338 Norma vs 338 Lapua: Which Better For Your Gun?

Is 338 Norma the same as 338 Lapua?

Lets check 338 Norma vs. 338 Lapua

The difference between the two is that Lapua brass is a little harder to find since it’s made in Finland, and Norma brass is made in Sweden. Lapua cases are a bit tougher than Norma cases, but the Norma brass is just as accurate.

when both cartridges are loaded-

• 338 Lapua Magnum overall length is 91.44 mm (3.681 in) .
• 338 Norma Magnum uses about 63.30 mm (2.492 in)

Both cartridges are ballistically similar, so you can’t go wrong with each other. However, Lapua is more favorable than Norma because Lapua brass is stronger than Norma, so it will last longer. If anyone had to pay $ 2.50 for each brass, he would like it to last longer.

Introducing .338 Lapua

As a result of this, it became more widely available. Diameter for The loaded cartridge is 14.93 mm and 93.5 mm (3.68 in) long.

It can penetrate up to 1,000 meters (1,094 yds.)

Introducing .338 Norma

The .338 Norma Magnum is a centerfire rifle cartridge introduced by Norma AB of Sweden in 2006 intended as an anti-personnel/anti-materiel military cartridge designed to fit in standard bolt actions.

It is designed to fill the gap between cartridges such as 7.62×51mm NATO and 7.62×67mm (.300 Winchester Magnum) and the .50 BMG sniper rifle round.

338 Norma vs. 338 Lapua: head to head comparison

The .338 Norma Magnum was introduced in 2007 and promptly put on the shelf by most rifle manufacturers.

The .338 Lapua was introduced in 1989 and has seen widespread use in both military and civilian life.

In spite of the new kid on the block being a superior cartridge, only a few companies are even making rifles for it.

This may be because the .338 Lapua has a well-established history as a long-range sniper round, but there could be other factors.

The .338 Norma is newer, so shooters and hunters are just waiting to see what kind of track record it develops over time.

The fact that the market is already saturated with rifles built for the .338 Lapua may also discourage companies from taking a risk on building new rifles for around that is less proven.

Overviews

The 308 Norma Magnum is designed to be used as a high-powered hunting cartridge. It became very popular among long-range hunters because of its accuracy and high BC bullets.

The 338 Lapua Magnum has also become popular in the hunting world, but it is better known as a military round that has been used in various conflicts since the 1980s and 1990s.

Design

The 338 Norma Magnum was designed in Sweden by Norma Projektilfabrik as a modern and improved version of the classic 338 Winchester Magnum.

The new cartridge was designed to be used in bolt action rifles and is intended for both hunting and long-range tactical shooting.

The 338 Lapua Magnum is the original .338 caliber magnum cartridge, invented in the 1980s by Research Armament Industries. It has been used for decades by military snipers, police sharpshooters, and long-range target shooters.

Ballistics

The 308 Norma Mag fires bullets weighing between 150 grains and 220 grains, with muzzle velocities ranging from 2,920 feet per second to 3,000 feet per second.

The 338 Lapua Mag fires bullets of 250 grains to 300 grains at muzzle velocities of about 2,900 feet per second to 3,400 feet per second.

The 308 Norma Mag shoots flatter and farther than the 338 Lapua Mag because it is faster, but it also drops more rapidly at longer ranges due to its lighter weight bullet.

Build Type

The .338 Norma Magnum has a thicker body than the .338 Lapua Magnum, and it is also longer. This allows it to contain more gunpowder than the Lapua, giving it higher muzzle velocities.

The .338 Norma Magnum produces muzzle velocities of around 2,700 feet per second with 250-grain bullets, while the .338 Lapua Magnum produces muzzle velocities of around 2,900 feet per second with 250-grain bullets.

Size and Weight of Cases

The dimensions of both cases measure 2.85 inches long by 0.534 inches wide. If you’re reloading for either of these cartridges, then you can expect them to fit into your equipment no matter which one you choose.

The weight of the cases is where things start to change. The 338 Norma Magnum case weighs around 125 grains, whereas the 338 Lapua Magnum case weighs around 145 grains.

The cases for the 338 Norma Magnum are also not as thick as those for the 338 Lapua Magnum, which tend to have thicker walls due to the higher pressures that this cartridge can reach during firing.

This means that it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to convert a rifle chambered in one cartridge into another by simply changing barrels because they will require different bolt faces and magazines.

What is the effective range of a 338 Lapua Magnum?

Most of the information you’re likely to find on this subject is going to be based on what ammunition manufacturers’ claim. As with any manufacturer claims, they are likely to be exaggerated.

It would be more useful to look at what people are actually doing with a 338 LM.

338 Lapua Magnum has a maximum effective range of 1,750 meters or about 1 mile.

This is for an anti-materiel rifle, not as an anti-personnel weapon.

It is good for engaging thin-skinned vehicles, light armored vehicles, and personal body armor (if you can hit them). They will most certainly kill personnel, but it isn’t optimized for that purpose.

