338 Lapua vs 338 Win Mag: Very Different on Steel?

In today's video, we will see how big of a difference there is between the 338 Lapua and 338 Winchester Magnum on steel. Testing was done at 50 yards using A529 grade 55 mild steel. Thanks for watching!
Testing: 1:19
These tests are meant for educational and entertainment purposes only. Shooting steel can be dangerous, so do not try any of these tests at home!

[@manganvbg90]

Iknow movie staff recruiters are the last people to watch guntubers, but someone must give this man a voice acting job 😅

[@redfaux74]

He also stunt doubles for The Arnold. "Get the Choppuh". 😕 It's true.

[@SleeCee]

literally sign this man to a deal, he could sell snow to a Siberian😂

[@hardracer]

Pretty annoying sound to me...does not sound realistic...like autotuned or something

[@redfaux74]

@@hardracer - Maybe if he wore a pink Tutu you'd like it? This guy is a real man. Not a Tofu eating, Starbucks, skinny pants "thing". You're jelly.

[@fishdude666ify]

He sounds like a not coked out, coherent Don Jr.

[@sartainja]

Have a 338 WM. Always wondered what it would do on steel. Your video is superbly informative.

[@chrislang5659]

I took my 7mm-08 to shoot at 300 yards. There was a 3/8 steel plate down range. I shot saw nothing, shot again, still nothing not even a splash! On my final shot the plate moved! I thought ok finally! Went to inspect where the impact was and found all five rounds had passed clean through! I was impressed to say the least!

[@reggieswindeall7438]

I really like the way you compare, some distance and apples to apples. Keep up the great work

[@hiderbear20]

One of the most underrated gun channels on KZbin!! 👍

[@frawdulent]

Who’s underrating it?

[@brookesprecision6272]

Love it ! Love your channel and your content, I was shooting 338 WinMag long range way back in the late 70,s, I always thought it was a formidable round for it, then comes the Lapua

[@bananaballistics]

It’s surprising how good it is out to longer ranges. Obviously its not as good with the heavy bullets, but for most of us, it should have plenty of performance

[@soonerfrac4611]

Velocity is generally the key to penetration on steel.

[@addygreen8919]

​@@bananaballistics Could you please try to shoot 2 x .223 Remington at the same spot vs 1 x .338 Lapua? I always wondered, if smaller caliber automatic weapons have a better penetration, when they hit at the same spot.

[@possumpopper89]

The test should have been performed using the exact same bullet in both rifles for an apples to apples comparison. Your .338 win mag load was pushing the 200 grain billet slower than mine pushed a 250 grain load. I hand load and push the 250 grain partitions to 2730 FPS. I have cronographed Lapua factory loads that don’t push the 250 grain bullets any faster than my win mag. Bullet type and velocity mean a whole world of difference.

[@billybud9557]

Good explanation. I've noticed a cylinder of mild steel that has been punched out, lying behind by targets many times. Things change dramatically when the projectile is harder than the target. But in this case, both bullets are quite soft. Thanks for vid. Well done.

[@bobbygetsbanned6049]

You'd get better penetration with a lighter projectile in the 338LM, speed is the name of the game when it comes to hard target penetration. Lapua has 250 grain ammo at almost 3000 fps and some 230 a little over 3k, would be interesting to see the result with more FPS.

[@PotatoeJoe69]

Buffalo Bore sells 250gr .338 Win Mag that leaves the muzzle at 2750, which is squarely in the ballpark of . 338 Lapua

[@mpetty9947]

The larger grain bullet "BENT" the steel plate where the lighter one did not.

[@jacobackley502]

I like to load the Barnes 160gr bullets in my 338. It goes 3500 ish. It’s a little small for squirrel, but shot placement is really all that matters

[@YouKnowTheyExist]

Admittedly, there is no other clever reason to cut off the front of these bullets except to prove the method of clean punch-pressing through steel (would make a good scene in a McGiver plot... plot not provided here). Velocity of the newly-lighter weight bullet increases, that helps. Brevity of impulse is improved, eliminated the padding effect and energy dispersion interval, that helps. Possibly both sizes will punch-press the 3/4 plate using blunt noses, and the muzzle ft-pounds is still key. A dispersion interval still occurs but the maximum power-transfer impulse is briefer at probably higher energy than before, in best guess/theory. OK, McGiver story-board taking shape now...

