As more and more interest in the Long Range community, one thing has become apparent. To this day, the 7.62x51mm still has a place in the modern military sniper community. For a rifle platform, this caliber is great for building a highly modular and dynamic setup. Advertising does not influence our gear reviews and it never will. This topic of long-range calibers is debated across many different disciplines including PRS, Tactical, Military/Law Enforcement, Hunting, etc. I tend to like popular calibers for off the shelf ammo availability and cost, so the gun doesnt just sit in the safe. There is no shortage of amazing cartridges that offer dazzling performance at extended ranges. The Judge has been promoted! Slightly more than the .308 Winchester. No. It combined flat-shooting ballistics with hard-hitting bullets in a package with lighter recoil than the .300 Weatherby Magnum, which debuted in 1944. Average barrel life will depend greatly on ammo type and how fast the gun is shot (barrel temp.). Hornady has led the new millennium charge with regard to cartridges for long range shooting. Again, as most wildcat rounds are concerned, barrel life will not be great. Initial Thoughts: I find it so interesting to see how this compares to the Lapua Magnum. 1,500m: 306 ft-lbs. Everyone knows that speed kills. So like the 6.5 Creedmoor, if you have a .308, you can have two calibers in one rifle action with a new barrel. Remaining Energy: Muzzle: 4,029 ft-lbs. You can expect to pay about $1.00 per round at most online retailers. 500m: 1,866 ft-lbs. Rather than the 3,000 to 5,000 rounds a careful shooter gets out of a 6.5 Creedmoor, most 6mm Creedmoors are burned out by the 2,000-round mark, and many last fewer than 1,500 rounds. With the right bullet and (as always) good shot placement, the 6.5 Creedmoor hits hard. A standard projectile weight for optimum performance out of the 6CM would be a 105 grain Berger Target VLD @ 3,100fps. Recoil Condition: For being a long and hard-hitting round, the 6.5 CM still maintains a lower felt recoil. As it passes through Transonic Range, the vapor cone dissipates, leaving the bullet exposed to turbulent, dirty air. I see another wildcat come to the limelight. Actual muzzle velocities, trajectories, and times of flight, will vary from rifle to rifle. Use whatever you wantwhether a .223 Rem., a .45/70, or something in betweenand call it Christmas. I like the idea of taking the .223/5.56 concept and stretching its legs. You will not impress anyone serious in the Long Range community by selecting the largest bore LR caliber if you cant properly mitigate and control the recoil of your system. Mag.s accuracy at these distances were changes to the chamber reamers used. Mag. Nostalgia for my earliest days in deer camp. I like the 300 win mag for above reasons. The Longest Competition Rifle Shot Ever | Outdoor Life The process of forming the brass is laborious. If you are already familiar with shooting sports the cartridge you use has a lot to do with personal preference. Overall Practicality: I heavily recommend this caliber to those out there who want magnum performance without magnum recoil. Somewhere in-between an AR-15 and AR-10. Offering superb accuracy coupled with very light recoil, the 6mm Creedmoor is a favorite amongst PRS shooters needing to spot their own impacts at long range. Great article, bringing in all the relevant points. Because the .224 is so new, the market is still catching on. I really like the 6.5 Lapua for seasoned bolt-gun competition shooters. As a result, barrel life suffers. Ryan Cheney The Specs Rifle: GA Precision Custom Cartridge: 33XC Action: Defiance Deviant Tactical Stock: Manners F-Class Trigger: Triggertech Diamond Two-Stage Barrel: 35-inch Bartlein with a 9.5 twist Muzzle brake: Terminator T4 I would also give a nod to the 6mm ARC, as I am seeing more of this on shelves. It is also the most popular caliber for the most popular and modular riflethe AR-15. Barrel Life: Because of the smaller powder volume and lower MVs, you can expect to see about 3,000 rounds out of your barrel. 