8.60x70mm (.338 Lapua)

The .338 is fairly new to the sniper community, but it does bear the distinction of 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 possible for the average sniper. This caliber is designed primarily as a military extreme range anti-personnel round. There are 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 becoming more widely available as time passes. Another concern is the heavy recoil of this caliber. Be sure to practice the fundamentals of shooting to try and prevent a flinch from developing.

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

300gr bullet travelling at 2800fps.

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