Posted on 10/09/2007 4:37:41 AM PDT by Renfield
October 9, 2007: The British Army is replacing most of its 3,000 7.62mm L96A1 sniper rifles with one modified to use the .338 (8.6mm) Lapua Magnum caliber round. The Accuracy International "Super Magnum" rifle is basically a L96A1 "Arctic Warfare" rifle modified to handle the larger, 8.6mm Lapua Magnum round. The new rifle (the L118A1) weighs 15 pounds (without a scope), is fifty inches long and has a 27 inch barrel and a five round magazine.
Snipers in Iraq, and especially Afghanistan, have been calling for a longer range round, but find the 12.7mm (.50 caliber) weapons too heavy. The .338 (8.6mm) Lapua Magnum round has an effective range (about 1,500 meters) about 50 percent greater than the 7.62mm standard NATO round. The 8.6mm round entered use in the early 1990s, and became increasingly popular with police and military snipers. Dutch snipers have used this round in Afghanistan with much success, and have a decade of experience with these larger caliber rifles. British snipers in Afghanistan are also using the new round.
Recognizing the popularity of the 8.6mm round, Barrett, the pioneer in 12.7mm sniper rifles, came out with a 15.5 pound version of its rifle, chambered for the 8.6mm.
In the initial buy of the .338 AW the Royal Marines bought 44, and the regular army 73, the Brits being tired of breaking firing pins on .50 M82 Barretts, whether that was a design or materials problem or was related to the primers used in the British RG .50 x 99mm ammunition.
The .338 *Super Magnum* versions of the AW are known as the L115A1 in British service, and the most recent series of telescopic sights to be fitted have been the Schmidt & Bender 3-12x50 PM II, also used by the Dutch, though the Germans use a 3-12x56 SSG telescopic sight made by Zeiss.
You can get a pretty fair substitute by starting with a surplus Pattern 14 Enfield action. My first .338 LM had a barrel rechambered from a .338 Winchester and cost me less than $100 for the action and another $100 for the barrel.
Stocks were a problem, as I broke three before finally going with a fiberglass synthetic. Recoil is sporty, about twice that of a .30-06 or 8x57mm Mauser, but with a properly designed stock, is reasonable.
I expect to be back in bear country in another year or so, and a .30-06 with the right ammo will suit me fine, until I can poick up or put together another .338. At that point, I'll be less concerned about what ammo's in the rifle.
Which is why the AW design incorporates simple barrel removal and replacement as a design feature. It's not exactly a *quick change* M60 or MG42 machinegun barrel changeout, but it's operator do-able.
When it's a .338 involved, I think the discriptive term is a tad more than just a *ping*.
My hat's off to anyone who can hit anything in the Afghanistan hills. 1500 meters in the field is a far different experience from 1500 meters at the range. And you still gotta get there first.
Better rethink your position. You never know when the Penn State mascot might get loose again.
)....but I think I might get a rifle in that new .338 Federal caliber, if I can find one in left-hand configuration (Tikka/Sako makes one, but the stock dimensions are terrible)
If I were in your southpaw condition [I have been, for extended periods a few times, from injury] I think I'd be thinking about a .338 double rifle....
That’s interesting, but I probably wouldn’t know enough to put one together.
Recoil being twice a .30-06 is pretty stout. I own a Garand and that kicks enough forf me. Neat stuff though!
I love the posed photo where the sniper isn’t using any rest (except his left elbow).
Not unusual in the rocks. It looks like he's got his elbow on his thigh, so he's probably got bone support all the way.
For a middlin-good shot, it'd probably do. But for a really long one, he needs to be resting it on his Bergen.
Right here you go!
At least to what I can see in the rest of the pic...
Worth a look as a GP hunting cartridge, IMO.
You are correct on the barrel life with one exception. I use Mike Rock barrels on my long range guns. I know of more than a dozen .308 rifles with 5R barrels with more than 100,000 rounds and still shooting sub 1/2 MOA.
We’ve been testing the .338 and one person has put over 9000 rounds through his and is still maintaining sub 1/2 MOA.
The key is to not run the gun with projectiles over 3000 fps. I use 300 grain Matchkings running around 2800 fps. Very accurate (past 1800 yards) and the barrel life is prolonged greatly.
If you shoot a lot, get a Mike Rock barrel or have Mike barrel your gun for you. You won’t be sorry.
google Rock Creek Barrels for contact info. Tell him Mike in West Virginia sent you.
Mike
Looks like .338 Lapua Magnum factory ammo runs between $85 - $95 per box of 20. I think I’ll stick with what I got. A 20 round box of .300 Win. Mag starts at about $18.
Governments must be buying it all. They’re the only ones who don’t get concerned about the price as long as you’re the low bidder.
If I still had a 24 year old eye I’d give you one.
The .300 WM is nothing to sneeze at. US Navy rifle match competitors have used it for decades for Wimbledon Cup shoots and other long range work, and the Germans chose to have their AW snipers rifles, designated Scharfschützengewehr 22, SSG22, equipped with a folding stock and Zeiss scope and chambered for the .300 WM cartridge.
Of course, you can do what I had to and begin with .416 Rigby cases....
At least to what I can see in the rest of the pic...
See #31. It can be difficult picking spottydots to match terrain in the rocks, desert camo isn't quite right, and scrub brush abounds below the treelines. And in the AO where the Royal Marines have been working, it's cold, so the Temperate Jacket With Liner is likely to be a real popular choice.
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