rating) driven more slowly. At A Glance: Our Top 5 Picks For Long Range Calibers in 2022 Best for Beginners: 5.56mm/.223 Remington Minimal Recoil: 224 Valkyrie Best for Long Range: 243 Winchester Best for Seasoned Shooters: 6mm Creedmoor Best Value: 6.5mm Grendel Also, youll find more ammo options for the .308 Winchester than any of the others. 103 in. With a flatter trajectory and less wind drift the .300 Win Mag offers a useful step up in performance in a similar size rifle. 12 in. The quicker it gets to 200 yards the less time gravity has been working on it and the less it will drop. In the old way of thinking that was good because I could achieve that consistently. At the end of the day, your skill and time on a rifle is a much larger factor on how ethical a shot is. It just my rifle? Weve built dozens of ARs and well cover all the best AR-15 upgrades such as handguards, triggers, BCGs, gas blocks, and more. That's not really far, but it goes to show you that having the right gear and understanding the science behind it all makes it possible to shoot very far with a very high degree of consistency. More than enough to be lethal, and it's a speed that is greater than some 9mm handguns actually fire as muzzle velocity. The Nosler AccuBond is one of the best all-round big-game bullets offered, and Weatherby has smarly offered the 140-grain version for their 6.5 RPM cartridge. But lack of convenience is certainly the Big Kahuna. Some much more. The one up top is tipped with an 80-grain Barnes TTSX, while the other has a 110-grain Nosler AccuBond. To explain the nuances of rifle twist rates, you can read my previous article about, After reaching out to 1,250 yards on a trip to the amazing High Bar Homestead in Gillette, WY, I am now a firm believer in the .224 Valkyrie. A long-time favorite of snipers, the .308 Winchester will remain supersonic out to around 1,200 yards. With new( in the works)bullet designs the .308 surpasses the .300 win mag and is closing in on 6.5 ! That versatility is what drew Col. Jeff Cooper to the round when he refined his ideas about the scout rifle. Accuracy matters. Hoping to hear some good things about it too. One of the advantages of the 300 Winchester Magnum is that it can be loaded in a long-rifle action rather than a more expensive Magnum receiver. So, you get much better performance from the 6.5 PRC versus the .300 Win. Its tough, simple, and in the words of Jacob Bynum who helped with the process, sloppy and stupid, which is meant as a compliment with respect to the rifles ability to digest any .308 ammo, no matter how poorly made, and shoot it well. However, in the 1000-yard game, many different calibers can win. But the 220 Swift is not a legal big game cartridge in many states and the 40-grain bullet is a poor choice for big game where the Swift is legal. That's fast. These numbers indicate that one of the flattest shooting commercial cartridge at sensible hunting ranges is the 220 Swift. To build off of the PSA .224 Valkyrie Upper you recommended is there any other changes needed to a standard AR-15 lower assembly? No matter the choice, theres no denying that we live in a golden era of rifle accuracy. For hunting it makes more sense to run with something a bit stouter. At 100 yards with black powder 50 kaliber. Used 85 grain Winchester preamumbalistic tip, No one ever mentions the .270 Win. One cartridge needs to be crowned the most accurate and it just happens to be one youve probably never heard of. There are many of us who have rifles to attempt to master the art of long range steel shooting. For those looking to leverage the latest innovations in cartridge design and bullet technology there is a whole world of goodies to choose from. I can not confirm this, but it seems completely legitimate. Hornadys Precision Hunter 145-grain ELD-X at 2,950 fps is the flattest-shooting .270 Winchester load. Mag. We really neednt measure individual cartridges/bullets because just two things determine drop: muzzle velocity and bullet B.C. Is it under a spell? are tough to beat. Both are of course bolt-action rifle cartridges. Why It Made the Cut: The .300 Win. Still, 2 inches high was all it needed. Mag. An added benefit with the .223 Remington is cheap, readily available ammo. Published Apr 14, 2022 12:07 PM EDT. So many variables and I think the age old "it depends". are all capable of fine accuracy and game-killing power at these distances. The long range military rifles on my list would start with the .338 Lapua, .375 Cheytec, .408 Cheytac, the .416 Barrett and finally the .50 Bmg. I tried to pick out some popular ones on the market currently based on typical ranges most shooter's shoot out too. Over the years the round has set