The maximum effective range is the point where wind drift and bullet drop mean that the round can no longer reliably hit a man-sized target.

This is only one aspect of the capability of the round because it also depends heavily on what kind of rifle it’s being fired from.

A sniper rifle would have a much better effective range than a hunting rifle because the shooter will be able to see his target and adjust his aim accordingly.

Should I get a 338 Lapua or Norma?

What is .338 Lapua good for? The 338 Lapua Magnum (or 8.6x70mm) was designed in the 1980’s1980’s as an anti-material rifle round. It’s used by a lot of different armies, most notably the US and British armed forces, as well as various police and anti-terrorist units.

The cartridge has become popular in long-range shooting competitions in its civilian guise and is also used for hunting big game.

The Norma cartridge was a Swedish design from the 1950’s1950’s. It was designed to be an effective sniper round out to 800 meters or so.

It was adopted by several countries, including Sweden and Norway, but was mostly replaced by the common NATO 7.62x51mm round in most other places.

The cartridge is still available but doesn’t have much popularity these days except for hunting and target shooting.

In short, if you’re looking for a high-powered long-range shooting round, choose the Lapua Magnum. If you want something unique that’s not very common in North America, choose Norma. Do you know

Is the 338 norma magnum a good rifle?

The 338 Norma Magnum features a beltless cartridge case design. Like all belted magnum cartridges, the belt serves no purpose other than to headspace a belted magnum cartridge on its shoulder as opposed to its belt.

Belts are used on belted magnum cartridges so they can be used in bolt action rifles that have not been designed to headspace on their shoulder but rather only on their belt, as many Mauser-type bolt action rifles do.

A belted cartridge case design uses more space inside of a magazine than a non-belted cartridge would use, which is why most modern rifle cartridges have non-belted cases.

The 338 Norma was developed by Norma for US military sniper applications, and it has similar ballistics to the .300 Winchester Magnum but with less recoil, weight, and cost per round.

The 338 Norma has a very large case capacity (117.0 grains of water to the shoulder), and in single-shot rifles, this is less of a problem. But in a bolt action rifle with a relatively short throat, you have to run at very low pressures to avoid blowing primers and case heads.

And then you are giving up most of the potential of the cartridge. That is why it is not a good rifle, as the performance of the cartridge exceeds the ability of the bolt action to handle it.

What kind of action does the 338 norma have?

The 338 Norma Magnum is a rifle cartridge.

The 338 Norma Magnum is a modern cartridge created by necking down the 404 Jeffery case to take a .338 caliber (8.6mm) bullet.

The cartridge was designed by the US ammunition company Nosler in 2008 and introduced in 2010, and it has been growing in popularity ever since.

This round is based on the 404 Jeffery, which was well known for being one of the best cartridges for African hunting but was also a very long and large cartridge that limited its use in certain rifles.

The Norma company did not produce this round but rather chamber rifles for it.

The 338 Norma Magnum was designed as a long-range anti-material round that could defeat body armor at ranges past 1000 yards but still be legal for civilian ownership.

It is utilized by military organizations across the world for this purpose, including NATO troops in Afghanistan.

It has a proprietary action, the same as the 300 Norma. The 6.5mm was called a “Magnum” because it had a magnum action.

The .338 is just a .338. The 6.5mm version was the first of the Norma Magnums, and the .338 followed after about three years.

It’s certainly capable enough for Moose, Elk, and Bear, but you need to know what you’re doing and practice before going after them with it.

Frequently Asked Questions

#1. What snipers use 338 Lapua?

The .338 Lapua is still a very popular round, and it has been used in several conflicts since the turn of the century. In Afghanistan, US Army snipers have employed the .338 Lapua with great success.

#2. What is the weight of a 338 Lapua Magnum?

The 300 grain (19 g) round has the muzzle velocity of 2,800 ft/s (850 m/s) and 2,560 ft⋅lbf (3,470 J), and subsonic velocity of 1,010 ft/s (310 m/s) and 1,000 ft⋅lbf (1,400 J).

#3. Is a 338 Lapua a 30 caliber?

The 338 Lapua Magnum was originally developed for military use but has since become popular in civilian long-range shooting sports.

It is also known as the 338 Norma Mag or just 338 Norma. The name “Lapua” comes from the name of the town where the cartridge was developed.

#4. Is 338 Lapua anti-material?

 As with most anti-material rifles, they are generally used to kill vehicles, aircraft, and light structures rather than enemy combatants.

The .338 Lapua Magnum has been used by many militaries such as the German Army and British Army.

Conclusion

338 Norma Magnum is a relatively new cartridge, and it has been introduced in an effort to improve the performance of 338 Lapua Magnum.

However, there are many questions regarding the effectiveness of these two cartridges and which one is better.

The two cartridges are quite similar and may even be confusing for the uninitiated. But once you get to know each one, what they are all about, and how they compare to each other, everything will become clear.

The main difference between 338 Norma Magnum and 338 Lapua Magnum is the case capacity and overall length.