The Accuracy International Arctic Warfare Super Magnum was the first factory
sniper rifle chambered in .338 Lapua.
In the early 1980's, the U.S Navy sought a new cartridge for long-range competition. Research Armament Industries (RAI) developed a .338 caliber wildcat using a rimless .416 Rigby case. After a few years of testing the .338/.416, U.S. Armed Forces lost interest and chose to focus on the .50 BMG instead. Lapua picked up the pieces, strengthened the case design, and created the .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge.
The .338 Lapua splits the difference between .308 sniper rifles and .50 BMG anti-materiel rifles, with an effective range of 1500 yards against man-sized targets. Rifles chambered in .338 Lapua are the same size and weight as other long-action calibers like .300 Winchester Magnum, or about half the weight of a .50 BMG rifle. This makes a dramatic difference in mobility for shooter and spotter teams.
Accuracy International (AI) was established in 1978 by World Champion rifle shooter Malcom Cooper along with Dave Walls and Dave Caig. They produced one of the first modern sniper rifles, the Precision Marksman (PM), which was adopted by the British as the L96 in 1985. AI modified the rifle to work better in arctic environments and this Arctic Warfare (AW) model was adopted by the Swedish Army in 1990. They had a vision for a multi-purpose long-range sniper caliber and this idea came to fruition in the Arctic Warfare Super Magnum (AWSM) sniper rifle chambered in .338 Lapua, which was adopted as the L115A1 in British service.
The AWSM has a Winchester-style three-way safety, two-way adjustable trigger,
and easy-to-operate magazine release. The dimples visible on the rear of the
bolt body help keep the action running in dirty conditions.
The AWSM receiver has a built-in proprietary dovetail for the AI single-piece scope mounts, or the rifle can be ordered with a permanently-mounted Picatinny rail. Its bolt has six lugs, in two in-line sets of three, which provide a short 60-degree bolt throw and low bolt profile. The bolt has an external claw extractor and a standard spring-loaded ejector. Screwed into the receiver is a 27-inch fluted stainless cut-rifled barrel, threaded on the muzzle end for the factory brake or a sound suppressor.
The flat-bottomed AI receiver is permanently bonded to an aluminum chassis that extends from the butt-stock to front of the forend. Stock-side "skins" are then clam-shelled around the chassis to create the stock. Because of this design, the rifle is unaffected by environmental changes; bedding is not required. The AWSM is also available with a robust folding stock.
The chassis provides ambidextrous sling snap-hook loops, in addition to a Harris bipod mount and a receptacle for the factory Parker-Hale-style bipod. The stock is adjustable for length of pull and comb height, and its design puts the bore centerline low compared to conventional stock designs.
The Sako TRG-42 was adopted by the Finnish Army in 2000.
Accuracy International provides accessories for the AWSM including bipod, hand-stop, sling and extra bipod mounts, headspace gauges, iron sights, mirage bands, muzzle brakes, adjustable butt pads, one-piece scope mounts, shooting and biathlon slings, hard and soft cases, and a barrel change kit.
Sako was established in 1921 to build firearms for Finland's Civil Guard and played a key role in that country's defense in WWII. Lapua began cooperating with Sako on the .338 Lapua cartridge in 1988, and this eventually yielded the TRG-41 sniper rifle. Sako updated the design and dubbed it the TRG-42, which the Finnish Army adopted in 2000.
The TRG-42 receiver has a solid closed-top design with an integral dovetail, intended for use with the Sako scope mounts. The receiver is mounted directly to an aluminum profile by three screws, removing the necessity for bedding. The
The TRG-42 has a Garand-style safety, three-way adjustable trigger, and magazine
release located forward of the trigger guard. The bolt catch is visible rear of
the ejection port.
The TRG-42 has a 27 1/8-inch tapered contour cold-hammer-forged barrel. The chrome-moly barrel may resist throat erosion batter than stainless steel. The TRG-42 is also available with a stainless steel barrel.
