After the 2019 King of 2 Miles competition last weekend, some readers asked whether it’s possible to shoot Extreme Long Range with a regular factory rifle — a rig that costs thousandths less than the full custom 40-lb ELR beasts used by top KO2M teams. The answer is a definite yes. Here’s a story from Forum member Mark Dalzell. A few seasons back, Mark showed what can be done with a factory Savage 110 BA at extreme long range — 1760 yards (one mile). Mark did a great job with the video, which features multiple camera views so you can see the shooter and the target at the same time. Enjoy!
This video by Mark Dalzell demonstrates the long-range capabilities of the Savage 110 BA chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum. Mark took his “BadAss” rig out to the southwest Nevada desert just north of Jean Dry Lakes. He placed a 2’x3′ target way, way out there — a full mile (1760 yards) away. At that range, flight time to target was 3.75 seconds! Sighting with a Nightforce 5-22x50mm NXS scope, Mark needed a few shots to get on target, but eventually made multiple hits, using 67 MOA of elevation and 2.25 MOA left windage. You can view the hits starting at 1:56 time-mark on the video. (Mark had a second camera set up closer to the target — this displays frame in frame in the video, and if you watch carefully you can see the strikes.) The ammo was HSM 250gr HPBT match with a 3.600″ COAL. The shooting was done at 8:13 in the morning, with clear conditions, very light winds. Temp was 57°, humidity 24.5, Density Altitude 3666. Video soundtrack is La Grange by ZZ Top.
PLAY BUTTON
LISTEN TO MARK TALK about One Mile Shooting:
CLICK Play Button to hear Mark Dalzell TALK about his .338 LM Savage 110 BA and how he scored hits at 1760 yards.
Good Shooting Mark. That’s darn good for a factory rifle. You also had the elevation dialed in real close before the firing started! That shows a good knowledge of your ammo’s long-range ballistics. We also noticed how effective that muzzle brake was. Recoil looked about the same as an un-braked .308 Win.
If you thought Mark’s 1760-yard shooting was impressive, Mark has produced another video that shows a session at even greater distances — out to 2300 yards. Watch Mark Dalzell Shoot at 2300 Yards.
According to Shooting Industry magazine, a large segment of gun buyers are now gravitating toward long-range shooting. Short carbines with red dots are OUT. Precision rifles with high-power optics are IN. Interest in long-range shooting has driven sales of modular bolt guns and upgraded ARs in .224 Valkyrie or 6.5 Grendel. Shooting Industry states: “Dealers around the country report interest in long-range shooting has ignited over the past 12+ months”. In fact, “long-range shooting has become a passion for a larger number of shooters, leading to increased potential for sales of guns, ammo, and accessories[.]”
Doug Gifford of CORE Rifle Systems and GTO Guns in Florida observes: “For the past 12 months or so, I’ve seen a huge move toward interest in long-range accuracy.” Modern bolt-action rifles in popular chamberings such as 6.5 Creedmoor “are probably the fastest-moving modular sporting guns at the moment”.
Ruger Precision Rifle Leads the Way
Vikram Mookerajee of Pinnacle Firearms in Indiana says the introduction of the Ruger Precision Rifle (RPR) several years ago really “opened up the market” to a broader spectrum of customers. The RPR created a whole new market segment for modular chassis rifles. With “street price” under $1250 (and under $1000 during sales), the RPR delivered a modern-looking, modular rifle system at an affordable price. This was not your grand-pappy’s deer rifle — the modular look appealed to a younger market segment. RPR accuracy out of the box was pretty good too.
Following the success of the basic RPR, offered in 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .308 Win, Ruger has introduced a big Magnum version in .300 Win Mag and .338 Lapua Magnum. This is a large rifle, weighing 15.2 lbs. without optics. And, with a $2099 MSRP ($1700 street price) it is considerably more expensive than the original RPR.
