From a hunting perspective, this is completely silly, but after I wrote my original article on 338 Lapua, I had multiple people contact me and ask that magical question, “what if you go bigger?”. Well, 50 BMG is about as big as you’re going to get, and while 338 Lapua is capable of taking all North American game animals at well beyond practical distances, the 50 does it bigger and better. It’s also a lot of fun to compare ballistics of the big 50 BMG to the smaller but still pretty big, 338 LM.

338 Lapua vs 50 BMG: Ballistics & Distance

Ballistics-wise, 50 BMG and 338 Lapua are somewhat similar, at least at sane ranges. Where they differ greatly is in 50 BMG’s much bigger, much heavier bullet’s ability to carry killing power far beyond the capabilities of the 338 Lapua. While the Lapua can only kill a deer at up to 1,800 yards, the mighty 50 BMG can do the same task at 3,300 yards. With a hilariously long flight time of 7 seconds, this is getting closer to field artillery skill than it is marksmanship.

338 Lapua Cost

Here’s where your wallet is really going to hurt. Neither of these platforms are particularly easy on the hunter on a budget. 338 Lapua rifles average around $2,000, but for that price you get a very ergonomic, accurate setup. With 47 ft-lbs of recoil, muzzle brakes are of course mandatory. Most 338 Lapua’s weigh in around 10 lbs, not too bad. Ammo cost is pretty horrific; unless you reload, you’re going to be looking at about $5 per round. Again, that $5 per round cost does come with some pretty high quality components. No core-lokt components here.

50 BMG Cost

Were those prices above hurtful? Wait till you get a load of 50 BMG costs. Remember the $5/round? Well, for 50 BMG, you’re looking at $11-$16/round for military surplus ammo. Not match ammo. If you’re looking at doing match ammo, you could be paying $5/round just for the bullet, nevermind the powder, primer, brass and other components. That all said, there are deals out there. TSE, for example, has 50 BMG ammo from PMC for the low low price of $5-$6, depending how much you buy. The rifles are also in a league of their own. A basic model like the CS-50 will run you just under $3000. A more advanced model will be higher. ATRS is a bit of a 50 BMG specialist, so if you’re in Canada, they’re your best option.

Hunting with 338 Lapua or 50 BMG

Hunting with the 338 Lapua is a lot more of a pain in the butt than with a regular rifle. The rifle is heavier, you can’t carry nearly the same amount of ammo in your pocket, and making standing shots is almost out of the question. However, I found packing around the Savage 111 LRH in 338LM to be fine. The long barrel tended to snag on a lot of things and cause the rifle to want to spin barrel down when in a sling, but otherwise I had no complaints. A rifle sporting 50 BMG is a bit of a different beast. While that Savage is 9 lbs, a simple 50 BMG like the CS-50 is just under 27 lbs. That makes handling around quads quite challenging, and long hikes could get painful. Hunting with either the 338 LM or 50 BMG requires robust hearing protection, and your hunting buddies will not want to hunt anywhere near you because of the fearsome blast. Firing while prone in snow or dust can cause a big cloud from the muzzle blast to obstruct your view (depending on the construction of your muzzlebrake. All in all, hunting with either of these cartridges is a total pain in the ass compared to using tamer calibers.

50 BMG vs 338 Lapua Ballistics

Looking at getting a rifle in a different caliber, or looking at getting your first rifle? The array and names of the cartridges can be confusing. Is a 308 bigger than a 30 “ought six”? Is a 7mm bigger than a 9mm pistol? The makers of these different cartridges sure haven’t made it easy to compare them. Even if you know them, it can be difficult to know which is flatter shooting or harder hitting or harder recoiling. So, I decided to put together a quick little chart and some quick rules of thumb to get you by.

I’m using a few different inputs, but really the numbers I’m going to be comparing relate to:

• MPBR: Maximum Point Blank Range. A good measurement to decide how flat a rifle shoots and how far you can still take a deer without raising the crosshairs over where you need to hit.
• Recoil: How much a gun might kick. Valuable to know for new shooters or those who can’t take a lot of recoil.
• Maximum distance the bullet can go and still carry 1000 ft-lbs of energy. Basically how far you could technically hit a deer and reliably take it down.
• Maximum distance the bullet can go and still carry 1500 ft-lbs of energy. Basically how far you could technically hit an elk or moose and reliably take it down.

