The 338 Lapua Magnum was developed in the 1980s in the United States with Finland's Lapua the initial manufacturer. It is based on the big, unbelted 416 Rigby case necked down to 338 with a case length of 2.724 inches. The intent was a long-range sniping cartridge that would fill the range gap between the 308 Winchester, then the standard, and the 50 BMG. Accurate and fast, with a 250-grain bullet at 3000 feet per second or a heavier, more aerodynamice 300-grain bullet at 2750 fps, it has been used successfully by numerous militaries in the Southwest Asia conflicts for long-range sniping, from 1500 yards to well beyond 2500 yards. As a hunting cartridge it is the most powerful of the 33-caliber cartridges, finding favor with today's increasing number of long-range specialists. Its only drawbacks are gun weight and recoil.