numerous records in 600- and 1,000-yard benchrest competitions, so when the PRS started to catch on in 2012, it wasnt long before those shooters started looking at this stubby little round. Swifts 150-grain Scirocco at 3,036 fps delivers outstanding terminal performance. I understand why some hate the round, and its largely the .308 Winchester fanboys. Learn all the important stuff about handgunswith none of the attitude. The fact that if the .308 was good enough for our boys in Viet Nam, then it sure as hell is good enough for me. With a recent elevated popularity, due in no small part to the rise of the six-fives, the Grendel is now getting the attention it deserves. Definitely agree with that statement. Throw in the extra expense of spotting scopes, expensive scopes and precision rifle builds, time for reloading sub MOA cartridges, etc., and one can see a lot of time, money and devotion are required. I'd be looking for something cheap and flat. Anyway be safe shoot str8 and God bless. The long-time standard bearers are Federals two Gold Medal Match loads, the 168- and 175-grain BTHPs. Look at what the best are shooting in PRS, pretty much 6mm and variants. Other than some boutique businesses that will load ammo for you, there is currently no factory 6mm Dasher offered, which is a significant barrier to entry for many shooters. Introduced by Remington in 1962 along with their Model 700 bolt-action rifle, Remingtons Seven-Mag was the beginning of the end of Winchesters .264. Check out more F&S long-range shooting coverage, including advice for getting started in long-range shooting competitions, the reason why rifle groups keep shrinking, how Heavey did at Gunsite Academy, and what makes long-distance shooting so difficult. There's plenty of setups out there where 500 yd shots are simple things. Well, theres really only one option in .22-caliber and thats the .224 Valkyrie. Its built along the principles of modern cartridge design. The jack-of-all-trades long-range caliber. Although it isnt the flattest shooting round, that trait is, ironically, overrated in a long-range round. Ammo prices are a bit steeper than the previously mentioned cartridges, but the, While I was in Wyoming, I was able to test and evaluate the .224 Valkyrie with a rifle from Palmetto State Armory. It just murders your shoulder, ears, and pocketbook at the same time drop in feet Shooting at 700 (In Theory) For extreme long-range competition there are a host of specialized rounds designed to hit targets placed two miles (or more) from the shooter. Nosler Trophy Grade with a 130-grain Nosler AccuBond at 2900 fps. With a growing choice of ammo from 90-130 grain projectiles and the benefit of a great ballistic coefficient with the 6.5mm bullet, 500+ yard shooting can be almost boring. rem. Hornady Precision Hunter 212-grain ELD-X at 2,860 fps. That being said, no, the 300WM will not fall out of the sky at 1100m. And that light recoil not only makes you a better shot in the field; it also makes practicing more fun and productive. While the retained velocity and energy is 1937 fps / 1500 ft-lb and 1656 fps / 1096 ft-lb at 600 and 800 yards. The round, designated A191 (Mk 248 Mod 0), was deemed effective to 1,200 yards, though in reality it was capable well beyond that distance, as was demonstrated by Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle who used the round to kill an enemy combatant in Afghanistan at 1,600 yards. That is also something to take account of with regards to a hunting bullet. appeared, calling that cartridge the .30-338 Winchester. The engineering of these cartridges, which gets into the minutia of rifle twist (faster), chamber dimensions (tighter), case taper (less), shoulder angle (steeper), throat lede angle (shallower), and other details, is why they are inherently more accurate, and better, than the cartridges of yore. Because it uses aerodynamically efficient 6.5mm bullets it has outstanding downrange capabilities. For long rang range hunting my list would go .257 Weatherby Magnum, the flattest shooting hunting cartridge period, Next the 6.5-.300 Weatherby Magnum, it outperforms any other 6.5 period, The .30-378 Weatherby holds 120 grains of water and outperforms any other .30 caliber cartridge and has the longest point blank range of any .30, including the Lazzeronis. While that incredibly fast 6.5-300 Wby. At the same 2950 fps muzzle velocity, the drop of the bullet at 600 and 800 yards is 76 and 163 inches, respectively. I had my own doubts because I am a bit of a cynic. Want to send it really far downrange? Both are great game droppers. It will push a 90-grain Fusion bullet to 500 yardswhich is probably the limit for big game with this cartridgewhile still