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Why .338 Lapua instead of .338-.378 Weatherby?

92K views 37 replies 13 participants last post by  winifred 
#1 ·
Unless an agency is mandating it, why would I build a Lapua instead of the big Weatherby? Brass and dies are expensive for both. Bullets and powder, close enough. Will a Lapua fit in more actions? Little help here...
 
#2 ·
There are many rounds which are quite similar. From my vantage a key difference is that all the Weatherby mags are belted cases while the Lapua does not use a belted case. For headspacing reasons, the belted case is typically considered inferior.

Most rounds are based on one of a few different "parent" cases. For example, the 243, 7mm-08, 308 are all based on the 308 case. All of the -06 cases (and the 270 Win) are based on the same parent case. The 338 Lapua is based on the 416 Rigby case.

At some level it involves picking your favorite case and caliber and then finding that round.

Some people claim "inherent accuracy" of a round, which most don't believe in. A few hundred feet per second in the barrel can really decrease the barrel life. And it also makes a big difference at 1000+ yards...
 
#3 ·
If you want alot of info on both the 338lm and the 338-378 and the
30-378 i would be more than willing to share from what i have shot all three rounds and found myself. there are alot of cons and pros for all three. its what you are going to be doing with and how often, and your budget.


Tom
 
#4 ·
There isn't any work to be done with the brass (forming).

As for the belted brass being inferior, I read an article 15-20 years ago about sizing belted brass, you headspace off the shoulder like beltless brass.

I can't speak for the accuracy of the Wby round but the Lapua round is accurate.

I guess it boils down to choose what you like and run with it.

Ya pays ya money and takes ya chances.
 
#5 ·
On most of the belted cases i load, i take an run the die down tell it touchs and back off one 1/3 turn. it works the neck and nothing else and gives great performance. now the 338lm i do something like that but i mostly just tweak the neck and call it good.
What i load the 338lm @ IMR 7828 @92 grains. 225grain solid,or Horn. IB now this is really close to max!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gives great 1000 yard groups and still shootable at 500

The 338-378 has a nasty recoil compaired to the 338LM
RL25 @ 111grains. over redline With the same bullet, i've seen this round give better 1500yard groups compaired to the 338LM

The 30-378 witch i hunt with bench shoot with and gopher hunt with.
RL25 @ 112 Grains witch is over red line with a 180 Grain Custom bullet. It will shoot 4-6 inches at 1000 if the conditions are right

But with in large case the cases are spendy bullets are not cheap and powder your dumping in them you could reload 2 1/2 308 cases.

All in all you have to decide what you want to shoot, how much you want to spend, how much work you want to put into it, and most of all what you will injoy.

A good 300 win mag will give just as good or better groups at just about any given range up to 1300 yards, and is alot more nicer to the shoulder. and pocket book.

Thanks Tom
 
#7 ·
Brass Quality is good but short lived on large cases, my 30-378's and 338-378's i load 5 times and crush it, the 338LM i haven't loaded much of but i have heard about 6 times and same thing, were you can take your 308's 300's 30-06's and load up to 20 or more times if your carefull and watch what your doing.

Tom
 
#8 ·
Most agencies don't worry too much about handloads I don't think ;) Some do though.

I'm talking about from the get-go. From what I read, the Lapua can take much more pressure. There is also factory-produced match ammo in .338 LM. That isn't something you can say for the Weatherby or even the .338 RUM.

I've heard more than one accomplished shooter say, "I'll only develop a wildcat from a cartridge Lapua makes brass for."
 
#9 ·
tslewisz said:
Unless an agency is mandating it, why would I build a Lapua instead of the big Weatherby? Brass and dies are expensive for both. Bullets and powder, close enough. Will a Lapua fit in more actions? Little help here...