Long-Range Interest Drives Sales of Expensive Optics
The increasing interest in long-range shooting has driven sales of higher-magnification optics, particularly First Focal Plane (FFP) scopes with Mil-type reticles. Core’s Gifford notes: “The long-range trend is moving into real science. Shooters are looking at parallax and focal plane; they’re getting into the science of optics.” The latest generation of scopes aren’t cheap. For example, the 7-35x56mm FFP Nightforce ATACR, one of the most popular optics with PRS shooters, retails for $3600.00! You can buy a pretty nice used motorcycle or bass-boat for that kind of money.
The Ruger Precision Rifle goes big — major Magnum-size big. Back in October we revealed that Ruger was releasing new .338 Lapua Magnum and .300 WinMag versions of the Ruger Precision Rifle (RPR). These Magnum RPRs feature longer, stronger actions, and some key upgrades, such as a +30 MOA rail and beefy muzzle brakes on the end of the 26″ 5R Barrels. These are pretty impressive rigs for the money — $2099 MSRP, with the “street price” well under $1700.00.
So how do these Big Rigs shoot? GunsAmerica.com recently answered that question, testing a .338 Lapua Magnum RPR with a variety of factory ammo types. GunsAmerica’s tester Clay Martin, a skilled former military sniper (retired from 3rd Special Forces group), shot the rifle from prone off bipod. With Hornady 285gr Match Ammo, Martin drilled two 3-round groups that both measured right around a half-inch. With some other ammo, results were ugly, but the 285-grainers showed that the gun could shoot. (Five-shot 100-yard groups with Federal 300gr ammo were around 1.3 MOA — see photo below).
Overall Martin came away impressed: “My respect for the RPR in .338 Lapua Magnum is high. If it will shoot ½ MOA at 100, there is no reason to think it won’t at any range a match bullet will fly [provided you call the wind right]. Despite the uber-manly caliber, the gun was fun to shoot. The muzzle brake and weight do a great job of taming recoil[.] For a .338 Lapua-caliber rifle, I can’t think of a single better option below $5,000. If you have been waiting to step into the big boy rounds, this is a golden opportunity.”
Watch Field Test of .338 Lapua Magnum Ruger Precision Rifle:
RPR Magnums Boast 5R Barrels with Big Brakes
The new RPR magnums feature hammer-forged, chrome-moly heavy-contour 5R barrels fitted with tunable muzzle brakes. Those fat, large-port brakes will certainly reduce recoil and muzzle jump but we wouldn’t like to be shooting beside the .338 LM RPR — expect lots of side-blast. The new RPR magnums feature 18″ free-float anodized handguards with M-LOK accessory attachment slots on all four sides. Integral QD sling attachment points eliminate the need for additional adaptors and a flat-bottom 1.50″ dovetail is compatible with RRS S.O.A.R. and similar QD systems.
The .338 Lapua Magnum RPR features a 1:9.375″ twist rate while the .300 Winchester Magnum model features a 1:9″ twist rate, both of which stabilize long-for-caliber projectiles. These rifles ship with two, 5-round AI-style magazines. As with all RPRs, the bolt is a 3-lug design with 70-degree bolt lift.
Angled +30 MOA Rail and Adjustable Stock Standard
ELR shooters will be pleased that the new, magnum-caliber RPRs ship with a +30 MOA Picatinny rail. That will help give shooters enough elevation to shoot out to 1500 yards and beyond. As with other Ruger Precision Rifle models, the magnums feature a folding stock with adjustable comb height and length of pull. The Ruger Marksman trigger is user-adjustable between 2.25 and 5 pounds.
Ruger has gone big — very big — with its popular Ruger Precision Rifle platform. The RPR is now offered in .338 Lapua Magnum (LM) and .300 Winchester Magnum (WinMag). That’s good news for ELR fans and shooters looking for serious energy transfer at long range. Ruger states: “These new magnum caliber models pair exceptional long-range accuracy potential with tremendous down-range energy, broadening the appeal of an already very popular rifle. These new chambering options broaden the Ruger Precision Rifle’s utility across a wide range of readily-available ammunition.”
