Lapua Ammo Spotlight

Lapua Ammo is produced by the state-owned cartridge factory based in Lapua, Finland. The Lapua ammo brand prides itself in developing precise and accurate ammunition for hunting, tactical use, and especially for sport shooting.

From producing ammo for Finland in World War II to supplying the best marksmen in the world, Lapua Ammo has been incredibly versatile and innovative in the products it has offered. With its precise accuracy and proven top quality, Lapua Ammo has become one of the most prestigious manufacturers of ammunition in the world.

History of Lapua Ammo

The first Lapua State Cartridge Factory was built in 1923 after Finland declared its independence from Russia just 6 years before.

As tension in Europe grew, the Finnish government began to ramp up production of ammunition in anticipation of war. The Lapua State Cartridge Factory would become Finland's main supplier of ammunition against the attacking Soviet Union army in both the Winter War and during World War II.

After World War II ended the Lapua Cartridge Factory became incorporated with the Governmental Metal Factory. Soon after the production of the first Lapua Rimfire Ammo began in 1947.

The tragedy of the Lapua Cartridge Factory Explosion occurred in April 1976 forcing Lapua to move their operations outside of the center of the city. Lapua rebounded from the accident as they began developing ammunition for hunters, sportsmen, and others in the civilian market. As a result, the Lapua Factory facility expanded in 1984 to further increase production.

Lapua Ammo for the Civilian Market

After focusing more on the civilian market, Lapua has developed and manufactured a number of innovative reloading bullets, rifle ammo, rimfire ammo, and more.

In 1988, .338 Lapua Magnum Ammo was produced with the ability to be accurate up to 1500 meters. The .338 Lapua Magnum Cartridge has since become popular with big game hunters who use this rifle ammo to shoot down hostile game from long distances.

In the same year, Lapua produced the Scenar Bullet which set the standard for open tip match bullets. These Lapua Scenar projectiles proved to be record-breaking for target shooters. During the 1990 Moscow Shooting World Championships, Norway's Harald Stenwaag stunned the world by using Lapua Scenar bullets to achieve a perfect score in the 300-meter event.

Lapua Scenar projectiles are manufactured in a variety of different sizes for popular calibers including:

- Lapua .224 Bullets (5.68mm) for .223 Ammo

- Lapua .264 Bullets (6.5mm) for 6.5 Caliber Ammo

- Lapua .308 Bullets (7.83mm) for 30 Caliber Ammo

- Lapua .338 Bullets (8.61mm) for 338 Caliber Ammo

Lapua ammo is safe for use and incredibly tolerable in many different environments. Lapua 223 5.56x45 Loaded Ammo and similar rounds will work in cold, hot, dry, or humid environments without fail. This makes Lapua ammunition ideal for hunting, long-term storage, and of course competitive shooting. 

Lapua Ammo in Competition

Lapua Ammo has been used by marksmen in sporting competition since its early years of production. Lapua ammo has been used by dozens of gold medal winners in World Championship competition as well as in the Olympics.

Kullervo Leskinen of Finland was the first known marksmen to earn a gold medal using Lapua Ammo. He accomplished this feat in 1930 in rifle shooting during the Antwerpen World Shooting Championships.

Pentti Linnosvuo, also of Finland, was the first Olympian to use Lapua ammo to win a gold medal. Linnosvuo took first place in the Free Pistol Shooting competition during the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.

Lapua Ammo continues to earn the respect of marksmen in present day competition. During the most recent 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, 32 out of 33 Biathlon medal winners used Lapua ammunition.