I agree the .338 Lapua is an over rated round. There is nothing "wrong" with the Lapua round per say, but from a ballistic standpoint the .338-378 Weatherby leaves it in the dust. If the Lapua has any "advantage" it is in the fact they have adopted it as a "Tacticool" round across the pond, while the .338-378 Weatherby remains a "Fudd Gun" round, and that ain't cool! This is my .338-378 Weatherby Accumark. The groups shown were the first shot with it. Since then I've switched to WC-872 Ball Powder along with the excellent 300 Grain Sierra Matchking, and the groups are even better. Scope is a Leupold Vari-X III 6.5-20X in 40MM sitting in Leupold Rings and Bases. I live in Arizona and we have more gun shops here per ca pita than anywhere, and I've yet to see a box of .338 Lapua ammo for sale anywhere. The .338-378 Weatherby is available most everywhere in both ammo, and brass for handloading. Bill T.
 
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#11 ·
I just consulted my load manual and it appears the 338-378 Weatherby gets 50 fps over the LM at the expense of 18gr of powder and much more pressure.

Looks like to me out of the big .338"s the the cartridge to have for a hunter is the RUM.

The target shooter would be best with the Lapua.
 
#12 ·
WC-872 Ball Powder isn't listed in any manuals. It was originally designed for the 20 MM Vulcan Rapid Fire Cannon round. It is much slower than Reloader 25. You can use H-870 Data, but even then you will be under loaded. I can easily get 2,900 FPS out of the Sierra 300 Grain Matchking with WC-872. Federal 215 Primers with everything. This stuff is tough to light. Bill T.
 
#14 ·
MikeMiller said:
brass is far easier to get around the world
That isn't the case here. As I mentioned, I've yet to see a round of .338 Lapua brass, or ammunition for sale anywhere here in Arizona, with the exception of a couple of gun shows. .338-378 Weatherby brass and ammo is everywhere. Cheaper too I might add. Norma makes Weatherby's brass. As far as I'm concerned, it's not far off at all in quality of anything Lapua makes. I've got .338-378 Weatherby, (Norma), cases that are going on 6 times with only one trimming. On a round with this much authority and downrange ballistics, that's excellent! As far as barrel life on both of these hot rods, there isn't enough of a difference to worry about. Complaining about barrel life on either of these is like whining about the fuel economy of a Top Fuel Dragster. Bill T.
 
#15 ·
On BBL life I was going with what SOTIC and Crane have told me average for the 338 Lapuas thye test are. Around 3500 rds. Now I have shot out a 333/378 WB in less than 1500 rds but your mileage may differ. That extra powder and higher pressure will eat a bbl faster no matter how much you believe otherwwise.

On availability of brass. Please the 338 Lapua is a Military Caliber and available around the world. I bet we can find a bit more of it easier than the Weatherby. I can walk in many stores around here and find 338 Lapua ammunition on the shelf. I have yet to see 338/375 Weatherby on a shelf in a gunstore in any part of the country.
 
#16 ·
MikeMiller said:
On BBL life I was going with what SOTIC and Crane have told me average for the 338 Lapuas thye test are. Around 3500 rds. Now I have shot out a 333/378 WB in less than 1500 rds but your mileage may differ. That extra powder and higher pressure will eat a bbl faster no matter how much you believe otherwwise.

On availability of brass. Please the 338 Lapua is a Military Caliber and available around the world. I bet we can find a bit more of it easier than the Weatherby. I can walk in many stores around here and find 338 Lapua ammunition on the shelf. I have yet to see 338/375 Weatherby on a shelf in a gunstore in any part of the country.
8 to 12 percent more powder isn't going to cut barrel life by over 60%. How a barrel is treated will have a much greater effect on how long it lasts rather than charge weight. More barrels are ruined by foolish "break in" methods, than by being shot out. I've seen these bump fire and dirt shooter AR-15 artists cook a barrel in 3,000 rounds and even less. Anyone can abuse anything until it fails. I've been shooting the .338-378 Weatherby since 1999, and I'm still on the same barrel the rifle came shipped with. It groups as well, or better than the day I took it out of the box. I go by actual results that I myself have achieved, not what somebody tells me. I could care less what is or isn't "available all over the world". I live in Phoenix, Arizona, and I can tell you first hand you are more likely to find a winning Powerball ticket on the sidewalk, than you are a box of .338 Lapua. I've owned and shot big bores for over 35 years, and I would be broke from buying barrels if I got the barrel life many of these "experts" claim. I put their findings into the same category I do these idiotic methods for "barrel break In's". Bill T.
 