[@brett7794]

You don't know what you're talking about rofl

[@jacko4483]

You can see the difference in the effect of the increase in speed of the 338 Win mag on the 1/2" plate. There is more metal deformation and stretching from the Lapua round as shown by the flaking of the mill scale around the entrance hole. This shows how an increase in speed can make up for a smaller grain bullet. Examples being 17HMR, 22-250, .223/5.56, 357 Sig and the 22 TCM.

[@steveaustin3878]

What I'm more impressed with, is that George Ezra can take the time to put these ballistic videos together when he's not making music. Well done George, good work.😁

[@redfaux74]

Excellent video. ❤ My Mon lunch buddies were just talking about this round yesterday. I want one. Keep up the great unique videos.

[@bananaballistics]

338 win mag is an awesome caliber! Make sure to get a recoil pad though cause I was starting to feel it with my setup

[@paulstan9828]

I think you are right. It makes sense now that the bullet is punching the steel out the back and not driving right through the 1/2 inch like I assumed it was.

[@accur81]

Cool vid! Lapua makes a .338 Lapua 250 grain lock base that I bet would go through the 3/4" plate. There is also solid brass .338 Lapua ammo - you'd probably need to handload that for.338 win mag. Velocity and bullet design kills armor.

[@PaulM-kc2tk]

Wow, what an amazing demonstration of force being both a function of mass and kinetic energy. This video really surprised me!!

[@mrboom4570]

Now you have gone and done it. The 338 Lapua guys are screaming into their pillows and crying.

[@edpottinger849]

I like you're vids.I did learn something.Unless I was in a long range shooting competition I think I would stay with the 300 win mag.Ive used the 300 Weatherby but with a monecarlo hump and a wood stock it really kicks.Its about as much recoil is I could handle without starting to flinch.Put more stuff on cool stuff

[@Mattclay29]

Perhaps a better comparison would be going with the different grain weights you had for each caliber but using the same bullet construction for this test, both shooting the SST or both shooting the eld match? Curious if the outcome would differ.

[@miguelangelsimonfernandez5498]

My experience in large cartridges used more for target or competition shooting is that the cheaper lighter ones sometimes have a steel core that can penetrate armoured plate steel (i.e. 308 practice rounds). The test was conducted at a spanish official testing facility using standardised official probes on steel used for civilian money transport trucks. It is very unlikely that you find such a round in 338 but a 300 win mag with a 308 steel cored bullet could do the trick and also eat your barrel in no time because of ludicrous speed

[@MrKingArthurhk]

Thanks again, Raymond.

[@Fast85FoxGT]

Those were polymer tipped Hornady 338 WM rounds??? That is actually insane for what it did. I was assuming they were just FMJ on both accounts, but damn.

[@jk-kr8jt]

So the next time I'm hunting 3/4" steel I'll be using a 416 Wby. Thanks for the test.

[@Adam-nv9zo]

I love these videos. Very informative and straight to the point. Great job 👏.

[@redfaux74]

Yes, 10 minutes of nothing but manly fun and info.

[@simplicityrm]

Velocity is what beats steel. 338wm and the the 338lapua are 2 of my favorite cartridges. When it comes to most anything in the US a 338winmag has a load for it and is pretty damned hard to beat. It's a great one caliber to have. I always considered in the 06 of the medium bores. If you went to a 250gr smk in the lapua I think you'll find it will go through that plate. I have punched through 5/8 ar500 at 100yd with mine. Just seems to be a harder bullet.

[@bananaballistics]

It certainly is hard to beat. I’ll have to try out the 250 gr smk in the lapua. From what I have tested, the ELDs seem to be pretty soft

[@Dennisthemenace40]

Great comparison!👍👍 It’s a great example of how it’s speed that kills armor and not energy. BTW, what rifle did you use in 338 Win Mag? Very interesting.

[@bananaballistics]

I appreciate it! It’s a rem 700 action with I barrel I got cut for 338 win mag

[@Dennisthemenace40]

@@bananaballistics Very nice 😎

[@ZuluBlackout]

Was gonna say, velocity matters way more than mass.

[@ZuluBlackout]

@Nomen Clature e=mc2, ever hear of it? I never said mass doesn’t matter. I said velocity matters more.

[@celluskh6009]

@@ZuluBlackout That would be the equation stating mass IS energy. Which has nothing to do with anything. You want F=ma, which states mass is exactly as important as speed. Then narrow it down so that force is contained in as small an area as possible so the armor doesn't absorb it. Note that harder bullets will deform less, therefore the a is greater. That's why AP bullets are hard and pointy.

