Munitions

.338 Lapua Magnum cartridge

Also known as
  • .338 LM
  • 338 Lapua Mag.
  • 338 Lapua Magnum
  • 8.6x70mm
  • 8,6 mm x 70

.338 Lapua Magnum is a Finnish 8.6x70 mm centerfire rifle cartridge developed from .338/416 work into a long-range military, law-enforcement, and precision-rifle round. C.I.P. lists Finland as the country of origin, while Lapua and Nammo sources show current tactical, target, armor-piercing, hunting, and special-purpose load families. The linked rifle relationships stay limited to cataloged weapons whose sources document .338 Lapua chambering.

.338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, 8.6 mm long-range centerfire rifle cartridge, Munitions
Image source: .338 Lapua Magnum pic-1.jpg
Profile / Specs

Specifications

Cartridge family
.338 Lapua Magnum / 8.6x70 mm
Case type
Rimless bottleneck rifle cartridge
Case length
69.20 mm
Maximum overall length
93.50 mm
Projectile diameter
8.61 mm
Maximum pressure
4200 bar under C.I.P. table values
Proof pressure
5250 bar under C.I.P. PE table value
Reference barrel
C.I.P. table lists 6 grooves, 254 mm twist, 8.38 mm bore diameter, and 8.58 mm groove diameter
Primer
Large Rifle Primer (LRP) in Lapua's 4PH8068 cartridge case
Representative tactical load
Lapua B408 Lock Base FMJBT, 16.2 g / 250 gr, 890 m/s from Lapua's listed load data
Current load families
Lock Base, Scenar, Naturalis, AP/API, Solid, Proof/Drill/Blank
Development And Load Structure

Lapua traces .338 Lapua Magnum from the earlier .338/416 long-range project into a Finnish 8.6 mm x 70 cartridge with revised case, chamber, and internal case structure. Current manufacturer material treats the round as a load family for long-range rifle roles rather than a single fixed projectile.

Standard identity

C.I.P. lists the cartridge as 338 Lapua Mag. with 8,6 mm x 70 as an alternate name and Finland as country of origin.

Source: C.I.P. 338 Lapua Mag. TAB. I.

Precision loads

Lapua and Nammo list Scenar Open Tip Match loads at 16.2 g / 250 gr and 19.4 g / 300 gr, with the 300 gr Lapua page listing an 820 m/s muzzle velocity.

Sources: Lapua 338 Lapua Mag. 300 gr Scenar; Nammo 338 Lapua Magnum Scenar.

Military load spread

Nammo's 8.6 mm series includes Lock Base, Scenar, armor-piercing, armor-piercing incendiary, Solid, proof, drill, and blank entries.

Source: Nammo 8.6mm-series.

Conflict scope

Chambered-rifle combat use is treated as a relationship here, not automatic proof that the cartridge has independent conflict-use sourcing.

The conflict fields remain empty until a source directly documents the cartridge in that exact conflict.

Variants

Lapua and Nammo present .338 Lapua Magnum as a load family rather than a single projectile: match, tactical, armor-piercing, hunting, solid, proof, drill, and blank cartridges appear across current product pages.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Lock Base FMJBTTactical full-metal-jacket boat-tail load

Lapua lists a 16.2 g / 250 gr Lock Base FMJBT factory load, and Nammo describes the Lock Base tail structure as a long-distance, high-pressure, high-velocity configuration.

Sources: Lapua 338 Lapua Mag. Lock Base, Nammo 8.6mm-series

ScenarOpen Tip Match target and tactical load

Lapua lists the 19.4 g / 300 gr Scenar as an Open Tip Match cartridge for tactical and target use; Nammo lists 16.2 g and 19.4 g Scenar projectile weights.

Sources: Lapua 338 Lapua Mag. 300 gr Scenar, Nammo 338 Lapua Magnum Scenar

AP485 / AP529Armor-piercing load family

Lapua's current cartridge category lists AP485 and AP529 .338 Lapua Mag. loads, and Nammo describes armor-piercing .338 Lapua ammunition as intended for extra-hard targets.

