.308 bullet identification

[LeadHead]

So a few years ago I got some of these .308" bullets from a guy who told me they are Lapua (he thought they were D-46). However, they weigh out at 171gr and I can find no reference to such an animal. Do any of you have any idea what they might be?

 

[Lone Hunter]

D46

The legendary D46 is a full metal jacket boat tail bullet (FMJBT), perfect for mid-range and long range shooting and one by which all other rifle bullets of its type are measured.

www.lapua.com

I bought some of these Lapua D46 bullets several years ago to shoot out of my 03 Springfield. Never loaded them but they looked just like yours. Don’t remember the weight either. Lapua website says 185 grains for the weight. Another I don’t know is exactly where there at either. They are with the 30/06 brass I bought with the bullets but …
pretty sure they are Lapua though..

 

[darkangel_r2]

So a few years ago I got some of these .308" bullets from a guy who told me they are Lapua (he thought they were D-46). However, they weigh out at 171gr and I can find no reference to such an animal. Do any of you have any idea what they might be?

View attachment 1300131

Matrix and alco make 168 rbt bullets? Have you taken physical dimensions off it? Is it actually 308? How long is it? Hard to tell from the pic is it fmj or open tip?

 

[LeadHead]

Yes, they do mic out at .3085" and is a FMJ, not an open tip. I'll have to measure the length tomorrow.

 

[darkangel_r2]

Looks like lapua used to make a 170 grain version of that d46. I bet that is what you have there. Discontinued mid 2000s i think.

 

[Park ranger]

I used to load those in my m-14 days of service rifle. I was a teenager. We called them Lapua step boat tails. 170 grain +\-.

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

It looks semi close to the 7.5 Swiss (GP11). Not exact. I think some were made to approximate that round.

 

[Rem06]

wildcat bullets?

Contact Richard Graves, owner of Wildcat Bullets at:
Phone:780-352-8592

or

couldnt find his websight but im not good at that stuff

forget it, sold to a guy in Nevada.but he made those rebated boattails..

 

[Juppe12]

There has been 11g D46 bullet made by Lapua. Actually I did shoot last of my 11g D46 last summer. Lapua still continues with 12g D46 which is still quite nice bullet for my Tikka M65

 

[Kurz]

There has been 11g D46 bullet made by Lapua. Actually I did shoot last of my 11g D46 last summer. Lapua still continues with 12g D46 which is still quite nice bullet for my Tikka M65

The 11g (gram) D46 was usually sold as a 170 gr. (grain) bullet. Mathematically it's just a little over 169 grains (169.6). I bought lots of these quite a few years ago when I discovered they shot well in several of my .308 Win. practice rifles. I was disturbed to find that Lapua had discontinued the 170 grain in favor of the now 185 grain which my rifles didn't care for. Good ending though, I found someone who had a couple thousand on hand which he wasn't going to use.

 

[Timberyote]

Like others have said, it looks like the Lapua bullets I shot in the '80's. Very accurate.

 

[Laurie]

@Juppe12 and @Kurz me to the punch. I too can remember nominally 170gn Lapua D-series bullets being available in the UK. The B-series 150 and 170gn 'Lock-Base' FMJs outlived it for some years, but have also been withdrawn a while ago. Only the 185gn and 200gn Ds survive I believe of the older non-Scenar match and military long-range FMJ models. I still have an old Lapua reloading manual somewhere from before Vihtavuori taking that role over that has 308 Win loads for the170gn 'D'.

 

[rijndael]

The B-series 150 and 170gn 'Lock-Base' FMJs outlived it for some years, but have also been withdrawn a while ago.

This is a 170LB:

 

[Juppe12]

@Juppe12 and @Kurz me to the punch. I too can remember nominally 170gn Lapua D-series bullets being available in the UK. The B-series 150 and 170gn 'Lock-Base' FMJs outlived it for some years, but have also been withdrawn a while ago. Only the 185gn and 200gn Ds survive I believe of the older non-Scenar match and military long-range FMJ models. I still have an old Lapua reloading manual somewhere from before Vihtavuori taking that role over that has 308 Win loads for the170gn 'D'.

I think that heavier, 170gr lockbase still continues in .30. LB is also available in 338. I think (not 100% sure) that it will continue because of finnish military. Finnish defence forces do need FMJ bullet for sniper rifles. I know that scenar is better but I know that FDF will not use open tip bullets if there would be a "real" situation.

 

[Laurie]

I think that heavier, 170gr lockbase still continues in .30.

Yes, you're correct.

https://www.lapua.com/bullets/lock-base/

I was misled by remembering that our Lapua components importer / distributor, Hannams Reloading Ltd., showed the 30 cal LBs as 'discontinued' and sold its remaining stocks off with a large discount some years ago. The 'discontinued' tag obviously referred to the company stocking them rather than factory production. I do know that sales were pitiful in their last years despite them being good value, well made, and excellent bullets for suitable historic military rifles or short to mid-range general shooting on the ranges.

I'm pretty certain I've still got some B466 150s in very old silver colour cardboard cartons lurking around in my components collection. I do know for certain I have some D46 185s still, although I've not loaded any for at least 10 years.

 

[D-4297]

I've got a hundred or so in my cabinet . They are Lapua rebated Boat-tail . I found a couple in the box of 185's that were 172gr and 174gr . I shoot them in my .308 M-N , and they're fairly accurate .

 

[6bra1k]

i shoot the lapua 185 fmj REBATED BOAT TAIL currently in a 24" 308.
.68 at 300 yards
inspite of the fmj, the rebated boat tail is amazingly accurate.
bart tried making some in 6mm but just too hard on tooling