I have a brand new, unfired TRG-42 in .338 Lapua. It sat in my safe for a while, and I never got to shoot it. I am considering converting the rifle to .338 Norma. Based on what I read on the hide it seems like an improvement over the .338LM. If I am going to buy all the gear and start reloading, might as well go for the new and improved version. Besides, now that the Army adopted the .338 Norma, everyone is going to want one, which means that there will be no shortage of support for this caliber in the market. What do I need to do to convert my rifle from .338 Lapua to .338 Norma? Can the rifle be re-chambered or do I need to re-barrel? If I re-barrel, who makes high quality barrels for the TRG? Additionally, I really like the idea of having multiple barrel options that the KRG SOTIC system offers. It seems like a Remage equivalent for the KRG (having a barrel nut allows you to swap barrels relatively easily). I want a high quality barrel, which I believe the original SAKO is. I am not trying to save a few bucks by reusing the barrel (if possible) but rather to get the best barrel I can. I don't mind if it costs me a few hundred more. Who should I go to for this kind of work?
- Thread starter juha_teuvonnen
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New barrel needed. Use the usual suspects. Bartlein, Krieger and so on.
Barrel nut if you want it. Use a KRG to simplify. I wouldn't bother. A shouldered barrel is simpler.
As for whom to use, I have no idea. SAC comes to mind but it depends on where you are at.
Good luck and report back.
Barrel nut if you want it. Use a KRG to simplify. I wouldn't bother. A shouldered barrel is simpler.
As for whom to use, I have no idea. SAC comes to mind but it depends on where you are at.
Good luck and report back.
I am in Texas
What vintage is your rifle? Any plans for the takeoff barrel?
2012 or 2013. I'd probably sell the takeoff barrel.
The manual that came with the rifle says twist: 12" RH, 305 mm. I have not verified it.
You would be much better off going with 300norma than 338. The 338 norma is designed to be anti material and replace the .50 for taking out shit like radars or other bullshit that will be done with drones or other tech in the future. I bet most units will never get any 338 ammo and those that do will hardly shoot them. 338 NM suffers from the same issues as 338LM, just not enough case capacity to really push the high BC 338 bullets.
Now the 300 nm pushing the current high bc stuff like the 250 Atips and 245 bergers will outperform both the 338 lp and 338 nm while being inherently more accurate, cheaper to shoot, have less recoil at the expense of a little worse barrel life.
if you already have a TRG42 in 338 LM the only thing you need to change is the barrel. Get a 300NM barrel (or 3 ) spun up and start putting in work.
Now the 300 nm pushing the current high bc stuff like the 250 Atips and 245 bergers will outperform both the 338 lp and 338 nm while being inherently more accurate, cheaper to shoot, have less recoil at the expense of a little worse barrel life.
if you already have a TRG42 in 338 LM the only thing you need to change is the barrel. Get a 300NM barrel (or 3 ) spun up and start putting in work.
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I should take a closer look at 300 norma. Thanks for the suggestion.
The 338 lapua was designed around the 250 grain bullet, the 338 norma was designed around the 300 grain bullet.
Think of the norma like a PRC. case shortened, taper blown out, sharper shoulder angle, more efficient case.
Both cartridges are very pricey to shoot, even when handloading.
Think of the norma like a PRC. case shortened, taper blown out, sharper shoulder angle, more efficient case.
Both cartridges are very pricey to shoot, even when handloading.
Is .300 Norma any cheaper to shoot, if you handload? Factory ammo seems to be very similar to .338 NM and .338 NM
You would havevto price your bullets. There are lots of 215-245 grain 30 cal bullets to choose from
The bigger the bullet ( more copper and lead) generally the more expensive the bullet. 30 cal will be cheaper to shoot, have less recoil and in alot of cases out range the 338 bullets that can't be pushed fast enough. 250 gr 30 cal BC blows 250gr 338 bullets out of the water.
It's not hard to look up bullets and look up the prices and BC.
It's not hard to look up bullets and look up the prices and BC.
Barrel life is a major factor with 300 Norma in my experience, to the extent that chasing maximum ballistics wasn't worth it for me. My first barrel lasted around 600 rounds. I also couldn't get the super heavy Bergers to shoot as consistently as the 215 grain, so I mostly shot the 215. As an aside, I had similar experience with 28 Nosler and 195s - they never shot as consistently as 180s. YMMV.
I have since sold my 300, but still shoot a lot of 338 Norma (improved). Run the ballistics on a 300 Berger @ 2900 (my RL33 load). You aren't giving up much to a maxed out 300 Norma. Sometimes you just need to scratch that 338 itch, some minor ballistic compromises be damned!
I have since sold my 300, but still shoot a lot of 338 Norma (improved). Run the ballistics on a 300 Berger @ 2900 (my RL33 load). You aren't giving up much to a maxed out 300 Norma. Sometimes you just need to scratch that 338 itch, some minor ballistic compromises be damned!
