.338cal 300Lapua or 300SMK

[B23]

For those that have shot lots of both, which .338 300 bullet shoots better?

I ask because i'm having a 338 Lapua AI built to shoot the 300's.

I do understand that every rifle is different and this is a pretty broad question but on the average which of the two did you find to shoot/group/perform the best. Does one have any FPS advantage over the other?

I'm open to any and all answers.

 

[LouBoyd]

For those that have shot lots of both, which .338 300 bullet shoots better?

I ask because i'm having a 338 Lapua AI built to shoot the 300's.

I do understand that every rifle is different and this is a pretty broad question but on the average which of the two did you find to shoot/group/perform the best. Does one have any FPS advantage over the other?

I'm open to any and all answers.

I have not shot the 338 300 grain Lapua Scenar but I have some on order to try out in a 338 Win Mag Sako TRG-S. I have a 338 Rum 700 and a 338-378 Wby TRG-S (was 300-378) under construction. I have the 338 300 grain Sierras.

I don't yet know the dimensions of the 338 300 grain Scenar. The rifle throat and magzine length both have an effect on seating depth, so which will shoot faster depends on the gun, the load, etc.

The Scenar has a published ballistic coefficient of 0.785 compared to Sierra's 0.768. It may or may not be as stable as the Sierra. From the specs it will have slightly less wind deflection and drop at long range. Either one could be more accurate from a particular rifle on a given day depending on the gun, wind, and air density. The only way I expect to know for my rifles is to work up loads for each bullet in each rifle. In other calibers my favorite bullets are Bergers, Sierras, and Lapuas, not in any particular order.

At the time I post this:
The 300 Lapuas are 80 cents each (100) in stock at MidwayUSA
The 300 Sierras are 66 cents each (50) or 53 cents each (500) but out of stock and no backorder at MidwayUSA

The only way to know for your rifle is "buy em and try em".

 

[canyonman1]

I've shot hundreds of the lapua and thousands sierra 300 gr... The Lapua has a slitley higher b.c. and the meplats are trimmed and pointed which aids in accuracy at distance. My 338 Edge shoots the sierras in the .3's and the Lapuas in the 2's. Past 900 yds. is where I see a big difference. The Lapuas just shoot better consistantly! The only reason I shoot Sierras is for Elk hunting, and I can't get Lapuas all the time. If the Lapua bullet opened like sierras, I'd use them exclusively!!! Also I can seat Lapuas @3.8" while the Sierras are 3.45". Different ogive profile.gun)