[@chincemagnet]

I started watching your channel recently and every time I watch a different video you’re talking about your new sled or what sucks about the old one, and I’m like, I guess I missed a lot of sleds 😂

[@billfulgenzi2287]

I bought a .338 Winchester Magnum some years back. It is a beautiful Ruger M77 RS made in the early 70s. It's absolutely perfect as it was rarely used. I am the second owner of this rifle. I bought it for a incredibly low price.

[@sirtango1]

I remember seeing the most beautiful wood stock I have ever seen. It was on a ruger m77. This was back in the 80’s, before ruger jumped in bed with billy bob klinton and supported his assault weapons ban along with smith & wesson.

[@denaliguidesummit7029]

As a release from CAbin Fever, A guy put 4 rounds of .338 Win thru the Trans Alaska Pipeline, several penetrating both sides. The article is out there.

[@coreyb4073]

If you look up punch tonnage, a .338 punch takes 10 tons of force to go through 3/8, and 20 tons for 3/4(it wont do it). but most punch presses are only going to be running 250-500 inches per minute. speed=heat, heat=soft, soft=easier to punch.

[@willo7734]

Awesome stuff man. I’d kill to see that steel plug getting formed close up on a super high-speed slo-mo camera.

[@PyroForge]

Talk to the Ballistic High-Speed channel. Those guys have the setup to make it happen.

[@perseusrex614]

just found you, great editing man. You put alot of work into your vids and you will grow 😎

[@MichaelRobertson-i8f]

I was elk hunting in Colorado using the Remington with the new WSM and had a head shot from 330 yards- I had loaded it with 180 gr MRX bullets- though it had shot deer and large pigs with it I felt I needed a little more, so I bought a 340 Weatherby used and put a Carlson Stock on it and one of the new Vortex scopes, actually I came to realize that the 338 Lapua is almost identical as to the powder made for the military was Reloaded 33 and from hitting targets out to 700 yards with groups 3.5 inches- I loaded the 338 Winchester Ruger in stainless steel with 210 gr MRX and that’s my gun in Alaska

[@forgingapath8809]

If nothing else, I learned a LONG time ago that "Speed beats armor". Thats why APFSDS tank rounds are so effective.

[@alanpruett2217]

Elmer Keith’s favorite rifle caliber! Great demo!

[@dodgersfnshepard8673]

I'd love to see you colab with those slow motion youtubers...some of these rounds vs steel in super slow motion would be amazing

[@drakeslocum2564]

Love the content ,would love to see some stuff on the 35 Whelen

[@bananaballistics]

That would be a great cartridge to compare to the 338 win mag!

[@Lifeinthecountryfamilyislife]

You need to load a 225 gr 338 lapua and try it out. I didn't have good luck with sub moa accuracy with the 225gr so I went with 300gr loads with the lapua. Also speed kills barrels as well as armor so sometimes slow and heavy has its perks lol.

[@bananaballistics]

That’s why I like the 285s, but I’ll have to try out the 225s at some point.

[@johnnash5118]

The cartridge nomenclature is a start, but bullet composition and sectional density, and velocity is what determines penetration. The 338WM could’ve had a 250 gn. Barnes LRX solid copper bullet, and outperformed the 338LM with a 250 gn. Sierra Matchking HPBT, the Lapua will go splat into the 3/4” steel while the WM penetrates through it.

[@dannyboy1984]

This guy should do an country album.. 😂 He got the perfect voice for it

[@michaelshuey1614]

Ackley demonstrated, back in the 40’s and 50’s, how penetration is due to velocity and spin rate. The ultimate penetrator was a 220 Swift going 4,000 fps+

[@mongosafariadventure]

The crater is NOT the actual penetration depth. Look inside the crater. What do you see? LEAD. The upset bullet is still in the steel. NOTE: the 338 WM is deeper looking due to a slightly lighter bullet- less lead. The 338 L is shallower because there is more lead from the heavier bullet. Get the lead (melt) and jacket material out of the crater then measure depth.

[@tamas8549]

Your video is very good, illustrative. I wonder if the Hornady 6.5PRC ELD Math 147gr could compete with them? Thanks for your reply!

[@BGSenTineL]

For Christmas I want this dude's voice.

[@mussersbowsboatsandscience6610]

Cool, that is a comparison I have often thought about

[@diywithjonandpebbles]

The win mag being that close to the edge likely helped it.

[@jasonharder6381]

I came here to say the same thing. Helped a ton.