I am not familiar with .338 Norma Improved. Is it a wildcat variant of the .338 Norma? I am also confused about the barrel life, there seems to be conflicting information on the subject. Some say that .338 Norma is twice the longevity of .338 lapua? The .300 norma is faster, so it has to wear out the barrel faster too. What barrel life should I expect for these three calibers? It seems that the barrel is screwed on pretty tight on the TRG. I am wondering if I should wear it out first, by shooting .338 lapua, then re-barrel. I am also wondering how many rounds it would take. At 4-5 bucks a shot, if the barrel lasts a 1000 rounds, that's a brand new TRG worth of ammo by the time the barrel is worn out. Besides, that .338 has some kick to it, it's not like I am going through 500 rounds in a long week-end with it. It will take a while if I go this route.
Correct, 338 Norma improved is a wildcat that sharpens the shoulder angle while pushing the shoulder forward, and also removes some body taper. Similar to other Ackley improved designs. These improvements increase case capacity and lead to more stable case dimensions, at the expense of fireforming.
338 Norma and 338 Lapua barrel life will likely be very close to each other since they have similar case capacity, and you should get well over 2000 rounds of accurate life with either. Not many people are shooting out big 338 barrels.
300 Norma (as well as it's improved variants) is a highly overbore cartridge and its barrel life will be much less than the 338s mentioned. I have seen reports in the 1000 round range, but I can tell you from experience that a diet of 215 Bergers at 3200+ using N570 will smoke a barrel much sooner.
338 Norma and 338 Lapua barrel life will likely be very close to each other since they have similar case capacity, and you should get well over 2000 rounds of accurate life with either. Not many people are shooting out big 338 barrels.
300 Norma (as well as it's improved variants) is a highly overbore cartridge and its barrel life will be much less than the 338s mentioned. I have seen reports in the 1000 round range, but I can tell you from experience that a diet of 215 Bergers at 3200+ using N570 will smoke a barrel much sooner.
What kind of improvement are you looking for? 338 Norma has ~10-15 grains less case capacity than the Lapua, so all else being equal it is a little slower than the Lapua (improving the Norma closes this gap). The Norma is a shorter case, which allows you to seat long bullets out of the powder column and make better use of the case capacity when limited to magazine length.
In my opinion, the benefit of the Norma shows up when using long, heavy bullets and you are limited to magazine length.
Based on what I read on the hide and elsewhere, it has been alleged that .338 norma is more precise (more consistent) than .338 Lapua. I can't say that I understand the internal ballistics well enough to understand why, but loosely speaking, as I understand it, the Norma casing looks more more a grown up version of 6.5 creedmoor and .338 Lapua more like a grown up .308. supposedly shorter and fatter cases are better for consistency. Every design is a compromise, I would expect Lapua feeding and extraction to be more reliable in adverse conditions than that of Norma. But, Norma is probably good enough. At least good enough for some folks on Uncle Sam's payroll, who adopted it. Time will tell.
My goal is to learn more about long range shooting. I finally moved to Texas, where it's easier to find a place to shoot long range than in the Northeast where I lived previously. I don't currently own reloading gear in any caliber. I shoot .308 and FGMM works well enough for me. I was thinking about buying the reloading gear, and questioning whether .338 Norma is the way to go. I have my doubts now. I am wondering if I should just forget about this re-barrel idea and just shoot Lapua. If the difference isn't much, why bother?
Is it true that .338 Norma is noticeably more consistent when shooting 300 grain bullets than .338 Lapua? Is it also true that for 250 grains the difference between the two is insignificant?
338 Norma is a sweetheart IMO a much better cartridge than 338 Lapua. I was in the same place as you. Tried the 338 lapua, then tried 300 nNorma,finally settled on the 338 Norma. Much like 6.5 x 47 Lapue, it's just easy to load to for. All my groups were sub MOA and fairly consistent speed wise.
See my load data with 88.5 gr of N570 behind a 300 gr Berger OTM
2735 fps is still a constant.
This is my first round hit gun regardless of distance.
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What kind of groups and consistency were you seeing from 338 Lapua? Was it the same rifle you re-barreled from Lapua to Norma or a different rifle?
I had a Lapua AI in a single feed 30" barrel 28 lb monster of a rifle. 97.5 gr of retumbo pushing a 300 gr bullet. Consistency was spectacular, even shooting was pleasurable.
Not a haul in the field rifle though which is why I sold it.
My 338 Norma on the other hand while being around 17 lb is still field haulable in my back pack and while slower, produces near similar results
My factory TRG-42 (1-10" twist) shooting BHA 300gn ammo only gets 2666fps at the muzzle. Velocity deviations are good and it's shoot about .6-.7MoA with that load. I can do better with handloads seated out longer and faster.
If you haven’t had the urge to shoot a TRG-42 that’s been sitting in your safe for around 12 years why would you want to build another rifle that you won’t shoot?
My 338 Lapua barely made it into the house long enough to mount the scope to it before heading to the range.
Take the rifle out and shoot it as is.
See how it shoots and if you enjoy it first.
I was shooting next to a guy shooting a 300 Win Mag and you would swear that someone was smacking him in the groin with a baseball bat every time he would fire the rifle.
His 105lb girlfriend was half his size and had no issues shooting the rifle.
My 338 Lapua barely made it into the house long enough to mount the scope to it before heading to the range.
Take the rifle out and shoot it as is.
See how it shoots and if you enjoy it first.
I was shooting next to a guy shooting a 300 Win Mag and you would swear that someone was smacking him in the groin with a baseball bat every time he would fire the rifle.
His 105lb girlfriend was half his size and had no issues shooting the rifle.
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