.338 Lapua set up

[Herd Thinner]

I am in the market for a .338 Lapua. With that I will be reloading. I am currently switching my dies over from LEE and do not want to start with LEE for the Lapua. So I have some ideas of what I want to get but would love input. I was thinking of Fosters full length sizer and ultra Micrometer seater die set and Redding Type S-Neck bushing dies NK. As for brass I guess even though its expensive Lapua is the way to go. I haven't seen much once fired brass for the .338. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks !!!

 

[nso123]

I prefer Redding dies and Lapua brass. Take care of your brass and it will last quite a while.

 

[Dogtown]

Lapua brass is the standard though I've gotten lots of reloads from Bertram and Jamison 338 brass as well. Though I haven't tried Hornady brass, I've heard it and Prvi aren't so good.

i like using the Redding FL S die w bushings as well as their micrometer seater. I think my most used bushing size is .365. Getting the complete set is expensive, but sometimes cheaper than individually. I don't neck size anymore, but if I did I would consider a simpler FL sizer and then a bushing neck sizer like you're thinking.

 

[YetiSlayer]

First off, welcome to the .338 Lapua Magnum bankruptcy club. Below is my .338LM Saga for what it is worth. My Saga began with me finding a Remington 700 MLR that I scored on a killer deal and thought that it would be cool to shoot (it is), and I had been wanting a big bore, extreme long range shooter for a while. I did not want to go the .50 caliber route because I was not wanting to deal with a boat anchor, I wanted something that I could carry. Additionally I like big magnum boomers. Then came optics, mount and rings, bipod and on and on. I figured that since I had saved a lot on the rifle I would splurge on all the other paraphernalia since I could still use all that if the rifle turned out to be a bust. It didn't. The rifle, while bought on the cheap, is a hell of lot more accurate than I am. If I do my part it easily shoots in the half MOA range and even if I screw it up is still easily a sub MOA shooter. A couple of boxes of factory ammo confirmed that. But that was just the beginning:

To feed it, factory ammo was not a viable option, I was going to have to reload. I went with the Redding Competition Bushing 3-Die Neck Sizer Set, with micrometer seater die, micrometer neck sizing die and body sizing die. Also got a Redding full length bushing sizing die, nice to have at times as you sometimes want to do a full length resize. Also got a set of Redding bushings in .364, .365 and .366 and the Redding competition shell holder set. Once you figure out what bushing you are going to use the most, then buy enough of that size for all your dies since having to take your dies apart all the time to switch out the bushing is a pain in the ass. The shell holder set is nice to have if you have to bump back the shoulder, it takes the guess work out of the process.

I have since got the Redding Competition shell holder sets for all of the precision rifle calibers that I shoot, and while I have not used them much I like having the option to use them for shoulder bumps and not having to fiddle with die settings to get the bump right. I love the micrometer bullet seater die, never having to fiddle and fudge to get the bullet seating right is beyond words. Just dial it in and you are right on, don't know why I didn't go with this option years ago, but am now buying at least the micrometer seater dies for my other, most shot rifles cartridges. More dollars spent to upgrade tools but everyone knows that we don't reload to save money, do we?

As far as I am concerned the only way to go is with Lapua brass but finding once fired for sale is well-nigh impossible, some of my brass is on the 5th firing and I have not seen any real issues so far. If you can find once fired Lapua brass for a good price then jump all over it (and then let me know so that I can get in on the action too). In all I think that I spent almost $900 on brass and close to $600 on dies, shell holders, bushings etc. but I do not regret it. At anywhere from $5 to $6 dollars a round for factory ammo I believe that this is one of the few rounds where I am actually now saving money on the ammo by reloading.

If you are not in a hurry to get the stuff to reload for the .338 LM watch for sales on the brass and deals on the dies and other sundries. I bought my dies and stuff when Midway was still doing really good coupon codes and bought with a bunch of other stuff that I needed to get the maximum off deal.