7 Best Long-Range Cartridges: Hit Stuff Really Far Away No one can deny how terrific a .300 WM performs at extended range. An AR-10 firing with a suppressor, the .308 will recoil slightly more than an AR-15. Until now, bolt action rifles only. To find the ideal caliber youll have to ask yourself a few questions. With less powder capacity than a .300 WM, the WSM is still manageable. The cartridge was designed for reliable feeding in battle rifles, not efficient powder burns for consistent accuracy. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Barnes, Hornady, Federal, and Berger all make loads ranging from $0.60-$1.30 per round. The biggest issue for calibers this new and this niche, is Hornadys ability to keep up with the demand. Although I dont see this being an entry-level caliber, it could very well lead to a goal for new shooters. No. All in all, the 6.5 Lapua has great numbers on a round moving fairly slow. Very similar to the .243 Winchester. 500m: 1260 ft-lbs. Muzzle Velocity: 168gr Berger Target Hybrid @ 3,200 fps, Ballistic Co-Efficient: G1: 0.515 G7: 0.264. One of the newer cartridges on the list, the .300 PRC comes to us from Hornady in 2018. In physics, gyroscopic stability explains that the rotational spin on a projectile will keep it on its initial course. Muzzle: 2,832 ft-lbs. Being developed in 2017, most ammo is going to come from reloading. Christensen Arms Modern Precision Rifle 7. It was designed from the ground up in 2005 by an ammunition manufacturer, Lapua, to take on the 300-1,000 yard competition world. The components for reloading are also readily available. Au contraire! The big advantage and why the .260 became so popular was that it could easily be necked up or down by using other standard rifle cartridges, making reloading a breeze. Initial Thoughts: Again, this round is such a classic. Like many standardized wildcat rounds, this cartridge excelled in bench rest, long range medium game hunting, and steel target shoots. So make your pick wisely, and then get to shooting, because a cartridge can only be as accurate as the one firing it. Modernized versions, such as Sierras 168-grain Tipped MatchKing and Hornadys 168-grain ELD Match, substantially bump up ballistic coefficient (BC) numbers, further increasing capability. Its also much easier to do than it has been in the past. The rifle that made the record-setting 4,137-yard shot is chambered in 33XC. The top-end stuff certainly has its gatekeepers. However, because of the lack of interest in the market, ammo is pretty expensive and interest in the caliber is limited to bench rest shooters. The key to the Dasher and these other rounds is their consistency. Some could even say that this caliber has created quite the fanboy following. Mag., notably the .300 PRC and .300 Norma Mag., but for now, the .300 Win. I made my selection of long range calibers based on my experiences hunting, shooting, and competing with these loads. Im referring to cartridges that have been custom designed by people in the industry who squeeze every drop of performance out of a round. Now, are these the only viable options for a long-range cartridge for you? The other challenge with shooting the Dasher is that you have to handload. The two most common BCs used are G1 and G7 below: If you notice the G7 profile has a more streamlined design. Since the most common .223 projectile for LR performance is the Sierra Match King 77gr OTM, we will use that; G7 BC ~ 0.202. Barrel life is excellent, even when 10-shot rapid-fire strings are run over and over during a weekend match. Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical Optic-Ready Autoloading Shotgun: First Look, Non-Lethal Personal & Home Defense with Byrna, Range Tested: EAA Girsan Pistols & Shotguns, New for 2023: Christensen Arms Modern Hunting Rifle (MHR), New for 2023: All-American RIA 5.0 Sporting Pistol, New for 2023: FN Rush 9Ti Pistol Suppressor, New Big Bore Pistols for 2023: FN 510 Tactical and FN 545 Tactical, New for 2023: FN SCAR 15P Rifle Caliber Pistol, First Look: Taurus Raging Hunter 460 Magnum Revolver With 10.5-Inch Barrel, New-for-2023 Taurus Judge Executive Grade 410/.45 Colt Revolver, Smith & Wesson Equalizer and the Brand New M&P 5.7 Pistol, Most useful for: PRS & 1,000-yard slow-fire matches, Most useful for: Service rifle and .223-only PRS matches, Most useful for: Matches regulated to .308 only, Most useful for: 1,000-yard slow-fire