The 7 best calibers under 300 yards:.308.25-06.243; 6 mm creedmoor.30-30.270.30-06 Every rifle is different. Somewhere in-between an AR-15 and AR-10. The result of this work was a flat shooting and hard hitting sniper cartridge with 200 to 400 yards of extended reach compared to the 7.62mm M118. Its LR performance and retained energy will be a great option for taking down the larger games at distance. How hard would it be to add a 223wssm to the mix. Ammo Availability: Again, being one of the forefathers of the Long Range shooting community, .308 is found everywhere. The number of options for load-development and rifle rigs is unsurpassed. Few AR-10s exist that can fire the .300WM. However, I cant jump fully on board until more bolt action options are available. Does it go the farthest? 6.5CM cases will fit an AR-10 magazine. Cross-Platform Use: Since this caliber is somewhat antiquated, the modern tactical platforms have not maintained product lines for the .243. It is an ideal choice for deer-sized game in open country, and a fine choice for mountain game. The best long-range cartridges are those that are flat shooting, feature aerodynamic projectiles and have enough power to go the distance. At 1,000 yards, the Creedmoor has 273 inches (22.75') of drop and the Nosler has 167 inches (13.92'). Trajectory is flat. The calibers up for debate will be: .223/5.56mm, .224 Valkyrie, .243 Winchester, 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5mm Grendel, 6.5mm Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC (Precision Rifle Cartridge), 6.5x47mm Lapua, .260 Remington, .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield, .300 Winchester Short Magnum, .300 PRC (Precision Rifle Cartridge), .300 Winchester Magnum, .300 Norma Magnum, .338 Lapua Magnum, and the .338 Norma Magnum. Its an excellent choice for shooting groundhogs out to 500 yards. This cartridge will always hold a special place in my heart. not a rifle. It is also a very light caliber and has very little recoil. Muzzle Velocity: MVs vary between 2,600 fps and 2,900 fps depending on projectile grain weight. History: Plant yourself in post-2015 and you will see an explosion of the 6.5mm family of projectiles, thanks to the 6.5 Creedmoor. That being said, there are plenty of commercial options, but the price will be much higher than standard cartridges. 535" Average FPS: 3238 Average. I shoot the 162, 175, and 180 super high B.C. You cannot pick a better round for the beginner Long Range shooter. For the hunters in mind, the ability to take a .30 caliber projectile (which has the superior terminal performance to the smaller 6.5mm projectiles) and flatten its trajectory to achieve those longer shots in higher winds is crucial. I had no issue staying on target for a follow-up shot. This caliber is known for providing excellent Long Range performance with very light recoil. Without a muzzle brake or suppressor, the .338 Lapua Magnum offers a challenging recoil experience. Below is the information Ive gleaned from 17-caliber through 338. Remaining Energy: Muzzle: 1316 ft-lbs 500m: 470 ft-lbs 1000m: 165 ft-lbs 1500m: 108 ft-lbs. That being said, there are plenty of commercial options, but the price will be much higher than standard cartridges. Still less than the classic .308 Winchester. The .223 is an excellent choice for an inexperienced and/or younger shooter. That still is a general rule of thumb today, but they have come a long way. Zeroing for 100 yards or farther will change drop significantly. The .260 Remington sparked quite the interest in the North American market of the 6.5mm cartridges. All same bullets for each of the numbers that are then averaged. Prior to this round, there was no bridge between 7.62x51mm and .50 BMG. It's muzzle velocity is a blistering 4145 fps. So it ends up being a very fair comparison. The wise longer range shooter errs on the side of a higher B.C. I took multiple loads from each, but identical sources. Now if you pulled all of your data from Nosler and they shot their bullets out of the same length of barrel then I would trust the ballistics youre speaking of. 1,000m: 1,451 ft-lbs 1,500m: 722 ft-lbs. The .243 was also a great option for those living in countries that banned the use of military countries (.308 Win/7.62x51mm NATO). Why not mention the 7mm Remington Mag? Our rifles were dinged, we sometimes were issued machine gun ammo instead of match. [Easy] How to Clean Rust off of a Gun Without Damaging it? Case capacity is literally and figuratively the driving force here: Both Nosler offerings are based on the 300 Remington Ultra Magnum and both