I love my .338LM, it is a great shooter and is now my primary shooter for precision. Downsides are components. Primers have not been an issue since I got Federal 215M's in quantity at the same time that I bought my brass. Sierra match king bullets in 500 round boxes are pretty available. The Lapua Scenar is a great bullet but I find that the SMK is more available and more likely to be found on sale. I, and the gun, seem to prefer the 250 grain but that is up to you, feel free to experiment with all of them. Powder is the most problematic component to find right now and at close to 100 grains a load goes pretty fast. Buy in 8 pound kegs if you can find it and buy in quantity to offset all the fees associated with powder, you'll need it anyway to feed the beast. Ramshot Magnum is now my go-to powder for all my magnum rifles. It meters well and I have found it be a nice, consistent and pretty clean burning powder. I switched to Ramshot powders for pretty much all my reloading back in the '09 scare/shortage since it was one of the only powders that was regularly available at that time. But now, alas, it is also in short supply.

I will say that I was not prepared for the cost of shooting the .338LM when I bought the rifle. Because of the gun I have since upgraded a lot of reloading tools to load better ammo for it, things like a Chargemaster, better case trimmer, better hand priming tool, RCBS case prep center, stainless media tumbler set up, etc. etc. ad nauseam. The list is pretty long, but these are upgrades that I have been meaning to do for a long time anyway, this just forced me to do it sooner and faster than I would have normally wanted. Be prepared for the huge sucking sound of dollars going bye-bye to feed the damned thing.

Oh, one last thing. If you are married and she is not into shooting, she will hate the thing, so you will have spend more dollars keeping her happy. Just Sayin'...

 

[Herd Thinner]

First off, welcome to the .338 Lapua Magnum bankruptcy club. Below is my .338LM Saga for what it is worth. My Saga began with me finding a Remington 700 MLR that I scored on a killer deal and thought that it would be cool to shoot (it is), and I had been wanting a big bore, extreme long range shooter for a while. I did not want to go the .50 caliber route because I was not wanting to deal with a boat anchor, I wanted something that I could carry. Additionally I like big magnum boomers. Then came optics, mount and rings, bipod and on and on. I figured that since I had saved a lot on the rifle I would splurge on all the other paraphernalia since I could still use all that if the rifle turned out to be a bust. It didn't. The rifle, while bought on the cheap, is a hell of lot more accurate than I am. If I do my part it easily shoots in the half MOA range and even if I screw it up is still easily a sub MOA shooter. A couple of boxes of factory ammo confirmed that. But that was just the beginning:

To feed it, factory ammo was not a viable option, I was going to have to reload. I went with the Redding Competition Bushing 3-Die Neck Sizer Set, with micrometer seater die, micrometer neck sizing die and body sizing die. Also got a Redding full length bushing sizing die, nice to have at times as you sometimes want to do a full length resize. Also got a set of Redding bushings in .364, .365 and .366 and the Redding competition shell holder set. Once you figure out what bushing you are going to use the most, then buy enough of that size for all your dies since having to take your dies apart all the time to switch out the bushing is a pain in the ass. The shell holder set is nice to have if you have to bump back the shoulder, it takes the guess work out of the process.

I have since got the Redding Competition shell holder sets for all of the precision rifle calibers that I shoot, and while I have not used them much I like having the option to use them for shoulder bumps and not having to fiddle with die settings to get the bump right. I love the micrometer bullet seater die, never having to fiddle and fudge to get the bullet seating right is beyond words. Just dial it in and you are right on, don't know why I didn't go with this option years ago, but am now buying at least the micrometer seater dies for my other, most shot rifles cartridges. More dollars spent to upgrade tools but everyone knows that we don't reload to save money, do we?

As far as I am concerned the only way to go is with Lapua brass but finding once fired for sale is well-nigh impossible, some of my brass is on the 5th firing and I have not seen any real issues so far. If you can find once fired Lapua brass for a good price then jump all over it (and then let me know so that I can get in on the action too). In all I think that I spent almost $900 on brass and close to $600 on dies, shell holders, bushings etc. but I do not regret it. At anywhere from $5 to $6 dollars a round for factory ammo I believe that this is one of the few rounds where I am actually now saving money on the ammo by reloading.

If you are not in a hurry to get the stuff to reload for the .338 LM watch for sales on the brass and deals on the dies and other sundries. I bought my dies and stuff when Midway was still doing really good coupon codes and bought with a bunch of other stuff that I needed to get the maximum off deal.