New .338 Lapua Magnum RPR Tested by Gun Talk Media
“When the 6.5 and .308 RPRs came out everyone loved them, but they automatically asked ‘Hey, can we have a magnum?’. So we [at Ruger] started working on it right away. We blew the gun up physically larger… to have this in .300 Win Mag and .338 Lapua. The Lapua is fun, I’ll tell you.” Mark Gurney, Ruger Director of Product Management.
RPR Magnums Boast 5R Barrels with Big Brakes
The new RPR magnums feature hammer-forged, chrome-moly heavy-contour 5R barrels fitted with tunable muzzle brakes. Those fat, large-port brakes will certainly reduce recoil and muzzle jump but we wouldn’t like to be shooting beside the .338 LM RPR — expect lots of side-blast. The new RPR magnums feature 18″ free-float anodized handguards with M-LOK accessory attachment slots on all four sides. Integral QD sling attachment points eliminate the need for additional adaptors and a flat-bottom 1.50″ dovetail is compatible with RRS S.O.A.R. and similar QD systems.
The .338 Lapua Magnum RPR features a 1:9.375″ twist rate while the .300 Winchester Magnum model features a 1:9″ twist rate, both of which stabilize long-for-caliber projectiles. These rifles ship with two, 5-round AI-style magazines. As with all RPRs, the bolt is a 3-lug design with 70-degree bolt lift.
Angled +30 MOA Rail and Adjustable Stock Standard
ELR shooters will be pleased that the new, magnum-caliber RPRs ship with a +30 MOA Picatinny rail. That will help give shooters enough elevation to shoot out to 1500 yards and beyond. As with other Ruger Precision Rifle models, the magnums feature a folding stock with adjustable comb height and length of pull. The Ruger Marksman trigger is user-adjustable between 2.25 and 5 pounds.
To view full specifications for the Ruger Precision Rifle in Magnum chamberings, visit Ruger.com. To find accessories for the Ruger Precision Rifle and other Ruger firearms, visit ShopRuger.com
Western Powders has introduced a new spherical powder designed for large magnum cartridges such as the .338 Lapua Magnum. This new powder, Ramshot LRT, has an extremely slow burn rate. Being a spherical (ball) powder it meters well. It also offers very good velocities. The manufacturer states:
“As one of the slowest spherical powders ever developed, Ramshot LRT (Long Range Tactical) was created for high performance at extreme ranges. Designed specifically for the .338 Lapua Magnum using heavy, high ballistic coefficient bullets, LRT offers high load densities and low standard deviations for superior accuracy. Hunters who prefer the advantages of overbore magnums like the .257 Weatherby or 30 Nosler will find that LTR meters more easily and produces flatter trajectories than rival propellants.”
Though Ramshot LRT has just started to ship to retailers, Western Powders has compiled some initial load data for a variety of cartridges. Shown below is official load data for four large cartridge types (this is a partial list). Additional load data for Ramshot powders is found on the Ramshot Load Data Page. As with all load data, start conservatively, and stick to the exact components listed:
If you’re looking for Peterson cartridge brass, there’s now one place to find it — Grafs.com. Graf & Sons has been appointed sole distributor for Peterson Cartridge Company. Peterson produces high-quality USA-made brass that holds up well through extended loading cycles (See TEST). Grafs.com currently has Peterson brass in stock for the following cartridge types:
Coming Soon: In addition, Grafs.com is waiting for delivery of Peterson brass in 6mm Creedmoor (sm/lrg), .243 Winchester (sm/lrg), and .300 Winchester Magnum (lrg).
Big Brass for ELR: If you are thinking about an ELR build, consider going with the .375 CheyTac with Peterson brass. Derek Rodgers used that combination (with Cutting Edge bullets) to win the 2017 King of 2 Miles Event. Derek told us: The “Peterson brass worked well right out of the box”.