matches, Most useful for: Cross-country long-range & 1,000-yard slow- fire matches. But isnt that what makes it awesome? Shooting a 180-grain bullet (.507 G1 BC) at 2,960 fps and sighted in 1.5 inches high at 100 yards, the .300 Win. Before its inception, the thought of pushing a 75-grain projectile past 1000 yards was uncommon. That is the average barrel life of the Magnum cartridges. When buying . One other downside of the .308 is that it has just enough recoil to be annoying. Remaining Energy: Muzzle: 5,096 ft-lbs. The projectile designed specifically for Long Range shooting is the 90 grain Sierra Match King. One thing that becomes abundantly clear is that theres a world of difference between a 1,000-yard poke and one that stretches beyond a mile (1,760 yards). Does it go the farthest? Being developed in 2017, most ammo is going to come from reloading. I had read other raving reviews about the 6.5 Creedmoor but I really didnt expect it to be the top choice of an experienced marine who had used the .308. The .308 Win case has a nice even powder burn and has readily available brass for reloading. This year it had shots out to 2,000 yards, although most of the shots were 800-1700 yards. Overall Practicality: The .223 is an excellent choice for an inexperienced and/or younger shooter. Initial Thoughts: The .223 Remington offers an excellent choice for the novice weekend warrior who has limited distance range facilities. Handloading ammunition can reap the reward of selecting the exact projectile with the exact desired BC. Taking the original .300 Ruger Compact Magnum and necking down to accept the 6.5CM projectiles, Hornady could fire the same projectiles as the 6.5CM but with 250 fps added MV. 10 Top Precision Rimfire Rifles for Competition and the Field Still not in the magnum range so no worries. It stays supersonic clear to 2,100 yards. You cannot pick a better round for the beginner Long Range shooter. The intended use and shooters budget play a major role in determining which is best. Overall Practicality: I argue that you will not find a more practical Long Range caliber in this list. History: While the 6.5mm (0.264) projectile was incredibly popular in Europe, the US in the late 90s was still stuck on the .30 caliber range. Ive also dabbled in the world of ELR shootingmeaning Extreme Long Rangeshooting to 2,000 yards and beyond with the Remington Custom Shop 300 PRC I had built for that purpose. And in slow-fire matches, neither recoil nor barrel burning is really an issue. The first four shots, my spotters and I saw the misses as I got closer and closer to hitting the plate. I still think this cartridge might be a bit on the wildcat side of the market (expensive to shoot and a barrel burner). Our rifles were dinged, we sometimes were issued machine gun ammo instead of match. 1000-Yard Benchrest Guide - AccurateShooter.com Bob Meinert, FN Marketing Director, introduces FN's first commercial pistol suppressor, the FN Rush 9Ti. The top-end stuff certainly has its gatekeepers. Im not going to dive too deep into terminal ballistics for the purpose of this article. There is no one-size-fits all answer when it comes to the best long-range calibers. Initial Thoughts: Coming from my military background, I was always reluctant to stray from the 7.62x51mm or .300 Winchester Magnum. got another cut at the plate thanks in large part to Jeff Hoffman, the owner of Black Hills Ammunition, who successfully advocated for loading the .300 with a 220-grain bullet at 2,800 fps. Unless that backer has five distinct holes in itwhich Stinnetts didit doesnt count. Not ideal for beginners or those who do not reload. The fact is rifle shooters have never had it so good. Recoil Condition: Shooting any of these calibers across any number of platforms will show that each round feels differently depending on the set-up. Its arched trajectory can make a rainbow look flat, and a grasshoppers sneeze will drift its bullets off course, but if its all youve got, you make the most of it. For someone considering PRS matches, this rifle is not for you. You can choose the hottest and flattest shooting caliber for your Long Range build, but keep in mind you will most likely have to replace that barrel once a year if you shoot enough.