I love my .338LM, it is a great shooter and is now my primary shooter for precision. Downsides are components. Primers have not been an issue since got Federal 215M's in quantity at the same time that I bought my brass. Sierra match king bullets in 500 round boxes are pretty available. The Lapua Scenar is a great bullet but I find that the SMK is more available and more likely to be found on sale. I, and the gun, seem to prefer the 250 grain but that is up to you, feel free to experiment with all of them. Powder is the most problematic component to find right now and at close to 100 grains a load goes pretty fast. Buy in 8 pound kegs if you can find it and buy in quantity to offset all the fees associated with powder, you'll need it anyway to feed the beast. Ramshot Magnum is now my go-to powder for all my magnum rifles. It meters well and I have found it be a nice, consistent and pretty clean burning powder. I switched to Ramshot powders for pretty much all my reloading back in the '09 scare/shortage since it was one of the only powders that was regularly available at that time. But now, alas, it is also in short supply.

I will say that I was not prepared for the cost of shooting the .338LM when I bought the rifle. Because of the gun I have since upgraded a lot of reloading tools to load better ammo for it, things like a Chargemaster, better case trimmer, better hand priming tool, RCBS case prep center, stainless media tumbler set up, etc. etc. ad nauseam. The list is pretty long, but these are upgrades that I have been meaning to do for a long time anyway, this just forced me to do it sooner and faster than I would have normally wanted. Be prepared for the huge sucking sound of dollars going bye-bye to feed the damned thing.

Oh, one last thing. If you are married and she is not into shooting, she will hate the thing, so you will have spend more dollars keeping her happy. Just Sayin'...

Man well said. Thank you for the input. I am in no hurry my plan for the rifle isn't until Dec - Jan. I just want to have all the ducks in a row.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

I've been reloading for my TRG-42 since February of '06 and I'm still using the same 80 (now 79) pieces of Lapua brass and the same 20 (now 19 pieces) of Norma brass. Most of the Lapua is approaching 14 cycles.

Initially, I had every 338LM die made, save for the Lymans and I still have most of them.

I'm using either the Redding S bushing FL die, or their S bushing neck sizing die with body die. For seating, I've used the Hornady In-Line with micro seater and now the Forster ultra micro-seating die and things are peachy. I like the .365" TiN bushing, but also have the .364" TiN bushing.

I like Federal GMM 215Ms, but have used Winchester and standard Federal magnum primers.

Since my Sako is a 1:12, I stick with the 250s.

Chris

 

[gasdoc09]

I've been reloading for my TRG-42 since February of '06 and I'm still using the same 80 (now 79) pieces of Lapua brass and the same 20 (now 19 pieces) of Norma brass. Most of the Lapua is approaching 14 cycles.

Initially, I had every 338LM die made, save for the Lymans and I still have most of them.

I'm using either the Redding S bushing FL die, or their S bushing neck sizing die with body die. For seating, I've used the Hornady In-Line with micro seater and now the Forster ultra micro-seating die and things are peachy. I like the .365" TiN bushing, but also have the .364" TiN bushing.

I like Federal GMM 215Ms, but have used Winchester and standard Federal magnum primers.

Since my Sako is a 1:12, I stick with the 250s.

Chris

Do you mind sharing your loads?

I too have a 1:12 TRG-42. I'm using Lapua brass, the 365 bushing in a Redding die, and 250 gr bullets. Mostly the Berger hybrids but also some Scenars. Fed 215M primers and Retumbo. I've been using 93.7 grains of Retumbo and the Bergers shoot pretty well seated at 3.681", but every once in a while the bolt handle is a little heavy to lift, which leads me to think I'm loading kind of hot.

I've only been reloading for a few years. Just curious to see what someone more experienced than I is doing with the same rifle & reloading setup. Thanks.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

H-4831sc, VV-165 and VV-170 have been my three major go-to powders, with H-1000 doing pretty well under the 250s.

89gr of H-4831sc has given me right about 2950 fps and when I shoot that load at 1000 yds, it does pretty well, even in a swirling wind. I'm no Bob Lee Swagger, but I'm not a terrible shot, either.

Here's the pre-production testing of the Berger 250 Hybrids I did a couple of years back. Only at 100 yds and I only got to play with seating depth, as I only had 2 weeks to get the write-up back in, but there you go:



Chris

 

[hollowoutadime]

Good posts - Thanks!