Sources: Lapua 338 Lapua Mag. cartridge category, Nammo 8.6mm-series

API526Armor-piercing incendiary load

Lapua's current cartridge category lists an API526 .338 Lapua Mag. load, while Nammo describes the armor-piercing incendiary family as intended for vehicle and structure targets.

Sources: Lapua 338 Lapua Mag. cartridge category, Nammo 8.6mm-series

NaturalisLead-free hunting load

Lapua lists the Naturalis N508 as a 15.0 g / 231 gr lead-free copper hunting load with a 920 m/s muzzle velocity.

Sources: Lapua 338 Lapua Mag. Naturalis

Solid, proof, drill, and blank cartridgesSpecial-purpose and training loads

Nammo lists Solid, Proof, Drill, and Blank cartridges within the 8.6 mm x 70 .338 Lapua Magnum family.

Sources: Nammo 8.6mm-series

Rifles That Fire It

The cartridge is linked here only to cataloged rifle records whose sources identify .338 Lapua Magnum chambering.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
PGW Timberwolf, .338 Lapua Magnum bolt-action sniper rifle, Infantry WeaponsPGW TimberwolfBolt-action sniper rifle

PGW lists the Timberwolf rifle system in .338 Lapua, and Canada described the C14 replacement package as an 8.6 mm medium-range sniper weapon.

Sources: PGW Timberwolf Rifle System, Canadian Forces Award Canadian Sniper Rifle Contract

M24 sniper rifle, Bolt-action sniper rifle, Infantry WeaponsM24 sniper rifleBolt-action sniper rifle

Minot Air Force Base identifies the M24A3 as an alternate M24 configuration that can be chambered in .338 Lapua, extending range over the common 7.62 NATO version.

Sources: The M24 Sniper Weapon System

Timeline

.338 Lapua Magnum cartridge Key Events

  1. .338/416 precursor work

    Lapua traces the caliber's roots to .338/416 work intended for a long-range U.S. military target-rifle and sniper-rifle requirement.

    Sources: Lapua 338 Lapua Magnum story pt 1

  2. Lapua bullets and cases completed

    Lapua says it finished the first bullets and cases for the .338/416 cartridge in 1985 before later dimensional changes led to the .338 Lapua Magnum.

    Sources: Lapua 338 Lapua Magnum story pt 1

  3. Quantico competition result

    Lapua says a .338/416 cartridge using Lapua bullet and case components won a 1,000-yard Navy rifle competition at Quantico before the U.S. selection path moved elsewhere.

    Sources: Lapua 338 Lapua Magnum story pt 1

  4. First .338 Lapua Magnum test lot

    Lapua says the first test lot of .338 Lapua Magnum ammunition was produced in 1988.

    Sources: Lapua 338 Lapua Magnum story pt 2

  5. C.I.P. table date

    C.I.P.'s 338 Lapua Mag. table lists Finland as the country of origin and 8,6 mm x 70 as an alternate name for the cartridge.

    Sources: C.I.P. 338 Lapua Mag. TAB. I

  6. Scenar bullet introduced

    Lapua's development history says the HPBT Scenar bullet was introduced in 1996, expanding the cartridge family beyond the original Lock Base work.

    Sources: Lapua 338 Lapua Magnum story pt 2

Media

.338 Lapua Magnum cartridge Videos

.338 Lapua Magnum cartridge Images

.338 Lapua Magnum cartridge, 8.6 mm long-range centerfire rifle cartridge, Munitions - view 1
Source: .338 Lapua Magnum pic-1.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
.308 Winchester cartridge, Centerfire rifle cartridge in .308 Win, MunitionsMunitions.308 Winchester cartridgeCenterfire rifle cartridge in .308 Win.308 Winchester is a centerfire, rimless bottleneck rifle cartridge introduced by Winchester in 1952 and still loaded by major ammunition makers for hunting, match, and sporting use. C.I.P. lists 308 Winchester and 7,62 x 51 as alternate names, while SAAMI cautions that chamber fit alone does not guarantee safe interchangeability. This relationship-only page records the cartridge family and its rifle links without inheriting any conflict-use claims from a parent weapon page.