The TRG stock comprises two shells which screw onto the aluminum profile: one for the fore-end, and one for the butt-stock. Because these stock shells connect directly to the aluminum profile, there is no need for bedding and the stock does not affect accuracy. A folding stock rear shell is available for the TRG series.
The TRG stock provides quick-detach sling swivel mounts on both sides of the butt-stock; the front of the sling attaches to a sling mount on either the top or side of the rifle. The TRG detachable magazines are double stack, single feed, and have a capacity of five rounds of .338 Lapua.
The two-stage trigger pack is easily removable from the rifle. It can be adjusted from two to four pounds at the second stage, and can also be tuned for take-up, length of pull, and position. The safety is mounted inside the trigger guard like an M1 Garand safety.
Sako provides accessories for the TRG-42 including an adjustable butt pad, hard-case, slings, "Optilock" quick-detach and tactical scope mounts, muzzle brake, bipod, target-style iron sights, and 1913 Picatinny rail.
Part of the challenge of extreme long-range shooting is getting a good sight
picture. The standard silhouette is visible 3.5 mils right and 1 mil below the
reticle center ranges at 1520 yards.
I equipped the AWSM with a Schmidt and Bender 5-25x56mm Precision Marksman II scope, using the 28-MOA single-piece AI scope mount. The S&B has a first focal plane P4-Fine reticle, which provides hash marks every one-half mil. The knobs have 0.1-mil clicks, and the elevation knob can be dialed up 26 mils (or 260 clicks) from its zero-stop at 100 yards. Depending on atmospheric conditions such as pressure and temperature, the .338 Lapua needs anywhere from 12 to 16 mils dialed to get to 1500 yards, so this scope setup gets the job done for the Lapua.
Ray's TRG-42 is set up with a 20 MOA Picatinny base from Warne Manufacturing, upon which is mounted a U.S. Optics (USO) SN3 3.8-22x44 mm scope, in beefy 34 mm USO rings. Its elevation knob provides about 70 minutes up from a 100-yard zero, with 0.5-MOA clicks. The S&B has 20 minutes more elevation than the SN3, but both scopes can take the .338 Lapua to 1700 yards without running out of clicks.
The most common military ammunition for the .338 Lapua is the B408 "Lock Base" 250-grain FMJ load from Lapua. Armor-piercing (AP) and armor-piercing incendiary (API) loads are also available. Lapua's other 250-grain bullet is
Both rifles are capable of fantastic long-range performance. The bottom group
comprised five rounds from the AWSM in four inches at 940 yards. The TRG-42
shot three rounds into three inches in the top group at the same distance before the scope base
came loose.
For the last year, we have been shooting these rifles side by side at targets out to 1600 yards, with a keen interest to determine which rifle is more accurate. The summary is that they shoot basically the same. Both will shoot one-hole groups at 100 yards, and both can shoot sub-half-MOA at 1000 yards if the shooter knows what he's doing and conditions are favorable. The same long-range drop-data can be used interchangeably with both rifles. Even the same reloads shoot about the same in both rifles. In working up a recipe to duplicate the factory Lapua 250-grain Scenar, we both eschewed H1000 due to dispersion at 1000 yards and gravitated towards using H4831SC or Retumbo. Ray shoots a little better than I do, and his groups show it with either rifle, but it's hard to argue with five shots into four inches at just over half a mile.
Once you get past cosmetic differences, the two rifles are very similar in design: both have short-throw bolts; both use five-round detachable magazines; both have a closed-top receiver connected directly to an aluminum frame with
The TRG-42's bipod connects to the stock much closer to the bore axis and its
feet spread wider, but it is slower to deploy and adjust than the AI bipod.
The TRG bipod is without question more stable than the AI bipod; it connects to the stock much closer to the bore axis and its feet spread wider. The AI bipod produces a more "floppy" rifle, but it is quicker to stow, deploy, and adjust, and all of those can be done one-handed versus two-handed with the TRG bipod. A .338 Lapua shooter can afford to take a few extra seconds to produce a stable shooting position, so this is a clear advantage of the TRG.