 

[gasdoc09]

Thank you. I'll keep my eye out for some 4831sc, maybe give that a try.

 

[bruddah]

Good thread. I've got the scope. Now I just need to slowly start accumulating the other components.

 

[Herd Thinner]

Good thread. I've got the scope. Now I just need to slowly start accumulating the other components.

I am in the same boat. Scope I have, I know what rifle I want which I am saving for its the odds and ends ill pick up all year so come Christmas when I buy my present for myself comes Its go time.

 

[ChrisGarrett]

The 338LM gets loaded like any other cartridge. Load to the range you'll be shooting at and you can save your throat a bit.

If you can buy truly 1x fired brass, you can save a little bit and be ahead of the 'expense' curve.

Fiddle with powder and fiddle with bullets.

Lots of guys like to run the 300s right out of the gate and that might not be necessary, so play with the 250s and 285s.

Unless you'll be shooting out past 1500m, the 250s 'can' be a nice option.

The Finnish snipers were doing quite well with the 250 Scenars out to 2000m, during their Sako TRG-42 T&Es.

Chris

 

[Flex686]

Go with the Trim-It for your .338 Lapua brass as far as trimming goes.

Trim It Home

 

[Dogtown]

Agreed - most people go straight for the 300s but I've found the 250s to be far more forgiving overall. And with powders like N560 you can push them to 3000fps easily, which makes them perform very well out to a mile. Beyond that is where the 300s really take over, able to stay supersonic another 200-300 yards further in some cases. The 285s have become very popular recently and may be the best balance between the two, but I personally couldn't get them to group well in my long barrel.

 

[PSYOPS]

tag for later use...

 

[Tristian19]

If you can find once fired Lapua brass for a good price then jump all over it (and then let me know so that I can get in on the action too).

In regards to your mention of Cheap or in this case less expensive Lapua .338 Brass. Midwayusa current is 251.00 per 100 pieces. Current deal is $45 off per if you spend $225.00 or higher. Offer ends in a few days.

With discount 100 Lapua .338 brass appears to come out to $205.99 plus S&H. That is just about what I have found once fired .338 Lapua brass for. If you know of brand new Lapua 338 brass cheaper than this please - Do Share.

T

 

[Dogtown]

Thank you!

 

[Polaris Doc]

Tag

 

[Herd Thinner]

Total rookie question. If I buy new Lapua brass do I have to full length size it the first firing

 

[Bob815]

Total rookie question. If I buy new Lapua brass do I have to full length size it the first firing

I didn't. I just neck sized and that was it.

Bob

 

[Bob815]

Do you mind sharing your loads?

I too have a 1:12 TRG-42. I'm using Lapua brass, the 365 bushing in a Redding die, and 250 gr bullets. Mostly the Berger hybrids but also some Scenars. Fed 215M primers and Retumbo. I've been using 93.7 grains of Retumbo and the Bergers shoot pretty well seated at 3.681", but every once in a while the bolt handle is a little heavy to lift, which leads me to think I'm loading kind of hot.

I've only been reloading for a few years. Just curious to see what someone more experienced than I is doing with the same rifle & reloading setup. Thanks.

Whats a good starting point for bullet jump on a TRG 42?

Bob

 

[tenbears63771]

Great story and information YetiSlayer

 

[Tristian19]

Oh, one last thing. If you are married and she is not into shooting, she will hate the thing, so you will have spend more dollars keeping her happy. Just Sayin'...

My wife was not into guns at all. Not ANTI but not PRO. After light discussions here and there I took her out to shoot my 22LR. Now she's got the fever. As long as all the bills are paid, vacations and all that have stayed the same she can't complain; though, she has no idea how much I dropped on my last two customs with scopes and mounts.

Anyway, my thought was to get her into the sport. Now she took over my 22LR. Next up she will be shooting my .223 training rig. Later this year we're going back out to see Jamie @ wolfprecision so she can try her hand at hitting gallons of water at 900 and 1000 yards. With the way she shoots my 22 (SUB MOA), accuracy of my .223 rig and the correct wind call she'll hit it too!

Just my two cents...

Be safe & have fun

 

[bruddah]

Ok, now I've got the scope AND rifle....


Now need dies, brass, primers, powder and bullets....

And I think I'm going to need a bigger press. I don't think my RCBS "Partner" will cut it....

