Shooting Tips

Extended Ballistics: The .338 Lapua Magnum, 250-Grain BTHP Match Round

by Major John L. Plaster, USA (ret)

Lately I've done a lot of firing with my Savage 110BA, .338 Lapua Magnum rifle, taking on targets up to 1400 yards away.

My preferred load is the 250-grain match round, which is offered by Black Hills and Hornady, both of which have proved accurate in my rifle. To begin the process of fine-tuning ballistic data, I calculated the target knob settings for elevation and windage out to 1500 yards. My Millett LRS scope has 1-10th mil increment knobs, so I first worked up this data in mils.

This 1-10th Mil data is also useful for my Bushnell HDMR riflescope, which has both 1-10th Mil knobs and a Horus H59 reticle, which contains a grid of holds and leads at increments of 1/5th Mil.

Knowing that most other shooters have 1/4 MOA target knobs, I worked up that data too, offering you both Mil and MOA versions. Whichever you use, KEEP IN MIND that this data is a starting point and, like me, you'll fine-tune it by firing at assorted distances.

Although there are slight variances between the Hornady and Black Hills loads (due to a 50-feet-per-second difference in muzzle velocity), their trajectories are so close that you can use this as starting data for fine-tuning either round.

Also, note that my LRS scope has a 35mm tube and a 56mm objective lens, requiring that it be mounted 2 inches above the bore, a half-inch higher than some other scopes.

I analyzed the trajectory differences between mounting it 2 inches above the bore, and 1-1/2 inches, and found the variances less than 1/2 MOA all the way to 1000 yards – or less than 2/10ths of a mil. Again, that's close enough to start, after which you can fine-tune your data.

This original trajectory and windage data were computed using Sierra Infinity 6 software, after which I manually converted it into 1/10th mil and 1/4 MOA target knob settings. Sierra's software assumes a 24-inch barrel, sea-level altitude and 59-degrees F. temperature and, as cited above, my scope mounted two inches above the bore.

1/10th Mil Settings for the .338 Lapua Magnum, 250-grain BTHP Match Round

Settings rounded off to the closest 1/10th of a Mil
Distance Trajectory Path 1/10th Mil Elev. Setting 10 MPH Wind Drift 1/10th Mil Wind Setting
Yards Inches Mils + 1/10th clicks Inches Mils + 1/10th Mil clicks
100 Zero Zero Zero Zero
125 -0.18" None None None
150 -0.64" 0 Mil + 1 click 1.1" 0 Mils + 2 clicks
175 -1.39" 0 Mil + 2 clicks 1.5" 0 Mils + 2 clicks
200 -2.45" 0 Mil + 3 clicks 2.0" 0 Mils + 3 clicks
225 -3.81" 0 Mil + 5 clicks 2.5" 0 Mils + 3 clicks
250 -5.50" 0 Mil + 6 clicks 3.1" 0 Mils + 3 clicks
275 -7.51" 0 Mil + 8 clicks 3.8" 0 Mils + 4 clicks
300 -9.86" 0 Mil + 9 clicks 4.6" 0 Mils + 4 clicks
325 -12.55" 1 Mil + 0 clicks 5.4" 0 Mils + 5 clicks
350 -15.60" 1 Mil + 2 clicks 6.3" 0 Mils + 5 clicks
375 -19.02" 1 Mil + 4 clicks 7.3" 0 Mils + 5 clicks
400 -22.80" 1 Mil + 6 clicks 8.4" 0 Mils + 6 clicks
425 -26.99" 1 Mil + 8 clicks 9.5" 0 Mils + 6 clicks
450 -31.57" 2 Mils + 0 clicks 10.8" 0 Mils + 7 clicks
475 -36.56" 2 Mils + 1 click 12.0" 0 Mils + 7 clicks
500 -41.98" 2 Mils + 3 clicks 13.5" 0 Mils + 8 clicks
525 -47.83" 2 Mils + 5 clicks 15.0" 0 Mils + 8 clicks
550 -54.13" 2 Mils + 7 clicks 16.5" 0 Mils + 8 clicks
575 -60.90" 3 Mils + 0 clicks 18.2" 0 Mils + 9 clicks
600 -68.14" 3 Mils + 1 click 20.0" 0 Mils + 9 clicks
625 -75.87" 3 Mils + 4 clicks 21.8" 1 Mil + 0 clicks
650 -84.10" 3 Mils + 7 clicks 24.0" 1 Mil + 0 clicks
675 -92.87" 3 Mils + 8 clicks 25.8" 1 Mil + 0 clicks
700 -102.17" 4 Mils + 0 clicks 28.0" 1 Mil + 1 click
725 -112.03" 4 Mils + 3 clicks 30.1" 1 Mil + 2 clicks
750 -122.44" 4 Mils + 5 clicks 32.5 1 Mil + 2 clicks
775 -133.45" 4 Mils + 8 clicks 35.0" 1 Mil + 3 clicks
800 -145.00" 5 Mils + 0 clicks 37.5" 1 Mil + 3 clicks
825 -157.30" 5 Mils + 3 clicks 40.2" 1 Mil + 4 clicks
850 -170.20" 5 Mils + 6 clicks 43.0" 1 Mil + 4 clicks
875 -183.70" 5 Mils + 8 clicks 46.0" 1 Mil + 5 clicks
900 -198.00" 6 Mils + 1 click 49.0" 1 Mil + 5 clicks
925 -213.00" 6 Mils + 4 clicks 52.0" 1 Mil + 6 clicks
950 -229.00" 6 Mils + 7 clicks 55.0" 1 Mil + 6 clicks
975 -245.00" 7 Mils + 0 clicks 59.0" 1 Mil + 7 clicks
1000 -262.00" 7 Mils + 3 clicks 62.0" 1 Mil + 7 clicks
025 -280.00" 7 Mils + 6 clicks 66.0" 1 Mil + 8 clicks
1050 -299.00" 7 Mils + 9 clicks 70.0" 1 Mil + 8 clicks