.338 lapua? win mag? rem?
 

What's the real difference in all the different types of .338 rounds available?

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they all use the .338 diameter bullet, but use different shell casings as all are different chamberings. shell casing size determines how much powder it can hold, and th .338 Lapua is the largest i believe, but also powder capacity equates to amount of recoil. hope this helps clear things up.

Vaguely. I had that general understanding, what I'm failing to see is the purpose for doing so. Difference for long distance shooting, knock down power at impact, combinations of the two? I'm failing to see the point. I know a lot of manufacturers used to like to create their own rounds to force shooters into using their proprietary ammo, but I'd thought they'd moved beyond those kinds of games a century ago.

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......this will, I doubt, never go away. It's not just the ammunition manufacturers, but also the firearms manufacturers who are more responsible for it than the ammo guys.

I wouldn't call it a game.....it gives you a choice.....that is those of us who aren't going to tool up and make our own cartridge (wildcat). I thought the free market would allow various choices and that was good.....am I missing something?

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Note that different cartridges have different case sizes, even though the bullets may be of a given caliber (diameter). In the case of .338s, the Lapua requires a long, "magnum" action, the Win Mag fits in a "long" or .30-'06-length action, and the .338 Ruger Compact Magnum fits in a short, .308-length action.

The greater the powder capacity, the heavier the bullet that can be efficiently propelled. The Lapua can work well with a 300-grain bullet, the Win Mag with a 250-grain, and the RCM with a 200 or 225-grain bullet.

So, it's not just a matter of marketing or planned obsolesence; the different .338s have different purposes. The Lapua is intended for long-range sniping where rifle size and weight are not particularly important. The Ruger can be fit into a compact, relatively light rifle good for pretty much anything up to the size of bear.

Regards,

Walt

Now that clears some things up, thank you wj. My reference to proprietary calibers was it back in the days when manufacturers made both the weapons and the ammo, like winchester used to. Each manufacturer would often make a weapon only capable of using their ammo, eliminating the ability for other companies to compete. Buy their weapon, be forced to buy their ammo.

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handloading has always kinda trumped that sorta proprietary thing but it still exists to some extent. i dont think anyone but lapua makes cases for the 338 lapua.

but even so just the price of bullets in .338 diameter is a little crazy. any 338 chambering lapua or not isnt cheap even for handloading.

For a given bullet weight and type, Hornady's pricing for .308 and .338 is pretty much the same. I believe that's because it's the raw material pricing that's the price driver. The same bullet weight = the same material cost, and the same bullet type = the same manufacturing cost.

Hornady makes .338 Lapua cases. See Hornady.com - Accurate, Deadly, Dependable - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc.

Regards,

Walt

The advent of SAAMI, the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturer's Institute, provided a means by which chambers and ammunition could be standardized across the industry. In order to be granted a SAAMI-spec, the designer of the cartridge has to put the cartridge into the public domain. In contrast, for example the ".300 Whisper" is available only from JD Jones (SSK Industries), the designer: ammunition, cartridge cases, and chamber reamers; see .300 Whisper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. There is no SAAMI spec.

Regards,

Walt

you are correct, as some gun makers make their own proprietary guns and calibers, Lazzeroni is another that come to mind, and as such they don't conform to SAAMI specs. then there are the wildcat calibers, probably not near as many as there were years ago, but maybe a few. and what about the Ackley Improved cartridges? i can't remember whether they are SAAMI approved or not, but several of my load data books list them.