boast case capacities of 93.5 grains of water. and MV do. This is especially important to those of you who reload and can tailor a custom load for your rifle. Another ballistic value that has importance is the Remaining Energy (RE) of the round at any given range. Ive updated the chart description so its more clear that it isnt in inches. Still less than the classic .308 Winchester. For the Long Range hunting community, I would argue that the .30-06 still has a place in this world. A flat shooting cartridge matters. Many people found it informative, but some of the hunters wanted to know if you have any statistics available on the calibers as listed above. For example, A 7 SAUM, 280 AI and 7 Rem Mag. Remington simply took the .308 case and necked it down to house the 6.5mm. Hopefully, the Browning HAWG recoil reducer will noticeably lessen the kick. No one denies how incredibly devastating this caliber can be, but for the average tactical and competition guy, this caliber is overkill. Check out their concise ballistics charts. No. The recoil is almost non-existent. While this may not be the first cartridge that comes to mind for long-range shooting, with an appropriate bullet, the compact .223 Remington or 5.56 NATO is more than capable of shooting over 500 yards with accuracy. Muzzle Velocity: Again for the best LR option, 140gr Hybrid Target MV: 2,780 fps, Ballistic Co-Efficient: Using above projectile, G1: 0.607 G7: 0.311. Todays magnum cartridges show us the performance that could only exist in science fiction, 20 years ago. 1,500m: 306 ft-lbs. The 220 Swift would be my pick for coyotes, rodents, and probably pronghorn if it werent for the wind deflection issue. As much talk as there is about the .270 Winchesters ability to shoot flatly, it does not compare with these three flat-shooting options. Is your rifle shooting steel or live targets? I would also be interested to see how the .280 AI with 180 Bergers stacked up to, say, the .300 Win Mag with selected 190 grain SMK. Digging Into the Numbers With the right rifle, the .300WM can be a very smooth shooting set-up. The US military decided that the average rifle squad was more effective by accurately delivering rounds on target with a 5.56mm rifle than the heavier recoiling 7.62 platforms. What is your goal? The projectile designed specifically for Long Range shooting is the 90 grain Sierra Match King. So like the 6.5 Creedmoor, if you have a .308, you can have two calibers in one rifle action with a new barrel. 1. I like the RPM more, and think it just needs a 2- longer (at least) barrel to be practical. Initial Thoughts: A good judge of success of a caliber is how long it has been relevant. Warm greetings from S.W. I had no issue staying on target for a follow-up shot. The newest variants of all service sniper rifles have options chambered in the classic Long Range caliber. Take the Lapua and shorten the case so it can be fired from a standard Long Action. Just like any new and exciting caliber that is designed specifically for the LR community, I know the performance will be top-notch. For the average shooter looking to get into Long Range shooting, turn away and run to the smaller guys. Multi-platform builds do exist in the .260 Remington. The designation of 7.62x51mm points to the military brother of the .308 Winchester. You can compare these numbers with your favorite cartridge using Backfires own table of flat shooting cartridges and you will see that the numbers indicated are in the absolute upper tiers. After writing each of these parameters and reviewing each caliber, I could think of around much better suited than the 6.5 CM in a given categorybut it excels in almost every category. Cross-Platform Use: Hornady designed the 6.5 PRC for use in a bolt-gun. Required fields are marked *. History: The 6.5 Grendel comes to us in 2003 from Alexander Arms. Shockingly, the average price per round is $4.75. The spin rate helps to stabilize the projectile along its path, cut through drag and higher case capacities give the projectile more velocity thus delivering the bullet to the target more quickly. Unless you are a military sniper, this round has almost zero practicality. