what's up with the brass of the cartridge on the left?  why is it necked in several places like that?

it's a .338 lapua magnum btw.

looks like the whole thing was machined  


because it is

its a training round

not sure.....can't quite make out the details.

Quoted: it's a .338 lapua magnum btw.

What is the purpose of it?

Quoted: looks like the whole thing was machined

Beat me to it..  

Looks like it is used as some kind of gauge

On their press release they reference a "Drill" round, that may be it. The extra rings could be there to indicate it is not live ammo.

Dummy cartridge, probably for feed testing, although it might also be usable for headspace checking.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Its "ribbed" for her pleasure!

Quoted: Its "ribbed" for her pleasure!

The one on the left is probably some of that shitty Indian .308 ammo.  I have seen a few of them with double belts and all sorts of interesting defects they consider acceptable.

Quoted: Quoted: looks like the whole thing was machined Beat me to it..   Looks like it is used as some kind of gauge

+1 on a guage of some sort.  The ribs are so you don't mistake it.

It's beautiful though. Man that Blank even look cool

Quoted: Dummy cartridge, probably for feed testing, although it might also be usable for headspace checking.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Its a dummy cartridge.. You DONOT use brass to make a headspace guage out of! it is too soft and will not hold tolorence.

Could you make the picture any larger?
I'd like to be able to see it fron 1000 yds out instead of just 500 yds like now...

Blood grooves!

thanks for the replies.  the idea of it being a dummy/training round makes the most sense to me.

i know the picture is big, thats the way i found it on another website, and i don't know how to easily resize it to post it.

.338 dummy round machined with reliefs for quick id.

www.swissmun.com/e/press/index.htm

Press Release

Thun/Switzerland, September 2003
.338 Lapua Mag. SWISS P Sniper Ammo Family

Armour Piercing / Ball / Target / Tactical / Blank / Drill

RUAG Ammotec has been producing ammunition of highest quality and precision for military applications for nearly 150 years. The "Swiss P" line of the calibres 5.56x45mm, 7.62x51mm, .300 Win. Mag. and .338 Lapua Mag., developed especially for snipers, has become well-known all over the world in the course of the last years. A great variety of customers rely on these products wherever exceptional precision, highest penetration force and simplest application are of importance.
The .338 Lapua Mag. Swiss P family is now supplemented by a further special projectile ("Tactical") and two types of practice rounds.
Already on the market are the "Armour Piercing" (AP) and "Ball" with identical trajectories up to 1,200 m, plus "Target" (HPBT) as a training ammunition (trajectory corresponding to that of AP and "Ball" up to 800 m). This innovative and successful family concept has found the approval of demanding customers. Spurred on by the very good acceptance on the international market, the ammunition specialists of RUAG Ammotec have ventured into adapting the family to meet additional requirements. The ".338 Lapua Mag. Tactical" is a so-called monoblock projectile designed especially for use in urban areas by police and military forces. Its main task is to penetrate glass surfaces and to hit the target behind them to one hundred percent without deviation from the trajectory. Even glass positioned at an angle of up to 30° to the trajectory is penetrated impeccably. The monoblock structure also ensures that no projectile fragments develop so that the danger to third persons is reduced to a minimum.

The "Blank" and "Drill" types have been developed for the training of highly qualified users, whereby the "Blank" supports a special simulation system.

By this the range of .338 Lapua Mag. SWISS P now comprises six different ammunition types. It is currently used by armed and special forces in Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK.

http://www.swissmun.com/d/press/pressreleases/bilder/print/swiss_p_338_family.jpg