Recent content by AKI

I have never crimped the bullets in my 338 Lapua. Not even hunting rounds that I generally crimp in other calibers. TBBC 225gr, A-Frame 275gr and 231gr Naturalis, no problem with bullets moving under recoil. The Lapua brass is pretty stiff. Perhaps this is enough to prevent any sliding. It´s all...

N560 is the best for speed, at least in my Rem700. But N160, N165 and N170 work very well too, N160 for the lighter, N170 for the heavy bullets. I have no experience with other powders than Vihtavuori, maybe due to the 60 miles to the Lapua powder plant...

I have used Collet dies on a couple of odd cartridges and wildcats, shortened (e.g. 7BR for 7x33 Sako, 260 Rem for 6,5BR), as is, or with a washer/washers to get the proper distance. It´s the distance between shell holder and neck shoulder junction that has to be _slightly_ longer on the die...

I´m on the 15th reload of some of mine, some have been _very_ hot. They seem almost undistructible. Of course they are not, but I use Lapua brass, nothing else, for serious shooting in any caliber available, wildcat or factory. Some of my HV 6BR cases are on their 30th reload, 3rd FL sizing and...

MachV, what powders and loads have you used with the MachV? I have played with the thought to shorten the BMG case to about 145-160gr powder for a 338. The hardest question is the one about shoulder angle. A steeper shoulder would reduce brass flow. But with this cartridge the best possible...

KM, look at the 338 Talbot, it´s a modernized 338/50BMG. It was a true barrelburner. According to Cartridges o t World there was severe erosion after only 150 shots. A 30 caliber would be even whorse. I think that the 375 is the smalles bore that work with the big case with the powders available...

Brent. Four out of the seven individual gold medals at the European Benchrest Championships last August were won with "his" rifles. Even more gold was won with his reloading gear. That should make him reputable, I guess, so despite me being a born sceptic, I do listen to his advice and ideas. AKI

Did a google search on some so called "excessively owerbore, totally useless cartridges that burn barrels faster than powder", perhaps 30-378 or 6.5-300Wby. Found this site, were those horrible calibers were very useful, accurate, and, most of all, in use. Have followed LRH since then (1999?)...

Brent, thanks for forwarding John Ricks mail. My smith is cutting a 300 Lapua Improved (33°) for me right now, but we run into chatter problems, not severe, but present. He explained to me that a reamer cut to different diameter every time (depends on how precise you are able to measure)...

Finland, with more freedom than most, though not as loudly marketed. Eastern viking. AKI

Thank You Dave. Yes, the plain Lapua is a very good chambering. I have a 31" Border barrel 1:10" twist that I have played with for two seasons along with getting the stock ready and heavy enough. The recoil and torque is surprising at these levels of power, so I can´t say that the package is...

Darryl, what twist do you use in your 338/416 Rigby Imp? Steve, I just reread your e-mail answers from two years back, when I started the Lapua project. Of some reason we never mentioned any twist in your Yogi that was 32" those days. In the obscure depths of my memory I found something on...

The 338 Lapua case was based on the 416 Rigby necked down and shortened, neck mostly. The Rigby was found too weak at the intended design pressure 470MPa, so the guys at Lapua redesigned the case from scratch. Later the army found the 470MPa too high, so for the CIP a max pressure of 420MPa was...