Keep in mind that there is no free lunch. With increased range and/or energy, you increase recoil. And when you look at the MBPR’s of these cartridges, you’ll quickly realize that the difference in “flatness” is incredibly small. With knowledge of how far you want to take game at, you can use this table to decide which rifle gives you the distance you need while minimizing recoil. One smaller variable I’m not measuring here is barrel erosion. Suffice to say, faster cartridges will burn out a barrel faster than some of the slower ones. If you do a standard amount of hunting, you’ll still get lots of life out of even the fastest standard hunting cartridges.

243 Winchester

The 243 is based on the 308 Winchester, but is necked down to .243 caliber. That makes for a much lighter and somewhat faster bullet. Most importantly, it cuts the recoil down considerably. A 243 with 100 grain bullets is the most popular choice for youth hunters and lady hunters who are just getting into the sport. Make no mistake, even with its diminutive recoil, the 243 is devastating to deer in the most common ranges: 50-250 yards. That makes it a practical choice for the majority of deer hunts, and shot for shot, will do the exact same thing that any of these other cartridges will. However, on any bigger animals, the 243 is just not putting out enough oomph to recommend. So no Elk or Moose on the menu. The 243 can be sighted in for an MBPR of 290 yards, which is pretty much the farthest you’ll want to shoot a deer at anyways with this cartridge. Because the 243 is based on the 308, it fits into short actions and therefore can be found in rifles that are slightly lighter than regular length actions.

25-06 Remington

The 25-06 is a bit of a specialist and I wasn’t quite sure if I should have included it in this comparison. You see, the 25-06 is built for killing deer with a flat shooting, non-magnum charge. Based on the 30-06 (that’s what the -06 part is supposed to imply), the 25-06 is the second fastest cartridge listed here, and it does it with a small, 100 grain bullet. That small bullet translates into low recoil, yet a far MBPR of 310 yards, also coming in second. The only thing that worries me about the 25-06 is that hitting a deer at close range would mean speeds well over 3000 fps. A conventional bullet will definitely make more of a mess than necessary at that speed and if it were to impact a hard bone such as the thigh or hip, it may splatter instead of penetrate. The 480 yard limit for deer sized game seems small compared to the other cartridges in this article, but keep in mind that 480 yards is an extremely long distance. Most hunters have never shot a deer past 400 yards.

270 Winchester

Take that case from the 25-06, and imagine it with a slightly wider bullet. From 25 caliber, to .277. From 100 grain bullets, to 130 grains. That extra bullet weight greatly increases recoil from the low range to the mid-range, reduces speeds, and greatly increases maximum ranges game can be taken at. Now, we could potentially take down deer sized game up to 600 yards away, but we’ve done it at a pretty great increase to recoil. Personally, I think the 270 as well as the 7mm-08 offer the perfect blend of power, speed, and low recoil.

270WSM (Winchester Short Magnum)

The 270 WSM does everything a 270 can do, faster. That same 130 grain bullet is now cooking along at 3300 fps from the muzzle. That cranks our max deer range out to over 700 yards and makes this the flattest shooting cartridge in this comparison. The cost comes in a very slight increase in recoil, much more expensive ammunition (double the cost, usually), and a reduction in magazine capacity in most rifles.

7mm-08 Remington

Take all the stats from the 270 in killing distance, cut a bit off the recoil and MBPR, and put it in a short action rifle, and you have the 7mm-08. With the popular 140 grain bullet size, the 7mm-08 carries its weight plenty far enough and does it with pleasantly little recoil. Seeing how it’s the big brother to the light kicking 243, you’d expect that. For deer, the 7mm-08 seems perfectly suited. Along with the 243, the best options for lady hunters.

7mm Remington Magnum

Our first magnum, the 7mm Remington Magnum puts a whole lot more gunpowder behind a slightly heavier version of the 7mm-08 bullet. The extra power propels the bullet’s deer killing range out to 780 yards, and the Elk/Moose distance to more than 500. But like I said before, there is no such thing as a free lunch. That extra power and range takes the recoil up to 15.7 ft-lbs, above the standard 15 that most men are comfortable with. That introduces the potential of inducing a “flinch” in the shooter from practicing with their hunting rifle, when you start anticipating the sharp kick that’s coming your way. You can combat the recoil by using a heavier rifle or a better buttpad.