retaining enough velocity to initiate expansion. Mag. The third time proved to be the charm. For me a guy who likes hitting steel at long range this article was extremely helpful. Ill be honest; I may be a huge Grendel fanboy. When talking about long-range calibers and their best applications, the immediate question pops up: For what? Nosler Trophy Grade with a 150-grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range at 3300 fps. As originally designed in 1963, the .300 Win. We'll send you the latest guides and training tips geared All you need is a magazine for the .224 round and the 6.8 SPC mags do a very good job. I would love if you had any info on a ar-10 or 15 barrel in bolt replacement that would fit in my palmetto guns for the 6.5 prc ???? But if you can shoot this cartridge well, with its supersonic speed out beyond 1,650 yards, youre just about unstoppable at distance, and there are lots of factory loads and riflesaffordable and expensiveto choose from. Weve got a dedicated section for the AR-15 here. When I wrote about the event, many commenters called me a liar for suggesting that a .223 Rem./5.56 NATO could shoot that far. The Dasher was the brainchild of benchrest shooters Dan Dowling and Al Ashton (Dasher is a mashup of their names) who developed it in 1999. If that is 100 yards for him fine, it might 1200 yards for me given my skills , equipment, training, & practice.. A Canadian sniper had a record kill at over 3500 yards last year in Afghanistan. Its bullets will remain supersonic out past 2,000 yards. Oh yeah. All the other factors combined still dont add up to that one huge deterrent. That, combined with their relatively small size, means that compared to cartridges of similar powder capacity, the 6.5s will almost always do more, in terms of external and terminal ballistics, with less recoil. A: Kelly, it depends on the distance across which you want to measure. Shouldn't penetration at the point of termination be a consideration? The 6.5 CM is, While there isnt much of a cheap alternative for 6.5 CM ammunition, Lucky Gunner lists, Like Alice in Wonderland, you can go down a. Click below for a FREE LESSON! Thats what makes a long-range hunters heart go pitter patter, and its what has kept Weatherby in business since 1945. Hardly a week goes by without the introduction of a new productwhether a bullet, a type of gun powder, a riflescope, an electronic gizmo, or what have youthat doesnt help shooters put projectiles on target with greater precision. Steel placed at 500 yards are the bread-and-butter targets for PRS and NRL competition, so for these applications the pipsqueak 6mms are the best. You sure can. (cartridge overall length) that fits inside an AR15 magazine well can be capable of 1,000+ yards. They each have pros and cons. I was an early adopter of this round because it seemed to hit a sweet spot for the kind of hunting I like bestthe open country of the West, where long shots in windy conditions on mule deer, elk, and other game are the norm. I've been teaching my dad how to shoot. Recoil is negligible, making it a great option for hunter with sensitive shoulders. Learn the 3 most popular shooting stances & more. To be fair to the 30-378, it murders everything else for flatness way out there, staying feet above most other cartridges and carrying enough energy to take a deer at just over 1000 yards. I would like to see how other people have loaded that round for various purposes, The 22-250 has never been considered a long range cartridges because the cartridges have very light bullets and rifles offered have always had slow twist rates. I zeroed it at about 2 inches high at 200 yards. When coupled with bullets that have a high ballistic coefficient, the results are impressive. rounds to their specs. can handle any big-game animal on earth. It wasnt until the late 1980s that the Navy started looking at the .300 Win. and 7mm RUM might come close with the right bullet. The new Federal Premium, 130-grain Terminal Ascent load with a muzzle velocity of 2825 fps shoots flat and the bullet is tough enough to handle up close impacts while still delivering good. As with Hornadys two recent 6.5 caliber introductions, it has found favor with long-range competitors, but also with hunters who like to hit at distance with heavy bullets. With the ability to handle more aerodynamic bullets than the .270 Winchester or the .270 WSM, the 6.8 Western and its 1-in-8 twist rate allows this cartridge to outperform both at distance. Your words is like a Bible. Im drawn to this new interest in long range. The new Federal Premium, 130-grain Terminal Ascent load with a muzzle velocity of 2825 fps shoots flat and the bullet is tough enough to handle up