About Peterson Cartridge Company
Pennsylvania-based Peterson Cartridge Company is an American owned and operated company founded in 2014. It specializes in the creation of match-grade brass for precision and long-range shooters. Peterson Cartridge was founded by Derek Peterson and his two business partners. Unlike most of its competitors, Peterson Cartridge has devoted its entire facility, machinery, and laboratory to producing only brass rifle casings. Specialization is the driving principle behind Peterson Cartridge.
Graf & Sons is dedicated to bringing the highest quality products at a great price for the best reloading experience. Graf’s tells us: “This USA-made, Match-Grade brass from Peterson is very high quality and comparable with several industry-leading brands.”
Derek Rodgers is the 2017 King of 2 Miles. He is also the only human to ever hit the maximum distance target target at 3368 yards (1.91 miles). His cartridge choice? The .375 CheyTac. Derek ran Cutting Edge Bullets in Peterson brass with Hodgdon H50BMG powder.
Q: Why did you choose the .375 CheyTac cartridge?
Derek: When I was asked to join the Applied Ballistics Team, I needed to get an ELR rifle built in a short period of time. I was under a very tight time schedule to get the project complete. In an effort to eliminate variables, I decided to keep things standard and as simple as possible. I chose the .375 CheyTac for the ease of getting components. The larger rifles are more difficult to get components quickly and I felt like the .375 CheyTac had enough attributes to be competitive at ELR distances.
There’s a talented new team getting ready for the 2017 King of 2 Miles (KO2M) Competition in Raton, NM next month. The team features ace F-Class shooters Ian Klemm and Dan Pohlabel. Here’s a build report from X-Treme Shooting Products, which supplied the impressive XTSP action and two-stage trigger.
Big Gun for King of 2 Miles Event at Raton
XTSP: “It’s exciting — we’re getting closer to the 2017 King of 2 Miles match next month. Here are a few pictures of one of the rifles we will be shooting. Owned and built by Dan Pohlabel, it’s a .338 Lapua Magnum Improved. It has a 40° shoulder and we plan on shooting .338 Caliber 300 grain Berger OTM projectiles at around 3,100 fps.”
“We started off with an XTSP .338 Magnum receiver, custom-built as a single shot with a solid bottom for stiffness. We built +60 MOA rails for each of the rifles. Of course we’re using the XTSP two-stage trigger! We added a 34″-long Bartlein gain-twist barrel which is 1.450″ at the shank tapering to 1.2″ at the muzzle. At the end we added Piercision Rifles’ 3/4 x 24 slabbed 5-Port ‘Muscle Brake’. The action is bedded in a McMillan Super Magnum stock. On top sits a Vortex Optics HD Razor in Vortex 35mm rings. We’ll have another rifle just like it shortly with the machine work by Dan Pohlabel again. That second rifle will be finished up and shot by Ian Klemm of Vortex Optics.”
Here’s a file photo of a .338 Lapua Magnum Improved, alongside a standard .338 Lapua Magnum. We’re not sure about the shoulder angle on this particular example. For the XTSP project, the angle is 40 degrees (40°). Photo Courtesy LongRangeHunting.com.
We first ran this story a couple years back. We’re republishing it today as a reminder to our readers that safety should be their paramount concern at the range. Avoid distractions and always check your barrel for obstructions before you chamber a round or pull the trigger. A moment of inattention can result in a catastrophic kaboom …
Discharging a .338 Lapua Magnum round with a cleaning rod in the barrel — that’s a recipe for disaster. What happens when a fired .338 caliber bullet and a cleaning rod try to occupy the same place at the same time? Well you get a catastrophic kaboom, with metal pieces flying all over the place, and a shooter very lucky to escape without serious injury. This incident occurred recently in Manatee, Florida, as reported by Sniper’s Hide member Queequeg. We thank SnipersHide.com for granting permission to publish these revealing images in the Daily Bulletin. CLICK HERE for more Kaboom info on the ‘Hide.
