Thoughts on 338 Norma and 338 Lapua lookn for some help on next build

.338 Lapua is more versatile in the sense you can buy good quality factory ammo that will shoot well way out there.
There are top shelf factory built guns available.....they hold better resale for when most people decide the Lapua is too much of everything and sell it off.
If you need more ballistic advantage there are other calibers that may be more suitable.
 
For me they are pretty much the same thing. So, if it were me I would look at cost/ availability of reloading components, mostly brass.
How easily can the Norma brass be bought or found? The Lapua is very common and the brass is every where for reasonable prices.

I have fallen into this trap. I bought a 338 Edge barrel off the EE, thinking it would be great to have Lapua ballistics but build it on a standard Savage action.
Well the cost and more so the lack of availability of RUM brass has made me seriously wish I had just bought a savage in the Lapua version instead.

I completely understand that desire to have something that is different or unique. I tend to try to avoid doing the same thing as everyone else as well.
Go Lapua Improved, its almost the same, but different. Not to mention faster.
 
nowarningshot said:
Am i missing something? The 308 NM is a 338WM necked to .308, then what is the 338 NM....if not a 338WM??

Just did some google fu. Apparently a shorter version of the 338LM, also based on the 416 Rigby.
Click to expand...

Yeah it's basically designed so that when a 300gr bullet is seated into the case at mag lengths the tail of the bullet isn't down into the powder column. Seems to be the trend in some of the newer cases and some wild cats.
At least that is more or less what I have gathered from the limited research I did on it.
 
338 Norma was commissioned by the US army for their GPMG... The lapua would not fit.

The Norma may catch on in the civy circles as I am sure there will be 1F stuff available once it goes into service.... if not already in limited service.

It is smaller then the lapua.. component brass IS possible. Dies, not so much.... likely you can use modified Lapua dies.

What are you trying to achieve? If you want to beat the Lapua in ballistics, have a look at the 338-416 Rigby Improved. Or the 338 Snipe Tac.

If you want smaller, sure go for it but tooling up for it will be very exotic.

YMMV

Jerry
 
in case capacity the Lapua and AI version are larger.....BUT when shooting heavy bullets loaded at mag length, the usable case capacity difference is negligible.

The 338 Lapua was originally designed to shoot 250 grain bullets

The 338 Norma was designed to shoot 300 grain bullets by Jimmy Sloan - the rights to the design later were acquired by Norma

For a repeater and heavy bullets the design is improved with the Norma

For a single shot or single round feeding the Lapua has an obvious speed advantage

The 300 Norma actually has as much potential if not more for long range accuracy ( 338 Norma necked down )...Norma has licensed both chamberings

We have been able to supply brass for any of our customer's builds

Dies are available from Forster and Redding and can be ordered from Brownells/Sinclairs - Dies are not interchangeable with the Lapua. The Shell Holders are slightly different even though the rim diameters are the same there is a difference in rim angle/ thickness.

check out this thread from a few years ago-there are few fairly well known guys posting comments in this thread:

http://forum.snipershide.info/showthread.php?t=92633&highlight=norma
 
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