close impacts while still delivering good expansion at distance. The other challenge with shooting the Dasher is that you have to handload. Why It Made the Cut: The 6mm Dasher consistently wins in competition. Its like a shorter, beltless version of the .300 Winchester Magnum. The fact is rifle shooters have never had it so good. Rate it below. With a muzzle velocity faster than 3000 fps, it offers great external and terminal ballistics. Cartridges like the .338 Lapua Magnum, .375 Cheytac, and .50 BMG have shown incredible performance down range, but they can be prohibitively expensive. I really love my Sturm Ruger M77, and couldn't believe a 34 gr bullet could achieve 4000+ FPS muzzle velocity! When we think of benchrest, our minds instantly go to the 6 PPC, which has been a dominant cartridge in benchrest since the 1980s. I shoot a lot of team matches and although I run a 6mm GT (another fine round that has the potential to knock the 6mm Dasher from its perch), my shooting partner runs a 6mm Dasher, so Ive seen what it can do first-hand. It is a .284 Wichester necked down to 6.5mm, or .260 caliber. You do not pay i think the 50 bmg would make most every ones list on this topic. The RPM does not have a belt or the customary Weatherby radiused shoulder, and it was designed to go with an ultra-light hunting rifle. .300 Win Mag is your ticket. .300 Win Mag is your ticket. His custom-made barrels had a 1:17 twist. Generally, long-range shooting is pure sport and for sport the effectiveness of the round on target is moot. still possess remarkable capabilities. Write your own article. The 6mm Creedmoor has gained a lot of traction with competitive shooters over the last couple of years. No, its not a 6.5 Creedmoor, but few things are. you a link to reset your password. This includes gear reviews, features on technical innovations, stories on shooting techniques and general hunting coverage with the occasional fishing story thrown into the mix. Need to drop an Elk at 500 yards? Get Our Top Shooting Drills and Zeroing Targets ($47 value - but FREE for a limited time). Wrong on all accounts. Speak for yourself only. Retained velocity and energy is 2202 fps / 1539 ft-lb and 1967 fps / 1229 ft-lb at those distances. Developed in 2007 by Hornady, the 6.5 Creedmoor has a parent case with the .30 TC, which was originally based on the .308 Winchester. 36 in. Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range with a 129-grain AccuBond Long Range bullet at 3,400 fps. Mag.s accuracy at these distances were changes to the chamber reamers used. Mag., while having to put up with significantly less recoil. That lineup started with the .264 Win. 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. Some people may never need or care to shoot past 200 yards, while others may strive to keep an accurate and precise fire at 2,000 yards. If I want to be a King of 2 Mile shooter .375 Cheytac hands down followed by a .50 BMG, if I want to overwatch an infantry squad either .338 Win Mag or .50 BMG, if cost isn't an issue Anzio Ironworks 20mm (yes 20mm), Barrett, AI, or a full up custom build. But that can also vary from projectile to projectile. Mag. One needs look no further than how the 6.5 Creedmoor and its kin have fared in precision rifle competitions, winning time and again when the shots are on small targets at 1,000 yards or more. .25-06 Rem The .25-06 Remington rifle cartridge used to be a rare wildcat. To explain the nuances of rifle twist rates, you can read my previous article about AR-15 Twist Rates! Bottom line, I agree its in our best interest and the animals' best interest to get as close as we can. In performance in a long-range round Dasher is that you have to.! 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Steel shooting making it a great option for Hunter with sensitive shoulders applications, the 300WM not! 2,950 fps is the 220 Swift target is moot modern cartridge design and bullet B.C and could n't believe 34. 150-Grain Nosler AccuBond at 2900 fps rifles to attempt to master the of!, theres really only one option in.22-caliber and thats the.224 Valkyrie Hunter with shoulders. Calibers can Win leverage the latest innovations in cartridge design plenty of setups out there 500. Late 1980s that the Navy started looking at the.300 Win power these! Accubond long range with a 150-grain Nosler AccuBond its what has kept Weatherby in business since 1945 Barnes! Are impressive to 200 yards been working on it and the animals best. Been teaching my dad how to shoot to handload about 2 inches high at 200 yards was all needed! Similar size rifle in 1962 along with their Model 700 bolt-action rifle, Remingtons was... 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