Sources

C.I.P. 338 Lapua Mag. TAB. IPublisher: C.I.P. | Note: Supports the cartridge name, 8,6 mm x 70 alternate name, Finland origin, case and overall dimensions, projectile diameter, maximum and proof pressure values, reference-barrel data, and 1989 table date. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Lapua 338 Lapua Mag. Lock BasePublisher: Lapua | Note: Supports current .338 Lapua Mag. tactical load context, centerfire factory-loaded cartridge category, 16.2 g / 250 gr Lock Base FMJBT bullet, 890 m/s muzzle velocity, and MIL/LE positioning. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Lapua 338 Lapua Mag. 300 gr ScenarPublisher: Lapua | Note: Supports Scenar load context, including Open Tip Match projectile type, 19.4 g / 300 gr bullet weight, 820 m/s muzzle velocity, tactical/target purpose, and 1-10 inch twist-rate listing. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Lapua 338 Lapua Mag. cartridge categoryPublisher: Lapua | Note: Supports current Lapua .338 Lapua Mag. factory-cartridge family listings, including Naturalis, AP485, Scenar, Lock Base, API526, and AP529 loads. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Lapua 338 Lapua Mag. NaturalisPublisher: Lapua | Note: Supports Naturalis N508 load context, including the 15.0 g / 231 gr lead-free copper projectile, 920 m/s muzzle velocity, and hunting/tactical purpose labels. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Lapua 338 Lapua Magnum CasePublisher: Lapua | Note: Supports the .338 Lapua Mag. / 8.61 mm case designation, product number 4PH8068, and Large Rifle Primer case specification. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Nammo 8.6mm-seriesPublisher: Nammo | Note: Supports .338 Lapua Magnum 8.6 mm series context, including special forces and military-unit positioning plus armor-piercing, armor-piercing incendiary, Lock Base, Scenar, Solid, Proof, Drill, and Blank load categories. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Nammo 338 Lapua Magnum ScenarPublisher: Nammo | Note: Supports Scenar load details, including 16.2 g / 250 gr and 19.4 g / 300 gr OTM projectile weights, listed muzzle velocities, and 300-meter accuracy statement. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Lapua 338 Lapua Magnum story pt 1Publisher: Lapua | Note: Supports development background from the .338/416 precursor through Lapua's 1985 bullets and cases and the eventual .338 Lapua Magnum dimensional redesign. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Lapua 338 Lapua Magnum story pt 2Publisher: Lapua | Note: Supports first .338 Lapua Magnum test lot in 1988, C.I.P. approval in 1989, B408/Lock Base development, Scenar introduction in 1996, and early rifle-maker context. | Accessed: 2026-07-01The M24 Sniper Weapon SystemPublisher: Minot Air Force Base | Note: Supports the pairing to the M24 sniper-rifle family by identifying the M24A3 variation as chambered in .338 Lapua. | Accessed: 2026-07-01PGW Timberwolf Rifle SystemPublisher: PGW Defence Technologies Inc. | Note: Supports the pairing to the PGW Timberwolf rifle system and its .338 Lapua chambering. | Accessed: 2026-07-01Canadian Forces Award Canadian Sniper Rifle ContractPublisher: Department of National Defence | Note: Supports the pairing context for the Canadian C14 as an 8.6 mm medium-range sniper weapon system. | Accessed: 2026-07-01.338 Lapua Magnum pic-1.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a public-domain photograph of a .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge. | Accessed: 2026-07-01.338 Lapua Magnum dimensions imagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for a cartridge-dimensions diagram derived from the C.I.P. table. | Accessed: 2026-07-01