30-30 Winchester

By modern standards, the 30-30 is a complete joke. Originally marketed in 1895, it’s the only rimmed cartridge I’ve included here. I chose to include it because it still sees use in short range, fast handling lever action rifles and those rifles are perfectly at home in heavy brush or walking along trails. Accuracy and range wise, it’s the light-weight of this group. Note that even in this ancient has-been, you can still get a meaningful MBPR of 204 yards. Plenty of game is shot short of 200 yards, and if you play to this cartridge’s strengths, it’s still fantastic. If you really love lever action rifles and you want to increase your range, you can always check out Hornady’s LeverEvolution ammo that uses a soft, rubbery tip to give their bullets MUCH better range. 30-30 is also often the cheapest hunting ammo available.

308 Winchester

Talking about lever actions, you can also find plenty in the much more powerful 308 Winchester. Browning BLRs and Savage 99′s are both plentiful and both use the faster, harder hitting 308. Aside from levers, the 308 is also a potent amount of power to put into a short action bolt rifle. Kick is medium, distance is decent, and ammunition is inexpensive. The 308 is also spooky accurate and is used by many militaries as a sniping round.

30-06 Springfield

The 30-06 is the go-to cartridge when you can only get 1 rifle and there are going to be lots of different sized critters on the menu. Decent for deer, bear, elk, moose, and all within reasonable distances. Importantly, the 30-06 does all that without going too far past the average limit of 15 ft-lbs of recoil. It’s the last one on the list that’ll be reasonable on recoil.

300 Winchester Magnum

This is it, the biggest, baddest round that is offered in standard rifles. Typically loaded up with 180 grain bullets, it’s still hauling enough energy to reliably take out a deer at a mighty 860 yards. It’s also fantastic for the long distances that elk are shot at, offering enough oomph to take them at at just over 600 yards. With an MBPR of 295, it’s still flatter than average, and that’s with a heavy bullet. All these capabilities come at a cost: recoil. Remember the 15 ft-lb average we had? The 300 Win mag puts recoils with 20.5 ft-lbs of energy. It’s not completely ridiculous, but it’s more than most people like and a flinch can really ruin your accuracy. And you lose 1 round in most rifles, compared to standard rounds.

300 WSM (Winchester Short Magnum)

Take exactly all the power and recoil from above, and make it available in a short action. Potentially more accurate, and potentially even fewer rounds for your magazine. The lighter, short action rifle 300 WSM might kick a bit harder than a heavier long action 300 win mag. Don’t forget the premium prices on ammunition. Still, if you wanted to hunt elk and wanted a lighter rifle, the 300 WSM will give you a shorter action and lighter rifle than the 300 win mag will.

A Final Note on Killing Power

If you talk to your buddies about what rifle to pick, they might point out one that they’ve seen “kill deer right where they stand”. They’re doing the best with the knowledge they have but on a statistical basis, what they claim doesn’t have a lot of weight. Having a deer drop dead from a shot has everything to do with shot placement, bullet type, and the deer itself. You can of course guarantee a drop with a spine, head, or front shoulder shot, but that has nothing to do with the caliber: a regular heart/lung shot comes with a 50% “drop dead” potential. Think I’m full of it? Check out this study by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Basically, any regular hunting cartridge will do the job well with a safe heart/lung shot. Do your job taking the shot, and your rifle will do its.

Want to run your own numbers? To generate these charts, I used:

• Federal Premium Ballistics Application
• Big Game Info Ballistics Calculator
• KWK recoil calculator

**** Canadian Bonus Round: 303 British ****

Shortly after posting this article, I was reminded by a reader that I had forgotten the quintessential Canadian hunting cartridge and rifle: 303 british in an SMLE. I actually shot my second deer with a 303 from about 100 yards. There are 2 factory loads that Federal has in their ballistics program: a 150 grain loading, and a 180. Surprisingly, the 150 starts with and maintains energy further out than the 180. It likely has a lot to do with the terrible BC on the 180 grain load, but there’s still not a lot of difference between the two. In the 150 grain loading, the 303 British pokes along at 2690 fps and can take a deer at out to 420 yards. That’s about as far as you should go in the #1 Mk 3 or #4 Mk1 that are so common in Canada. The generous headspacing, short sight radius on the iron sights, and rear locking lug setup on the SMLE is not optimum for accuracy. In any case, the 303 “smelly” still has plenty of range to take a deer at sane ranges and sporterized versions of the rifles are $100-$200 in Canada. If you’re going to buy a new rifle though, for the same 12 ft-lbs of recoil you could get a 270 and greatly increase both your MPBR and killing distance.

