 7,8 g/ 120 grain OT bullet:
“We designed an easy and softly firing bullet that meets Lapua’s strict accuracy requirements. The precision of this bullet offers shooters the opportunity to practice with the same rifle that they hunt with. For avid hunters that enjoy target competitions, the performance of this projectile can really make a difference.”
A notable advantage of the bullet and the factory-loaded cartridge is that the bullet’s point of impact coincides with the Lapua Naturalis, making both products ideal for hunting practice.
The 9.3×62 has traditionally been used only with big game hunting in mind. Requirements have changed with time and today this rifle cartridge needs a bullet that offers a more diverse use of the caliber amongst hunters. Lapua has answered this demand and developed the world’s most accurate Open Tip bullet for this caliber, which extends its use to a diverse set of options from practice shooting to small predator hunting.
“The 9.3mm 12.0 g / 185 grain Open Tip bullet is available as a reloading bullet for home loaders, yet we also offer it as a factory-loaded cartridge for anyone for whom accuracy and performance matter when choosing a cartridge. Also here, the impact point of resembles that of the Naturalis bullet, making this the ultimate round for hunters training for big game hunts”, Seikkula says.
As with all Lapua products, ballistic data and trajectory information will be published on our website, with load data available by Vihtavuori Powders.
The new bullets and cartridges will be available in the beginning of 2021.
Lapua, world-renowned for producing the finest cartridge cases and ammunition products, is happy to announce the addition of 6.5 PRC, .284 Winchester, .300 Winchester Magnum, and .300 PRC cartridge cases to our 2021 product offering. Our new Lapua brass offerings for 2021 display our continued commitment to the precision shooting disciplines which are popular on a global scale.
The new Lapua 6.5 and .300 PRC cartridge cases provide competitive shooters, hunters and accuracy enthusiasts a premium selection for precision hand loads, an option that’s been missing from the market since the PRC’s inception.
Although the 6.5 Precision Rifle Cartridge (or PRC for short) was originally designed for long range hunting, the 6.5 PRC is still an excellent cartridge for both long range sport shooting and hunting. Its increased case capacity enables velocities up to 80 m/s (262 fps) faster than the 6.5 Creedmoor or 6,5×55 SE. By design, the cartridge features a longer throat enabling the use of today’s popular, high ballistic coefficient (BC) projectiles for long-range competitions. The 6.5 PRC case is a good match with relatively slow burning powder types. It is a great choice for heavy bullets, exceeding even 9,7 g / 150 grains with excellent retained energy and terminal performance for mid-sized and large game.
The .300 PRC was designed for extreme long range shooting with heavy bullets featuring high ballistic coefficients. Its superior ballistics and beltless case configuration represent modern
case design that supports the use of modern long and high BC bullets. With its ability to load heavier bullets, the performance of the .300 PRC exceeds the .300 Winchester Magnum and
many other .30 Magnums on the market. The .300 PRC is also an superb choice in open and large hunting fields for long distance hunting of mid-to-large sized game with bullet
weights exceeding 15,8 g / 245 grains.
The .284 Winchester cartridge has experienced a recent resurgence in F-Class competition, where shooters compete to distances out to 1,000 m/yd. Members of the US Rifle Team, which Lapua sponsors, will enjoy having cases readily available in this classic cartridge. The .284 Winchester’s rebated rim design enables a larger powder column, yet easily functions through medium length actions making it desirable for custom rifles. Its accuracy potential and high muzzle velocity is also recognized in hunting fields where this cartridge performs nicely on a very wide scale.
The .300 Winchester Magnum has been a staple within the firearms industry, widely used by hunters, target shooters, military and law enforcement agencies around the globe since its development in the early 60’s. It is still used for competitive target shooting, hunting, and Mil/LE platforms to-date. It delivers excellent long range performance with a wide range of bullet weights from 165 to 200 grains and more. The .300 Winchester Magnum has a great reputation as a .30 caliber magnum hunting cartridge in Europe and North America. Lapua’s .300 Win. Mag case will be a great addition to our line, especially with the huge bullet selection available for sport shooting and hunting for this caliber and all major rifle manufacturers chamber their rifles for it.
All new Lapua cases will be available for home loaders in spring of 2021.