This story should serve as a chilling reminder to follow proper safety practices whenever you are at the range. Always check to make sure there is no obstruction in the bore BEFORE loading a live round.
.338 Lapua Magnum + Cleaning Rod + Inattention = Kaboom!
Kaboom at Manatee!
Sniper’s Hide member Queequeg recently published shocking photos of a catastrophic kaboom involving a .338 Lapua Magnum (Savage action). The action was blown off the rifle, shrapnel went through the roof, and the barrel split at the tenon before taking an excursion downrange. The action did crack in the front but the lugs remained engaged so the bolt did not slam to the rear (luckily for the shooter).
Here’s the report: “This happened [January 20, 2014] at the Manatee Gun and Archery Club. Al, Ren and myself were there with a couple other folks. Ren was at bench 12, I was at 13. The fellow at 11 was running a Savage .338 Lapua. He had a very bad day! He damn sure could have killed himself and quite likely Ren as well.”
Queeqeg added: “After the boom, I heard Ren ask ‘Are you alright’ and then turned to look in time to see the fellow reacting in total shock — literally stunned. Ren and I went over to him and could not see any major injuries. Ren was uninjured as well but had a lot of fiberglass splinters on him. The barrel nut is what I presume punched the two holes in the roof. The shooter is a regular there[.] He had been having a problem with sticky cases though he said he was certain the loads were mild. That’s why he was content to knock the sticky ones out with the rod. He simply forgot to remove the rod after knocking out the last stuck case. You can see what happened next.”
To learn more about this incident, go to the original Snipers Hide Forum Thread. There you’ll find more details and over four pages of related discussions.
The Important Lesson Here
What did the .338 LM shooter do wrong here? You will say — “Well that’s obvious, he left a cleaning rod in the barrel and then shot a round.” Yes, that was a potentially fatal error. But that was his second mistake — one that occurred only because he made a more fundamental judgment error first.
The FIRST mistake was not acknowledging the problem with his ammo. Had he heeded the warning signs, he would still have a rifle (and an unsoiled pair of trousers). When he first observed that he was having problems with extracting cases, a warning light should have gone off in his head. Presuming his extractor was not broken (and that the chamber was cut properly) he should have been able to extract his brass if he was running safe loads. The lesson here we all need to learn is that if you observe a serious ammo-related issue, it is time to stop shooting. Don’t try to invent work-arounds just to extend your range session, when there are clear signs that something is wrong, very wrong.
Ed Connors placed three consecutive shots all on target at 2160 yards for a sub-3/8 MOA group. Wow.
Amazing shooting — that’s how we’d describe what Ed Connors accomplished recently with his Speedy-built .338 Lapua Magnum LR rifle. Ed nailed a 3-shot group at 2160 yards that would be great at 1000 yards. Check out the target above. Now consider that the shooter was a full mile PLUS 400 yards away. That is truly remarkable accuracy.
At this distance, 2160 yards, one MOA is 22.61″. This three-consecutive-shot group, measuring about 8 inches, works out to less than 3/8 MOA. Think about that — most guys would be elated to shoot 3/8 MOA at two hundred yards. Ed did that at over two thousand yards!
That takes a great rifle, as well as great ammo. Ed says: “I believe in loading like a benchrest shooter to achieve these ultra long-range shots”.
Gunsmith Thomas “Speedy” Gonzalez writes: “Anytime you build a customer a rifle to work out beyond the 1000-yard mark you must work hand-in-hand with your customer and explain everything you are doing to ensure performance at distances most shooters never even contemplate (except in their dreams).
Ed was involved in all aspects of the projects from the reamer print to what we needed for both single-shot work and mag-fed function in timed competition. This was Ed’s very first work-out with his reborn Surgeon-actioned .338 Lapua Magnum. He did great to say the least!”
