One of the sleeper announcements from the 2013 SHOT Show was the addition of two .338 Lapua loads to the Winchester Ammunition catalog. In fact, these are the only two .338 Lapua Magnum loads in the Winchester catalog.
The first .338 load uses an Accubond CT bullet, which is a polymer-tipped, bonded-core hollowpoint. The bullet is designed for controlled expansion and is likely to be an excellent choice for hunters engaging large game at long range. The polymer tip helps ensure expansion by forcing the bullet to open on impact, and by preventing other debris from clogging the hollow cavity. It also improves the ballistic coefficient to 0.720.
Muzzle velocity is 2527 fps from a 24″ barrel. The 300 grain bullet maintains more than 2000 fps at 500 yards.
The second 338 Lapua load uses a 250 grain Sierra Matchking BTHP. This load was developed by Winchester to deliver pinpoint accuracy to “…exacting shooters with high accuracy expectations…” As one might expect, this load is in the Match line of ammo from Winchester.
The Sierra bullet leaves a 24″ barrel at 2900 fps and is still well above 2100 fps at 500 yards. The B.C. is 0.587.
Don’t miss the other ammunition announcements from Winchester this year. You can search for “Winchester Ammunition” in the box on the right, or simply go to the 2013 SHOT Show page where we included all kinds of news and announcements from the show last month.