 

[biffj]

I'm running 250 SMK's in Lapua, Hornady and Privi brass with pretty good results. You need to load for the brass you're using as you'll find that different makes have different capacity and that will change your velocity. I loaded all my ammo to the same spec to start with using 97gr of IMR5010 with 250gr Sierra Matchkings. The lapua brass was running about 2860fps, Hornady about 2920 and the Privi being the lowest capacity was over 2950. Not paying attention to this little detail can give you some pretty interesting groups. Keep brass segregated by maker and many weigh them to keep in groups by weight. My rifle is a Desert Tactical SRS with a 26" 1 turn in 10" barrel. I find that I can shoot beautiful raggy one hole groups consistently despite my abililty but as noted each type of brass will put its group somewhere different.
As for the brass I've got cases that have 7-10 firings on them with no issues. Some of the hornady stuff had some cracking early on but if it makes it 2 loadings it will usually go more. I'm not running huge pressure or shooting the 300 gr bullets( I save them for the subsonic 338BR) so that is one factor in brass life. If you push the 300's for all they're worth your brass won't last as long. I still prefer the Lapua brass as it is the most consistent and well made. Its the highest cost as well.
I'm using a RCBS Ammomaster press setup for 50 BMG but with bushings to take the little dies for the 338 and other stuff like that. It works well and has plenty of leverage for the 338 Lapua mag cases. I use it to load 20mm for the Solothurn anti-tank gun as well so the 338LM is a tiny round. I also use the redding dies and have been pretty happy with everything but the carbide button which pulled off the stem after only 1500rds or so. It wasn't a lube problem....just threads that are too fine for the job I think. Redding was good about fixing it.

Enjoy the rifle.....its a hoot. Get a suppressor. It will make your life a lot easier as it reduces not only noise but recoil as well.

Frank

 

[Tristian19]

Ok, now I've got the scope AND rifle....


Now need dies, brass, primers, powder and bullets....

And I think I'm going to need a bigger press. I don't think my RCBS "Partner" will cut it....

Ok Bruddah,

Did you pick up Retumbo the other day? Hide and Seek???

What .338 Loads are you planning on running?

What spec .338 Lapua did you pick up?

 

[bruddah]

Ok Bruddah,

Did you pick up Retumbo the other day? Hide and Seek???

What .338 Loads are you planning on running?

What spec .338 Lapua did you pick up?

I did!

Not sure....

Savage 110 BA

 

[Tristian19]

I did!

Not sure....

Savage 110 BA

Ok. I've got one - Savage 110 BA 338 LM.

300 SMK
89.3 Retumbo
Lapua Brass 2.714/3.680
CCI 250 or 215M
BANG

As they say, always work up your load.

With a grain of salt:
89.3 of Retumbo "should not" be anywhere near displaying pressure UNLESS there is a reloading issue or issue with Savage itself (I will not go there at this time).
89.3 is lower node. My custom 338 Lapua runs same exact components, except, 92.1 of Retumbo. Now that load I would 'without a doubt' think would be hot in Savage 110 BA - proceed with caution. I would perform a "pressure" workup test FIRST to see where pressure actually begins.
I have not run above components above 89.3 of Retumbo.

Your rig 'may' ultimately like 89.2, 89.4 but my money is on 89.3ish. All depends on what you want.

I started with RCBS dies.
I am now exclusively using Redding Competion

To share what I did with my Savage 110 BA 338.
Started with: Redding Competition Bushing 3-Die Neck Sizer Set 338 Lapua Mag
Used: .365 Titanium Bushing

* I obtained better results after I neck sized and used .365 above

I also used and continue to use depending on variables: Redding Full Length Sizer Die 338 Lapua Mag (Non bushing die)

Safe shooting...

 

[Tristian19]

Ok, now I've got the scope AND rifle....


Now need dies, brass, primers, powder and bullets....

And I think I'm going to need a bigger press. I don't think my RCBS "Partner" will cut it....

I started off and continue to use a Lee single stage press that I purchased when I first started reloading a few years back. She works fine for me so I would 'think' your current RCBS would do just fine but I have no experience with any other press outside of my Lee. Not saying Lee, or my Lee is way to go, just sharing my personal experience.