303 british stats

Resizing 308 cases to 7mm-08

Hunting Bullets for the 7mm 08

Suitable Powders for 7mm-08

Is it worth it to Reload 7mm-08?

Reloading for the 338 Lapua is much like reloading for any other cartridge, but certain exceptions are out there. As with any reloading information you find on the internet, you assume your own risk. Use your head and a few reloading manuals.

The Best Hunting Bullets for the 338 Lapua Mag

Most of the bullets in .338 are better suited for the speeds of the 338 Winchester Magnum, 338-06, or 338 Federal and may fragment if pushed by the 338 Lapua Magnum and impact game at close range. Just for comparison’s sake, the 338 Federal will send a 215 grn bullet out at 2500 fps, the 338-06 will do 2600, and the 338 Win Mag will do 2800fps while the Lapua will send it down field at 3200fps. That’s a pretty big difference, and given the relative popularity, you’re going to find more bullets designed for those other rounds than you will for 338 Lapua speeds. Impacting at above 3000 fps can be a bit tricky for a standard bullet, so you’ll need to use a bonded, copper, or other premium constructed bullet for it to stay together if you go with one of the lighter bullets. You also need to be careful you’re not using a match bullet for hunting. Some will expand, but performance on game is not as controlled as it will be with a purpose built hunting bullet. Here are some of the bullet options out there for the 338 Lapua. I’ve only lised bullets above 220 grains as the lighter ones make better short range bullets and this cartridge is really built for much longer distances. I’ve also skipped some of the ones with really poor B.C. for the same reason. Note: if your barrel twist is slower than 1:10, consider one of the 250 grain bullets instead of the longer 300′s because you might run into stability problems.

Barnes makes a number of copper bullets that would do the trick for hunting with the 338 Lapua including:
225 grain bullets in MRX, TSX, or TTSX, 250 grain TSX and TTSX, 285 grain TSX and 285 grain TAC-X BT. I found the “M/LE” designation on the TAC-X bullets a bit odd, as I really don’t see why law enforcement would ever use a 338 Lapua over a 308 for the distances they need, but whatever. In any case, they’re one of the few heavier bullets in 338 still suitable for hunting.
Nosler’s 250 grain AccuBond is the only bullet that I’d run with for hunting, but they also have a 250 grain partition if that’s your speed. They have a new 300 grain AB that I’d love to try, but it’s a bit hard to get where I shop right now.
Sierra’s 250 grain GameKing would be a great traditional option. They also have a 215 grain bullet, but I wouldn’t think it’d be ideal given the speeds the 338 Lapua can produce. A lot of long range hunters like to use their 300 grain SMK for hunting, but Sierra does not recommend this bullet for hunting. Some people have complained about poor expansion when they impact game at extreme ranges and low velocity, but for the number of people who are using the 300 SMK for hunting, it’s a small minority. The Lapua in a 300 grain bullet produces a ton of power so any bullet that hits bone, fragments, or expands is going to do lots of damage.
Hornady has a traditional 250 grain BTHP . They also have a 285 grain BTHP but it’s designed for match, not hunting. Their 225 grain interbond might survive impact well given the bonded jacket. Their 225 grain SST might not, but your mileage may vary.
Speer’s Grand Slam comes in a 250 grain package that’d do the job.
Berger has a 250 and a 300 grain “Match Hybrid OTM Tactical” (how’s that for a mouthful?) that look to be some of the best really long range bullets for the 338 Lapua. Like the 300 SMK from Sierra, it’s not strictly designed for hunting, but it will likely expand and do damage in most situations. Lots of hunters on LongRangeHunting.com have had great success with both the 250 and the 300 grain bullets.

Below is a table showing 338 Lapua bullets and comparing stated G1 Ballistic Coefficients, weights, and styles.

338 Lapua Case Trim Length

One other issue you may run across is disparity in what the max length of cases should be. From reading on a few forums as well as experience with my Savage 111 Long Range Hunter in 338 Lapua, it seems that the Savage chambers are cut a bit tight. There are 2 official case trim lengths given out there as well as an unofficial best practice length. LEE recommends a max case length of 2.726″ while Lyman and Nosler say 2.724″. You may want to trim much sooner as some users of the Savage 338 Lapua’s have experienced jamming at beyond 2.720″. I personally experienced high pressure signs in my Savage whenever the trim length got above 2.72″. On the plus side, the tighter chambers on the Savage will mean longer brass life and potentially better accuracy. Personally, I trim to 2.714“.