[@JAKDRZR]

I called the outcome when you posted bullet speeds. Went through a simalar deal with a 30-06 and a 270. 30-06 with a 165gr and a 140gr in the 270 going much faster. 30-06 wouldn’t penetrate but the 270 would. 🤘

[@mdjamesd]

I forget the energy specs of the 338 Extreme, but I remember it was a 505 Gibbs case necked down, and they had solid copper rounds for it.

[@mhammer5]

It seems rifles for .338 Lapua ammo are expensive. Great video. Thanks.

[@wysestone]

Pretty sure the reason the win mag went deeper is because it was closer to the edge which allowed the metal to deform which you can see by looking at the bottom of the plate. I think if you redid this test and made both shots closer to the middle of the plate you'd see the Lapua round hit just slightly harder.

[@bananaballistics]

You may be correct. At least in the slo mo, it looked like the lapua hit harder visually but it may have just been where I hit

[@kx8960]

I'd agree. When you hit it in the center with the Lapua, the metal had nowhere to go since there wasn't enough energy to punch that steel "slug" out the back. The WinMag round was able to push the steel DOWN easier, so it went a little deeper. We demand a rematch!

[@kemalerbay]

The muzzle break of 338 lapua did a good job 👊🏻

[@r.b.ratieta6111]

"Keep in mind that I measured the holes multiple times to make sure I'm getting the most accurate depths possible..." With that voice, doesn't surprise me in the least.

[@normann4016]

Very surprising results !

[@Melvinmutt]

Good content brother! Keep me coming!

[@RascalCatify]

Love the content and cant wait to see Sled 3.0!

[@philsephton]

Slow-mo at 3:35 shows what I'm assuming is the round exiting the back of the half-inch plate, bouncing off the sleepers and looping over the plate, landing just in the bottom right corner of the screen 👀

[@bananaballistics]

I think you are correct!

[@philsephton]

​@@bananaballistics that's the most banana shaped round I've ever seen 😮

[@jackhammer2671]

My 30-378 Weatherby mag with the 185 grain would give that 3/4 inch plate a run for it's money...I got to give it a try once I find a plate that thick.

[@irafowlerjr.7492]

Always good info and shooting, good god given voice, thanks

[@tydickson4021]

Keep the steel penetration videos up super entertaining

[@Gelathagath]

So one thing I’ll say is that the Lapua hit on a much more robust area of the plate, and .01 of an inch is an easier achievement on the edge. You measured using a plate to sit on the plate, but that could easily added that .01in due to the whole plate bending that much. Measure from the rim of the impact, not from a plate. Of course, this would mean more fastidious work with the grinder, not creating a crater.

[@phillipedds8998]

I'd like to see you try this with the Fort Scott Munitions solid brass .338 Lapua 250gr TUI round. Might look at some of their other rounds for tests as well.

[@whiteshadow1771]

lover the water reaction on the shots

[@albundy7459]

Guy next to me at the range Sunday was shooting a .338 lapua. Still not as obnoxious as an AR pistol.

[@fiftysixty3]

You need to discount shots that are on or very near the supports. In those cases the effective steel thickness is much higher.

[@actionjksn]

I would be interested in seeing the 338 Lapua with a lightweight bullet at a high velocity. To make it have an even better chance of penetrating, use a solid copper bullet.

[@priltzy]

Can you do a test between 308. 30-06 and 300 win mag? Greetings from sweden

[@losonsrenoster]

I would have liked to see a comparison between the diameters of the holes. Still the 3/4 inch result was a surprise, I would have placed my bet on the proven sniper caliber, not on the sporting round. But this is part of what makes shooting exciting.

[@willmartin9231]

In my humble opinion, the heavier slower bullet of the lapua probably has a higher ballistic coefficient than a lighter faster win mag round, thereby leading to greater accuracy at distance, which would explain why snipers prefer them

[@kevinroberts9394]

You should do some testing with 338 win and red dot green dot ect. The loads are listed in the old lyman cast bullet handbook

[@dondavidson3440]

SPEED kills! My little bitty .204 Ruger with 32 gr. Hornady V-Max bullets will penetrate 5/16 mild steel at 250 yards!

[@richki.24]

I like that 338 Win Mag bolt rifle ...

[@Bluejay8633]

i might be looking too much into nothing but i think you should retest the lapua, your last plate-hit had the sled reinforcing the position of the impact and mightve contributed to a portion of the difference in depth

[@simefestin]

Great video!!!! I would like to see 'battle' between 7.92x57 and 30-06

[@Retired_EMT-P]

My idea is because your steel plate was NOT firmly mounted. Therefore much of the kinetic energy is lost when the mount jumped decelerating the incoming round. A TRUE test would have used a RIGID mount for the 3/4” plate. I would like to see if there was any difference in testing.