When I do change press I will lean towards, Dillon, Redding, and Lyman in that order. Last I heard Dillion does not offer a Single Stage Press but something just maybe in the works. Hint Hint. So I am most likely going to stick with my Lee for now being she works. All of my other reloading components are of good/higher quality. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way.

Now I live by: BUY ONCE CRY ONCE!!!

I shoot for precision so I had a custom 338 built which turned out to be a Tack Driver and Laser Beam rolled into one. Thank you Jamie for building me another incredible rig!!! Because of this I am always looking for precision shot placement I found most of initial reloading components not up to par on what I was looking for. In there defense it was not that they were bad, they were good, I wanted better so I paid the piper. You do NOT need to go with Redding Comp or equivalent unless you want it similar and your pockets decide to pay for it. All depends on what your goal for your rig is.

Just sharing some personal thoughts and experiences...

Safe shooting

 

[Tristian19]

I am in the market for a .338 Lapua. With that I will be reloading. I am currently switching my dies over from LEE and do not want to start with LEE for the Lapua. So I have some ideas of what I want to get but would love input. I was thinking of Fosters full length sizer and ultra Micrometer seater die set and Redding Type S-Neck bushing dies NK. As for brass I guess even though its expensive Lapua is the way to go. I haven't seen much once fired brass for the .338. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks !!!

Just a quick FYI in event you are not aware of thread called Hide and Seek. You may just find it worth watching.
>>> http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/options-accessories-sale/183787-hide-seek-91.html#post2427399 <<<

A lot of my experience with .338 LM echos YetiSlayer so I will not bore you with same. We appear to use almost all same reloading components, at least what he mentioned in dies, competition shell holders and Chargemaster.
I did know from day one I was going to have to reload for 338 LM as my pockets cannot fund factory 338 LM ammo as often as I like to squeeze the trigger. Trigger time is my Therapy Time and I need a lot of Therapy.

Have you picked up a 338 LM yet?

 

[Tristian19]

First off, welcome to the .338 Lapua Magnum bankruptcy club.

Could not have put it any better myself!!!
If I did not reload my 338 LM I would be bankrupt by now..

Oh, one last thing. If you are married and she is not into shooting, she will hate the thing, so you will have spend more dollars keeping her happy. Just Sayin'...

Not sure if you ever saw my post on this thread #24. Well the first part worked out well. Getting wife into sport was definitely a good move on my part. Getting her to shoot my custom .223 was NOT. Wife ROOKED me for my weapon. Now I am trying to make up the funds to have Jamie build me a .custom 260. I screwed myself.

http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/snipers-hide-reloading/247203-338-lapua-set-up.html#post3140850

 

[Sniper Uncle]

Could not have put it any better myself!!!
If I did not reload my 338 LM I would be bankrupt by now..



Not sure if you ever saw my post on this thread #24. Well the first part worked out well. Getting wife into sport was definitely a good move on my part. Getting her to shoot my custom .223 was NOT. Wife ROOKED me for my weapon. Now I am trying to make up the funds to have Jamie build me a .custom 260. I screwed myself.

http://www.snipershide.com/shooting/snipers-hide-reloading/247203-338-lapua-set-up.html#post3140850

Good job on getting the wife involved. I did so, and now I have reason to buy guns for anniversaries, or birthdays. They make good gifts, as I get to play with them too.

 

[YetiSlayer]

I use it to load 20mm for the Solothurn anti-tank gun as well so the 338LM is a tiny round.

A SOLOTHURN!!!! REALLY???? You, Sir, are an ass. I now utterly hate and despise you, Just Sayin'... (Sarc off). Additionally, any reference to a Solothurn S-18/1000 is useless, and frankly mean, without pics and/or videos on anything that relates to that magnificent piece of 1930's technology. I have wanted a Solothurn since I was a kid when I used to see the old for sale ads in the old gun rags that my grandfather used to have around the house. But, alas, that was in the '70's and there was just no way to get one. Since then they have been unobtanium for those in my income group. The fact that you have one and are still able to keep it shooting is amazing. I do hereby humbly bow down to you for you are a god.