The Best Powders to use with 338 Lapua

The most commonly used powders with 338 Lapua are slow burners like Retumbo, H1000, and US869. At 250-300 grain bullets, Retumbo seems to be the best one to start with. There are other powders that would be great in the 338 Lapua, like Ramshot Magnum as well as some Vihtavuori powders, but they’re a bit tough to find in my parts.

Press Considerations

Nothing special needed here. The 338 Lapua Magnum can be reloaded in pretty much any standard press. Below, I have images of the 338 Lapua in a LEE Challenger and LEE Turret Press Classic Cast for comparison. As you can see from the images, they’re both just fine.

Reloading Dies for the 338 Lapua Magnum

Reloading dies for the 338 Lapua are out there, but it can be a bit hard to find them in stock anywhere. A scour of all the largest hunting equipment suppliers here in Edmonton turned up dry for me, so I had to mail order my dies. Here’s what I could find out there:

Full Length Dies/die kits with a full length resizer and bullet seater are available from LEE, RCBS, Redding and Lyman.

Neck sizing dies are available from a variety of manufacturers, but regularly priced bushing and collet neck dies are not really available. LEE can make a collet neck die for you, but it’ll be custom based on a 50BMG body and cost will be higher. Redding has a great bushing die, but the price is also pretty high. If you trim cases using the LEE system, you’ll need to order their pilot from the factory as well, but that’s relatively inexpensive.

Brass Cases for the 338 Lapua

There’s really 1 name in town for the best 338 brass: Lapua. Hornady and Nosler stuff is out there, and you could always use fired Federal or S&B, but you’ll be selling yourself short. The Lapua brass is stronger, more uniform, and will ultimately last longer. If the $300 for 100 cases is too steep for you, try to find a source of once fired military Lapua brass. Do not bother with the other makes of brass.

The Lee precision case trimmer is the most inexpensive case trimming solution commonly available today. It consists of a standard cutter and lock stud along with a case specific pilot and shell holder. The cutter and lock stud come with the Lee Anniversary set, while the pilot and shell holders come cartridge specific for a few bucks each. They’re set for a standard cutting length, and trim cases pretty inexpensively for new reloaders. In addition to these tools, you may want a chamfer tool, primer pocket cleaner, and a power drill. Some steel wool can be used to really clean up cases that have got moisture on them and discolored, but is only to make them look good. I use a leather glove on my left hand to keep my fingers from getting raw closing and opening the lock stud. In this brief howto, I’m assuming you’ve already full length or neck sized your brass. First, chuck up your lock stud and cartridge holder in your drill.

Lock stud and cartridge holder in drill

For each piece of brass, I run through the following steps to prep them using the Lee system

1. Clean the primer pocket of any loose ash. This step will make it easier to seat your primer. I’ve got my one hand off the primer pocket cleaner so I could take this picture but normally I’d have my right hand on the primer pocket cleaner scraping any ash out of the primer pocket.

2. Put your brass in the lock stud, lock it down tight, and use the steel wool to polish the brass (optional, but it makes them look good).

polished vs non polished brass

3. Pop your pilot/cutter assembly into the brass and trim the brass. Make sure that your drill is going forwards. Cut at a medium speed, and you should distinctly feel when it stops cutting. Put the whole deal into or above a trash can to catch the brass shavings coming off. I wouldn’t recommend doing this on a carpet, as you’ll get pokey brass shavings all over the place.

4. Chamfer the inside of the case mouth. This will let you seat your bullet without scraping the crap out of the outside of it. You only need a couple of turns, so don’t overdo it!

Chamfering inside

5. Optional: Chamfer outside of case. If you’ve trimmed your case a lot, you might find some brass rolled over on the outside on you. Outside chamfering can be used to lightly trim away the excess brass.

Chamfering outside

Once complete, you should have a nice, clean case mouth. It should not be too thin; you don’t want a razor thin case mouth as that would make it easy to crack and will reduce lifespan of the case.

That’s it! I can do a full case in about 45 seconds, including polish and primer pocket cleaning, but remember that it’s not only about speed. When reloading, you want to make sure you do all the steps consistently and don’t miss any. Speed is nice because you can finish faster, but missing a step when reloading can mean blowing up your gun and injuring yourself or others. Stay safe and read your instructions!