Pretty Darn Good at One Mile as Well…
While “tuning up” for his 2160-yard session. Ed also produced some very impressive results at one mile (1760 yards). Once he got “dialed in” he delivered three shots you can cover with the palm of your hand. That’s spectacular consistency at one mile.
Shooters contemplating purchase of a .338 LM rifle often ask: “What length barrel should I get?” Rifleshooter.com recently performed a test that provides interesting answers…
Our friends at RifleShooter.com like to slice and dice — barrels that is. They have done barrel length cut-down tests for popular calibers like the .223 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .308 Winchester. But now they’ve tackled something way bigger — the .338 Lapua Magnum, a true “Big Boomer”. Starting with a beefy 30″-long Pac-Nor Barrel, RifleShooter.com chopped the tube down in one-inch increments all the way down to 17 inches (that’s 14 different lengths). At each new (shorter) barrel length, velocity was measured with a MagnetoSpeed chronograph using two different loads, 250gr SMKs with H4831sc and 300gr SMKs with Retumbo. Four shots were fired at each length with each load, a total of 112 rounds.
Load #1: 250gr Sierra MK, Lapua brass, CCI #250 primer, H4831SC, OAL 3.720″.
Load #2: 300gr Sierra MK, Lapua brass, Win WLRM primer, Retumbo, OAL 3.720″.
The .338 Lapua Magnum is a jumbo-sized cartridge, that’s for sure…
Donor Barrel Sacrificed for Science
Rifleshooter.com’s Editor explains: “Brandon from Precision Addiction offered to send us his .338 barrel for our .338 Lapua Mag test. I took him up on his offer and he sent me his used Pac-Nor chrome-moly barrel with about 600 rounds though it. This thing was a beast! A heavy 1.350″ shank that ran straight for 6″, until tapering to 1″ at 30″ in length.”
Results Summary
.338 Lapua Magnum with 250gr Sierra MatchKings
After shortening the barrel from 30″ to 17″, total velocity reduction for the 250-grainers was 395 FPS, an average loss of 30.4 FPS per 1″ cut. The amount of velocity loss per inch rose as the barrel got shorter, with the biggest speed reduction, a loss of 55 FPS, coming with the cut from 18″ to 17″.
Start Velocity: 2942 FPS | End Velocity: 2547 FPS | Average Loss Per Inch: 30.4 FPS
.338 Lapua Magnum with 300gr Sierra MatchKings
Shooting the 300-grainers, total velocity reduction was 341 fps, an average of 26.2 FPS loss per 1″ cut (30″ down to 17″). However, the speed actually increased with the first cut from 30 inches to 29 inches. The tester noted: “The 300 SMK load showed a slight increase from 30″ to 29″. I’ve recorded this in other tests and it seems to be more common with a heavier load. I suspect it is primarily due to the small sample sizes being used along with the relative proximity of muzzle velocities in adjacent lengths.”
Start Velocity: 2833 FPS | End Velocity: 2492 FPS | Average Loss Per Inch: 26.2 FPS*
*Velocity rose with first cut. Velocities ranged from 2,871 FPS (29″) to 2,492 FPS (17″) for a total velocity loss of 341 FPS.
RifleShooter.com crunched the velocity numbers in some interesting ways. For example they analyzed rate of velocity loss, concluding that: “after the initial rate change, the rate of the change in velocity is fairly consistent.” (View Rate of Change Graph)
How Velocity Loss Alters Long-Range Ballistics
The testers wanted to determine how the velocity reductions “affect our ability to hit targets downrange”. So, Rifleshooter.com plotted changes in elevation and wind drift at all barrel lengths. This revealed something interesting — drift increased significantly below 26″ barrel length: “Above 26″ things look pretty good, below 22″ they change quickly.”
We highly recommend you read the whole story. Rifleshooter.com put in serious time and effort, resulting in solid, thought-provoking results. The data is presented in multiple tables and graphs, revealing inch-by-inch velocities, change “deltas”, and SDs at each length.