 

[biffj]

A SOLOTHURN!!!! REALLY???? You, Sir, are an ass. I now utterly hate and despise you, Just Sayin'... (Sarc off). Additionally, any reference to a Solothurn S-18/1000 is useless, and frankly mean, without pics and/or videos on anything that relates to that magnificent piece of 1930's technology. I have wanted a Solothurn since I was a kid when I used to see the old for sale ads in the old gun rags that my grandfather used to have around the house. But, alas, that was in the '70's and there was just no way to get one. Since then they have been unobtanium for those in my income group. The fact that you have one and are still able to keep it shooting is amazing. I do hereby humbly bow down to you for you are a god.

A little overdone but always nice to see someone who knows what the Solo is and appreciates it. Very neat guns. Here are a couple pics. I'm an old codger and don't post video....hard enough to up and download
pics with my crappy internet connection. The pics of the Solo also have my DTA SRS (now covert) as well. We had some Swiss friends visiting and they wanted to shoot the Solo. They'd never seen one in the Homeland despite living about 50 miles from the factory. They like the SRS as well.

The oddball in the pics is a little larger bore...24mm and was built a few miles from the plant in Solothurn where the S18-1000 was built. Its a TB41 anti-tank gun sitting on the tripod for the Swiss MG11 watercooled maxim. They were built at WaffenFabrik Bern and had their own wheeled mount that had no elevation or traverse gear....free swing. The wheels come off and the legs flip over to make a tripod. They also fired the guns laying on the ground with no mount at all. I never fired one but I've heard they have very low recoil. Probably due to the weight and the huge muzzle brake.
We are going to test fire it next week I hope. Ammo is tough to find but cases can be loaded once you have them.

Frank

 

[Dogtown]

I often wish I could skip .50BMG and move right up to 14.5mm Soviet for a big bore rifle.

 

[biffj]

I often wish I could skip .50BMG and move right up to 14.5mm Soviet for a big bore rifle.

I had a 14.5mm PTRS for a few years but never got to shoot it. I was warned not to shoot new postwar ammo and there isn't any safe powder to use in the US. I figured if I couldn't get ammo it wasn't worth keeping. I do have a .50 BMG Brit Boys rifle that has about 2K rounds through its current barrel. They are a hoot and recoil isn't as bad as you might think. Probably figured out I've got a thing for Anti-tank guns. I've got a problem with Tanks as well....seems I'm the mechanic and frequently the driver for my buddies collection. Started out with russian stuff - T34, T54, T55AM2, T72M1 and 3 BMP-1s, then he had to have a Chieftain, after that he ended up with a Leopard 1A4, a Swiss PZ61, and last week a nice Walker Bulldog. What a life huh?

Pics are the Leopard 1, the T34-85 running, T54 and T62, and last but not least the Pz61. Did you know the Swiss built their own tanks? Did you know they even have an army? The tank is really cool, has a steering wheel and formula 1 paddle shifter, 6 speed gearbox and a mercedes 630HP V8. What a joy to drive.

Sorry to run off the thread....had to put em up there. Had some family from Switzerland too and I really like the Swiss guns. The solo and the TB41 are really cool too.



Frank

 

[Tristian19]

I had a 14.5mm PTRS for a few years but never got to shoot it. I was warned not to shoot new postwar ammo and there isn't any safe powder to use in the US. I figured if I couldn't get ammo it wasn't worth keeping. I do have a .50 BMG Brit Boys rifle that has about 2K rounds through its current barrel. They are a hoot and recoil isn't as bad as you might think. Probably figured out I've got a thing for Anti-tank guns. I've got a problem with Tanks as well....seems I'm the mechanic and frequently the driver for my buddies collection. Started out with russian stuff - T34, T54, T55AM2, T72M1 and 3 BMP-1s, then he had to have a Chieftain, after that he ended up with a Leopard 1A4, a Swiss PZ61, and last week a nice Walker Bulldog. What a life huh?

Pics are the Leopard 1, the T34-85 running, T54 and T62, and last but not least the Pz61. Did you know the Swiss built their own tanks? Did you know they even have an army? The tank is really cool, has a steering wheel and formula 1 paddle shifter, 6 speed gearbox and a mercedes 630HP V8. What a joy to drive.

Sorry to run off the thread....had to put em up there. Had some family from Switzerland too and I really like the Swiss guns. The solo and the TB41 are really cool too.



Frank

Ummmmmmmmm, WOW

Definitely different for sure.

Beyond, Kinda Kool