The trigger on the TRG is a little crisper than the AI trigger. The magazine release on the AI is a little easier to operate. The barrel on the AI is end-user switchable with the factory barrel-change kit. The AI has less recoil than the TRG because it weighs more than the TRG. This is especially noticeable when the suppressor is mounted. The TRG cannot reliably stabilize the 300-grain SMK, which is a better bullet for ultra-long-range shooting than the 250-grain Scenar; the AWSM can.
Both Sako and AI provide single-piece scope mounts to connect the scope directly to the receiver without a separate rail and rings. Unfortunately, neither company offers a 35 mm ring option, and a separate rail is a notorious failure point which affected the Sako in our trials.
Which rifle is better? There is no definitive answer. Both rifles shoot so well at extreme ranges that their accuracy is limited only by the shooter's data-book, wind-call, and ability to hold the cross-hairs steady while pressing the trigger. The TRG-42 is lighter and easier to carry, however, if both rifles were run over by a truck and I had to make a critical shot, I would choose the AWSM; it's the tougher rifle. For the money, the TRG-42 is cheaper at $4018 for the rifle with bipod and muzzle brake, compared to $5530 for an AWSM configured the same way.
* The author would like to thank Janne Pohjoispaa and Ray Sanchez for assistance with this article.
* TABLE 1 AI-AWSM TRG-42 Caliber .338 Lapua Magnum .338 Lapua Magnum Weight 15.1 lbs 11.25 lbs Overall Length 48.5 inches 47.25 inches Barrel Type Stainless, Cold-hammer forged Cut-rifled 5R Barrel Length 27 inches 27.125 inches Twist 1:11 1:12 Magazine 5-round single-stack 5-round double-stack single-feed single-feed Action 60-degree bolt 60-degree bolt
Although the two rifles have stark cosmetic differences, their designs are
remarkably similar.
The .338 Lapua splits the difference between .50 BMG and .308 Winchester. Left
to right: .50 BMG, .338 Lapua, .308 Winchester, 5.56 NATO.
With a nominal reach just under a mile, the .338 Lapua can engage targets much further than
one can see without expensive optics.
The AWSM can be converted to .300 Winchester Magnum, which this shooter
uses to engage multiple targets during a timed exercise.
The AWSM magazine (left) is single-stack single-feed; the TRG-42 magazine
(right) is double-stack single-feed. Both hold five rounds of .338 Lapua
Magnum.
Both bolts provide 60-degree throw, utilize external claw extractors, and
spring-loaded ejectors. The AI has two rows of three lugs to provide similar
purchase to the Sako's three large lugs.
A Warne Picatinny rail sits atop the TRG-42 receiver, and affixes the USO SN3
scope in beefy 35mm rings to the rifle. A screwed-on base can be the weak link
in a precision rifle.
The Schmidt and Bender 5-25x56mm PMII scope sits in the 28-MOA single-piece AI
scope mount, which puts only one block of aluminum between the scope body and
receiver. It's not going anywhere.
The muzzle brakes on .338 Lapua rifles produce concussive blast which often
throws debris around the shooter's position.
The TRG-42's ergonomic design allows the shooter to retain the sight
picture while cycling the bolt.
Shown here in full recoil, the suppressor totally eliminates the overpressure
blast and debris signature.
Both rifles use muzzle brakes which are timed using a pinch bolt instead of by
torque on the break itself. The 1.75 x 9.0-inch titanium sound suppressor can
be screwed on without tools.
This shooter makes hits on an 1130-yard target at a military slant-sniper range
with the AI Super Magnum.
* SOURCES Accuracy International LTD http://www.accuracyinternational.com Sako http://www.sako.fi U.S Optics http://www.usoptics.com Schmidt & Bender http://www.schmidtbender.com Lapua http://www.lapua.com