#17 ·
Bill, please I dont know you and you dont know me so you might want to pull in the claws. Talking down to me after a few days here seems out of line. Power down. You have right to your opinion but frankly I will go with SOTIC and Crane over you. They torrtue test to see how things will hold up under military use ways you can not. I am lucky to be able to call on that Expert Opinion. A man who only goes by what he sees first hand is destined to failure as if you have not burned out one bbl since 1999 you are not shooting enough to be an expert on bbl life. BBls are judged on an average for llife span and one single bbl can not be enough to say how things work. One rifle in one location under one set of conditions means it worked once. A 10 percent powder charge will make a difference.

I see this in shooting 308 F TR class. When I run mild loads I get 8000-12000 rds from bbl. When I run max and I mean max which is not even ten percent more I get around 4500 - 5000 rds. Granted my level of accuracy is holding X Ring ( 5") on good day at 1000 yards Yours may be different.

Either way I travel a bit more than one state and always seem to find 338 Lapua ammo. Its a military round used by many countries in general issue and the US on a limited basis. Now I ask you who uses 338/385 WB for general use like that? Your aguement is weak and you are incorrect on being able to find 338/278 easier because one shop down the street has it. By the way I know you can buy 338 Lapua in Phoenix. McMillan sells enough 338 Lapua rifles it should be easy to find a spot.
 
#19 ·
You are trying to argue points that are completely useless to you or me. As I pointed out, arguing barrel life with either one of these overbore calibers is total nonsense. You pay to play, it's as simple as that. The more powder you burn, the less a given barrel will last, period. That's written in stone. People read these articles, and they run with whatever they've read. As I mentioned before, look at these silly "barrel break in procedures". I, like the late Gale McMillian, have asked people outright, exactly what they think is happening when they "break in" a barrel, over simply shooting it? I have never gotten a definitive answer. Most simply ramble off something or other that they've read in some gun rag, or on the Internet, that was written by some self proclaimed "expert". Availability of ammunition is another silly argument. Both of these are highly specialized rounds for very limited tasks. You're not going to find either on every shelf as if they were Cheerios's. I purchased the Weatherby round based solely, and totally on the fact it's the most ballisticly superior round in the .338 bore diameter in a readily available cartridge. I didn't factor in anything else into my decision simply because it wasn't necessary. I've been shooting the round for over 9 years at ranges from 100 yards, to over 1,000, and it has performed better than I have anticipated in every category. I don't need to read anything about it one way or the other because I have proven to myself what the round is capable of from a "doing" standpoint. To me, that's all that matters. I'm not going to be deployed to Angola anytime soon. I'll go out on a limb and say in all likelihood, neither will you. But I may have a shot at an Elk at 500 yards sometime. I know the Weatherby round will perform. So will others. I'm not going to get into a pi$$ing contest over this trying to decide something that is meaningless in the first place. High powered, overbore Magnum rifles are a lot like 4 wheel drives. Most who buy them don't need them. They simply want them for whatever reason. My reasons were confirmed by sitting behind the rifle, not a LCD. Don't misunderstand me. I think reading information on any given subject is a good way to acquire some basic knowledge, or theory. But that can't take the place of years of self taught shooting, and handloading experience. I've been shooting WC-872 Ball Propellant in my .338-378 for several years. When people ask me what kind of powder I shoot, I tell them and they reply with, "what's that?", or, "what manual is that listed in?" or, "I've never heard of that powder." The reason is because it's not discussed in the magazines by "experts". I found out by discussing such matters with well educated fellow shooters who shared their hands on knowledge. If some "expert" tells me what is or isn't with this round, I'll listen. If after I know different from first hand experience, I'll mention it. If they want to start arguing over silly nonsense I'll simply try once, to clear up any misunderstanding. I'll feel at this point I've more than accomplished that here. Take Care and Good Shooting, Bill T.
 
