I am excited about the new 338 Norma Magnum.

28 July 2010, 10:17

My understanding is that it is designed for sniping work out of rifles without the .750" bolt size.

I have been getting acquainted with the Hornady 250-grain HPBT, the SMK 250-grain and 300-grain HPBTs, the Scenar 250-grain and 300-grain HPBTs, the misbegotten Berger 300-grain tangent and secant ogived, confused bullet and the surprisingly accurate Lapua FMJ 250-grain Hague specials.

This may kill off (ha, ha) the 300 Win Mag as the intermediate sniper round.

Top the brass off with a 230-grain FailSafe or North Fork, and it should be a good bear and eland thumper.

Just babbling, sorry.

LD

28 July 2010, 11:20

boom stick

Is this info from Wikipedia right?
It seems this just duplicates the 338 Rum in capacity and OAL with the the bullet that far out of the case. Seems to me there is no advantage over the 338 Lapua unless a smaller action. Am I wrong?

Parent case .416 Rigby
Case type Rimmed, bottleneck
Bullet diameter 8.59 mm (0.338 in)
Neck diameter unknown?
Shoulder diameter unknown
Base diameter 14.87 mm (0.585 in)
Rim diameter unknown
Case length 63.50 mm (2.500 in)
Overall length 91.44 mm (3.600 in)
Case capacity 6.95 cm³ (107 gr H2O)
Rifling twist 236 mm (1 in 9.3 in)
Primer type Large rifle magnum
Maximum pressure unknown

28 July 2010, 16:38

Paolo9,5x73

quote:
Originally posted by lawndart:
My understanding is that it is designed for sniping work out of rifles without the .750" bolt size.

I have been getting acquainted with the Hornady 250-grain HPBT, the SMK 250-grain and 300-grain HPBTs, the Scenar 250-grain and 300-grain HPBTs, the misbegotten Berger 300-grain tangent and secant ogived, confused bullet and the surprisingly accurate Lapua FMJ 250-grain Hague specials.

This may kill off (ha, ha) the 300 Win Mag as the intermediate sniper round.

Top the brass off with a 230-grain FailSafe or North Fork, and it should be a good bear and eland thumper.

Just babbling, sorry.

LD

Try to use its metric designation as 338 Norma Magnum name is useless to anybody but Norma.

28 July 2010, 19:54

rcamuglia

While I was doing load development for the .338 Lapua, we encountered one of its glitches; the inability to seat close to the lands because of excessive throat. There are reamers to solve this or one can be made.

My gunsmith's input was that the .338 Lapua should be made with a 4" magazine.

He believes the .338 Norma Magnum is a superior cartridge design.

30 July 2010, 02:56

BISCUT

How does this round stack up against 338RUM? I consider my 338RUM to be a poor mans 338 Lapua

At a buck a piece of brass...and 338 bullets aren't exactly cheap either.... it's still substantially less than a 338 Lapua! And rattles your teeth w. the best of em.

Anyone have a drawing to post of the 338 Norma mag?

31 July 2010, 02:20

CAS II

Without having them in front of me to measure, I'd venture a guess that the 338 RUM would fall squarely between the Lapua and Norma in terms of case capacity. In other words, they are birds of a feather.

All three are pretty damn impressive!

31 July 2010, 02:26

CAS II

quote:
Originally posted by rcamuglia:
While I was doing load development for the .338 Lapua, we encountered one of its glitches; the inability to seat close to the lands because of excessive throat. There are reamers to solve this or one can be made.

My gunsmith's input was that the .338 Lapua should be made with a 4" magazine.

He believes the .338 Norma Magnum is a superior cartridge design.

I concur with all, but would point out that since the 338 Lapua is largely a custom chambering given the lack of factory chambered rifles, any throat issues are largely the fault of a screw up on the part of the guy who ordered the reamer.

Since one typically has to buy a reamer anyway, spec-ing a proper throat for the magazine and bullet seems only logical.

31 July 2010, 05:37

mauser93

Rcam, please ask your gunsmith to contact the U.S. Army, the U.s. Marines, Britian's Special Air Services, the French Foreign Legion, and the Israeli military IMMEDIATELy. They will all be shocked - shocked, I tell you - and, I am sure, very grateful.

No, wait. Maybe not.

31 July 2010, 07:02

bartsche

What is this big civilian sniper movement? Are there a lot of 2000 yard ranges croping up that I don't know about? Der older I vas der more behinder I get.

roger

31 July 2010, 11:44

<Mike McGuire>

quote:
Originally posted by BISCUT:
How does this round stack up against 338RUM? I consider my 338RUM to be a poor mans 338 Lapua At a buck a piece of brass...and 338 bullets aren't exactly cheap either.... it's still substantially less than a 338 Lapua! And rattles your teeth w. the best of em.

Anyone have a drawing to post of the 338 Norma mag?

The 338 RUM is the best. For the cost of the Lapua brass and the .580 case head issues I would prefer the full size case of the 338/378.

31 July 2010, 12:41

lawndart

Paolo9,5x73,

OK, You win. After reading a few months of your gratuitous and negative posts, and being ordered to this and that; off you go to "ignore land."

02 August 2010, 06:27

I own one and REALLY like it !!

Its deisgned to be able to seat 300 gr SMK's out to the Neck Shoulder Junction in an AI mag......this cant be done with .338 lap.

There is a a new CPI length AI mag coming out to rectify this however.

I like the chambering, its very accurate and I have only done a tiny amount of work with it so far. My gun is in heavy format for LR shooting.

02 August 2010, 10:03

Dago Red

is this a 358/308 norma mag necked to 338 or a different case all together?

Red

02 August 2010, 17:26

scottfromdallas

quote:
Originally posted by bartsche:
What is this big civilian sniper movement? Are there a lot of 2000 yard ranges croping up that I don't know about? Der older I vas der more behinder I get. roger

I would love to know as well. I've recently fallin in to the trap of wanting, researching the Lapua magnum. It's a great round that would be fun to shot along my friends Barrett 50 cal. then I realize, he has no place to shoot his Barrett and I would be in the same predicament with a Lapua. I can't see dragging out a Lapua to shoot at the local gun range a 100 yards.

02 August 2010, 22:23

.366torque

quote:
Originally posted by Dago Red:
is this a 358/308 norma mag necked to 338 or a different case all together?

Red

http://www.norma.cc/assets/pdf/engelska/magazine.html

02 August 2010, 22:54

Dago Red

I see, beltless based on rigby brass. cool. I have a 308 and would like to have a 358 some day.

Red

03 August 2010, 01:05

rcamuglia

quote:
From Longrangehunting.com
Richard and I called wind for each other at two distances, 1536 meters (1680 yards) and 1574 meters (1722 yards which is 38 yards short of one mile). I would have taken pictures of the 1536 meter 10” groups, however the climb was impossible.

This cartridge is a BIG winner because it is very accurate, a winner because it is very forgiving, a winner because the cartridge is very efficient and the bullet stays in the powder cone, a winner because it works in the Remington long action receiver, a winner because the bullet can be seated to the correct seating depth and still cycle through the action, and a winner because the bullet doesn’t enter the transonic region until approximately 1,750 yards. When it does, it’s moving at 1,306 fps, with 1,136 foot pounds of energy. This may be one of the most unique cartridge designs of my time. No; it is the most unique cartridge design of my time.