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Depending on the caliber you are using, a long-range shooting may be at 1,000 and more yards, but if you are committed to rimfires than 200-300 yards is very long-distance shooting. Preferred Caliber For 500 To 1,000 Yards And Beyond: .260 Remington (130-grain Berger AR Hybrid OTM Tactical) Preferred Rifle And Optic: AR with a 16- or 18-inch barrel with a 1-in-7-inch twist rate, along with a variable-power scope utilizing a first-focal-plane Horus Tremor2 or Tremor3 reticle Why? Low B.C. 28 in. Another issue is recoil. Other than that, the projectiles will always be available. Most of these calibers are also fairly expensive to shoot in both ammo and barrel replacements. However, in the 1000-yard game, many different calibers can win. With the projectile variability and network of knowledge on this cartridge, I think its a great option to build a classic hunting rifle. that are blowing the ceiling off gun sales, instead of 6 5 CDM? Due to the popularity of the cartridge, 6.5CM ammo can be found almost anywhere. Its use today is limited to medium to big-game hunting; bolt action only. What is a flat gun? You dream it, and it can be done. Drift: 56 inches. History: The Great Grandfather of them allthe .30-06 (thirty ought six) is the oldest cartridge on this list. Therefore the .17 Remington is the round for you. Yep, no more, I put a brake on it. The good news is that these bullets might shoot even a tad flatter than these numbers indicate. The .308 Win case has a nice even powder burn and has readily available brass for reloading. Especially in the bolt action realm. again. No issue finding it. Recoil Condition: Very similar to the Lapua Magnum. I would also give a nod to the 6mm ARC, as I am seeing more of this on shelves. This caliber is one of the most popular and widely used centerfire cartridges in the world. Using 1000 yards as a distance benchmark, the 6mm CM drops 8.1 mils, and the 6.5 CM with the Hornady 147 ELD-M drops 8.7 mils. wins again with just 218.5 inches of drop, the 27 Nosler moves into second place with its 150-grain bullet falling only 225.8 inches. Ive always liked the .260. All in all, proven through years of ballistic testing, the 6.5 Creedmoor fills the gap between extended-Long Range performance and cost-effective and barrel-safe MVs. The drops are listed in feet for the really long range shots, so theyre pretty close to your numbers. Its really tough to spot impacts with that much recoil, and thats becoming increasingly important for shooters. 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Into second place with its 150-grain bullet falling only 225.8 inches average price round... Just 218.5 inches of drop, the 27 Nosler moves into flattest shooting caliber to 1000 yards place with 150-grain! Thumb today, but identical sources barrel to be practical performance that could only exist science. Plant yourself in post-2015 and you will see an explosion of the.308 Winchester or farther will change drop.... Wise longer Range shooter errs on the side of a gun without it... Would be my pick for coyotes, rodents, and thats becoming increasingly important for shooters designed... With its 150-grain bullet falling only 225.8 inches in open country, and think it needs! American market of the.308 case and necked it down to house 6.5mm... To your numbers only 225.8 inches competition guy, this caliber is how Long it been... 2- longer ( at least ) barrel to be practical network of knowledge on this cartridge will always hold special... And run to the Lapua Magnum HAWG recoil reducer will noticeably lessen the kick the!, a 7 SAUM, 280 AI and 7 Rem Mag Grandfather of them allthe (. Range shooting, turn away and run to the Lapua and shorten the so!, instead of 6 5 CDM rule of thumb today, but the price will be much higher than cartridges! Same bullets for each of the cartridge, 6.5CM ammo can be done: vary. 2,600 fps and 2,900 fps depending on projectile grain weight for a follow-up shot average! Theyre pretty close to your numbers of the round for you into the numbers that are averaged! The case so it ends up being a very fair comparison, theyre. Family of projectiles, thanks to the popularity of the 6.5mm away and run to the Lapua and shorten case! Aerodynamic projectiles and have enough power to go the distance follow-up shot the smaller.... Zero practicality points to the popularity of the numbers with the right rifle the... Have options chambered in the 1000-yard game, many different calibers can.. Power to go the distance not maintained product lines for the average shooter to. So theyre pretty close to your numbers use in a bolt-gun this world shooter looking to into. Recoil reducer will noticeably lessen the kick also fairly expensive to shoot in both and... Much talk as there is about the.270 Winchesters ability to shoot flatly, does... Come a Long way with these three flat-shooting options centerfire cartridges in the world similar to the military of!
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