#20 ·
Bill, Gale McMilllan built me my first non issued sniper rifle back in 1984. I was a sniper a bit before that.

This is a sniper site and there for I answered as talking with guys interested in sniping and tactical events. My answers where correct and from my first hand experience with the calibers mentioned and many more. Backed by data that confirms my findings of over 25 years of shooting for a living. Here and overseas. As to my being deployed to Angola, not likely. Not what I want to do again, but if the China made products put me out of busienss I will probably take a job working with my rifle again, so yes I can see myself being deployed agagin.
Until then I will just shoot in a few events here and there and have some fun. Why dont you come on out and show us what we dont know about bbl break and long range shooting sometime.

As to bbl break in. Once again some bbl'sont need it and some do better once broken in correctly. Now that can be everything from one round and its OK to 1 round and clean for 5-10 rounds to a few rounds of Tubbs Final finish to burnish the edges. I just go and see how much copper is left in bore to determine whats needed. That comes from breaking in or watching as students break in hundreds of rifles. Alot has to do with who lapped and cut the bbl. After break in they go lots and lots of rounds between cleanings.
 
#21 ·
Bill, how many .338 Lapuas have you owned? If you haven't owned one, how could you talk about first hand experience?

Further, how could you talk about barrel life mattering if you haven't ever worn out a barrel? I'll bet Mike has worn out more than you and I combined.

You're yet to say anything that, by first hand experience, means the Weatherby is superior. Let's hear it. You've got going for you brass that is almost as good, 16 gr more powder, 50ish fps more, significantly more pressure, and more availability in your area.

I'll admit, I've never been to a gunshop with .338-.378 ammo in stock.

If you are suggesting availability as the key factor, why not a .338 RUM? 16 gr less powder than the .338-378, and virtually the same velocity, no belt, and its available dang near everywhere? How many .338 RUMs have you had?
 
#22 ·
Good point on first hand shooting, I have shot out 4 30-378 barrels with in a 2500 rounds 2 338-378 with in 2000 rounds i have built 4 338LM only shot about 40 rounds threw each one for break in and functioning. I know the round count on the one is upwards of 3000. It must be a Montana thing but you can find ammo for the 30-378,338-378, and the 338Lm at the local sporting good store. Brass life i get 10 loadings out of the 30-378, 12 to 14 out of the 338-378 being more cause i'm not loading as hot. A factory barrel on a weatherby will burn out very quick with hotter loads. Most likely you will be putting a high end barrel on your 338LM. Ago for the Rums is off the shelf ammo, cheaper, and almost the same side by side everythign with the weatherbys. I'm a huge fan of the weatherbys but the 338Lm has them beat for brass life and performance in the field, i hate to say it but they do.

Thats my 1cent worth.

Thanks Tom
 
#25 ·
MikeMiller said:
Tyler, I once wrote an article and called the 338 Ultra the poor mans Lapua. **** good caliber. Lots of bang for buck. Originally I could not get same velocoties with RUM but later with some different powders it came out so close its a toss up.
I've considered one over and over again for a sporter type rifle. Some day, maybe I shall own one!
 
#26 ·
MikeMiller said:
Bill, please I dont know you and you dont know me so you might want to pull in the claws. Talking down to me after a few days here seems out of line.
It IS out of line.

Bill,
Mike Miller is a very well-known member of the sniping community, and deserves to be treated with a good bit more respect than you've shown him here so far.
By all means, feel free to voice your opinion. But do so with more respect.
 
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