[@markchapman2585]

Great video I like the water in front of plate see the splash. Keep up the great content from Canada 🍻

[@bananaballistics]

It was my favorite part as well! I appreciate it!

[@bigjay875]

I wish you would have had a 5/8 inch plat to test your theory on energy punching out the steel slug

[@jagzilla1398]

Actually the Lapua was originally designed as an anti-material round. So it was made to chunk through steel.

[@mr.normalguy69]

Bro is grinding harder than most gym bros 💀

[@bradleytenderholt5135]

What about the 340 Weatherby. He was to lazy to say 338 hence the name 340. Great voice and video! I subscribed

[@samcruickshanks6856]

Similar to how a British tank Hesh round achieves it's results, expect that in the place of explosives the energy comes directly from the bullet.

[@PureCountryof91]

Rapid, violent, kinetic dispersion on thicker steel by the projectiles, essentially carves the crater by extremely rapid abrasive contact. This is how ar500 kinda works as armor. It greatly diminishes this abrasive destruction.

[@hughgray4199]

Would like to see that same (sort of) test at a specified yardage, (say 100 yds) using solids of the same weight? Would be very interesting if Midway or another supplier could provide you with real armor piercing rounds.... Expect the results would be very different?

[@normanmallory2055]

Great task and well done test !

[@asjmarine26]

I’ve always wanted to see .300 prc vs 338 lapua

[@dylanreinhard5660]

Same here

[@chadperry4021]

I’d let him borrow mine for a few videos if we lived closer.

[@asjmarine26]

me too. I’m around southern Ohio if that helps lol

[@TG-vg3qe]

I think what correlates well with penetration depth is impact velocity X sectional density.

[@claudiodominguez.]

Excellent Video !

[@wc-classics]

Did the 3/4" 338 Lapua hit the area with the cross brace behind it? You could see the plate bend a bit. If the cross brace was behind the strike that could have messed up the comparison. Not sure just curious as it looked close from the video.

[@targetaps]

I was going to say the same!

[@justintyme4690]

Banana, I apologize if you said it in the video, but I might have missed it. What rifle's brands are you using here? Just curious.

[@MyersJ2Original]

that WM hit the edge @ 3/4". Some of the expansion of the metal was sideways because it grew out more. Not apples to apples.

[@michaelhogan9053]

You are correct! Otherwise the hole would be the same size as the bullet, like shooting paper.

[@petter5721]

Norma makes great ammo 👍🏻

[@BLVCK6]

Hmm interesting video. I wonder if you can get hands on 950 jdj and do some ballistic tests or shoot random stuff. Nobody has ever done that on youtube or any other platforms, gonna be one heck of a video.

[@josearellano5778]

Awesome video boss man‼️👍👍👍👍🎯💯

[@robstirling3411]

Wondering how the new solid copper bullets would compare to lead jacketed against those plates?

[@Wildkat-1]

One of the reasons John Browning made the .50 cal. M-2 that caliber, was because it could penetrate most armor of the day, except for heavy tanks....the Germans hated that M-2 ....!

[@lawrenceallen8096]

Bullet construction + Velocity + Total Mass

[@biscuitninja]

Notches up with my .416 Barrett... i do like the .338 Lapua thought.

[@ronladuke7235]

When it comes to penetration of steel its more about velocity than mass. I used to play around a bit shooting steel and a 22-250 easily shoots thu 3/8 steel where maybe a30-30 might might put a bit of a crater in it and a 44 mag puts a tiny pock mark?By the way my 340 Weatherby 250 grain at 3000 fps went through the 3/4 inch !

[@MrSanmanbob]

I do appreciate your work, enjoyed the video. BUT, both rounds should use the same bullet for the test, as far as consistency is concerned . all fairness to both calibers, unless your just trying out available ammos from the local gun shop. And as far as reloading , in which i'm sure , if you buy from Midway, i would think you hand load. Try loading some of the solid copper bullets, you might have a better chance of going through that 3/4 piece of steel. good luck.

[@Fenriswolf77]

Awesome video 👍

[@thedownwardmachine]

Come for the info, stay for the tight editing 👍

[@jacobmoore7650]

Not sure what Lapua round you’re using, a 285 maybe….. I hear that speed is what really helps in Armor Penetration. Maybe a lighter, faster, bullet would change the results.