Completely agreed. Also worth noting is that a 338 lapua wouldn't get you much mileage in a military sniper situation, which is why God invented the Barrett M82 and its ilk.
I haven't ever seen anything resembling it in the hands of SWAT or urban-area police, which is probably for the better for exactly the reasons you mentioned.
The NYPD just tried to buy a Serbu .50bmg rifle (a half-price M82), and got denied (because of NYS gun laws, Serbu refused to sell, and lulz were had by all.) I personally do not want NYPD to have .50bmg except maybe harbor police for interdicting boats. Once they have stuff like that, they'll want to use it, and their record for use of firearms isn't particularly stellar.
I've seen plenty of .338 Lapua used in military anti-personnel applications, but by far the #1 is still .308 (168gr SMK type). .338 with 300gr VLD is essentially the same for range and enough ft-lbs to wound humans vs. .50bmg; it's just inferior for anti-materiel. The M82 is just way too big for anyone to carry.
OTOH, the whole "stalk for a week to take a single shot at the enemy" kind of never happens anymore, either -- if they're stalking like that, it's an air force FACP or CCT who is going to just use a laser and call in much more firepower without compromising his position. Most military sniping I saw involved being within friendly lines, or driving to/from in a low-profile or hmmwv and setting up in a building. In early 2003-2005 I guess there were "go out with a motorized patrol, drop off along their route, do it all night, and then get picked up the next evening", but I obviously never observed this. So "too big to carry" isn't a real showstopper.
I wasn't aware the Serbu was on the police loophole list[1], but I'm glad that they are.
I agree that I don't generally want metro-level police agencies having anti-materiel rounds in their arsenal, especially in places like California and New York. Still though, I'm building a 50 cal AR, so I don't see any reason they wouldn't be able to if they were so inclined, and Alexander Arms (makers of the .50 beowulf upper) have not declared for or against SAFE-act like legislation (probably because they haven't had to choose yet).
Agree that .338LM is similar in all aspects to .50BMG as far as lethality. You're talking about a round that has TWICE as much energy @ 1,500 yards as the widely used (by police) 124gr 9x19mm handgun load would have at the muzzle. Almost the same velocity and more than twice the mass.
Huh? The .338 Lapua is a heavily used military sniper caliber the last I checked. It's used by Navy SEALs, the Brits, the Dutch, and many other countries. It is the round that was used to achieve the current record of longest confirmed sniper kill in combat (by a British Army sniper in Afghanistan).
Ug. It was late last night, and I think I had mentally swapped out the 338 lapua for a 308 Winchester. Thanks for the correction. I dunno what was wrong with me.
I haven't ever seen anything resembling it in the hands of SWAT or urban-area police, which is probably for the better for exactly the reasons you mentioned.