), Hornadys Precision Hunter 178-grain ELD-X at 2,600 fps is probably the best long-range option, but look also at the new 168-grain Berger Hybrid Hunter load from Federal, RELATED: 6.5 Creedmoor vs. .308 Winchester. Model 70 with a 24" Medium wt. In general, lightweight bullets driven very fast shoot flatter than heavier bullets with better aerodynamics (high B.C. 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. I tried to pick out some popular ones on the market currently based on typical ranges most shooter's shoot out too. Weve never had it so good when it comes to picking among the best long-range calibers to shoot. And here, the 6.5 PRC shines as well. While still a great long-range precision shooting cartridge, it is starting to lose ground to newer, softer shooting cartridges. 7mm Magnum is what I use out here on Guam, USA. tried in NAM late in the conflict, but great results. I don't expect to change your mind, but think respectful conversation is a good thing. For me a guy who likes hitting steel at long range this article was extremely helpful. Worth a look anyway. 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. The one up top is tipped with an 80-grain Barnes TTSX, while the other has a 110-grain Nosler AccuBond. The 6mm Creedmoor has gained a lot of traction with competitive shooters over the last couple of years. Bill Poor recently claimed to hit a target at 5280 yards/4837 meters or 3 miles. Ammunition choices have increased lately, and Hornady has ammunition with the 87-grain VMAX and 103-grain ELD-X for long-range hunting. If you take a left turn, you can go through an endless list of wildcat cartridges as well. More than enough to be lethal, and it's a speed that is greater than some 9mm handguns actually fire as muzzle velocity. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Feb 17, 2008. towards your level. A good hunting cartridge has to fit in a rifle thats comfortable to carry all day and wont kick you so hard that you cant shoot it well. When it came out in 1925, 300 yards was considered about the max distance for shots on game, and the .270 Winchester was quickly recognized as one of, if not the, best commercial option for that. In the old way of thinking that was good because I could achieve that consistently. There are a lot of reasons for this. If I reload then a wildcat cartridge like 6x47 Lapua. . Ive not done the King of 2 mile thing but if I were younger it would have appealed to me. Though the recoil in sporting-weight rifles is a bit much to allow you to see bullet impacts inside . are all capable of fine accuracy and game-killing power at these distances. One afternoon, after shooting a nice antelope at about 500 yards, I was walking back to the truck with the guide, and we were discussing quarter-bores, with the guide extolling his 25-06, the best of the lot. Quick story.. So, which one comes out on top in a head-to-head matchup? The military started taking notice of the .300 Win. Shoots flatter than a 243- wheich already kicks a 6.5 cm was. I always favored the .264 Win Mag. (, We noticed that you have previously logged in with your, Check what do you get by creating an account, Bookmark and compare your favorite firearms, 7 Best Long-Range Cartridges: Hit Stuff Really Far Away, 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, If you choose to shoot long-range with a .223 Remington, I highly suggest shooting longer, heavier bullets with a 1:7 rifle twist. The .308 Win. Any cartridge that is enjoyable to shoot in a rifle is one a hunterwhether new or experiencedwill be more apt to practice with. A .270 Win is one of the flattest shooting rifles that won't beat you silly, but it still drops over three feet at 500 yds (and don't forget wind drift; it's easily =/< to drop, always a big factor). Unless the 300WM was down-loaded to unsafe levels, the 308 will never beat it. It was introduced in 1962 and essentially knocked the .264 Winchester Magnum several notches down on the popularity list after hunters and shooters put the 7mm Mag to the test. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. Mag. Match those and regardless of caliber, drops will be identical. There may be others like the 257 Wby. If it makes you feel better to hate the 6.5 Creedmoor, go ahead. Some of the best loads I have shot through various .223 Wylde/5.56 NATO chambers have been: The .224 Valkyrie was developed with long-range shooting in mind from its inception. You are not wrong in your thoughts. .224 Valk just needs a new barrel and a new bolt. Picking six top long-range competition-cartridges was hard because various long-range disciplines apply a vast spread of demands, and many such as Palma and Service Rifle have cartridge-specific regulations. Nosler Trophy Grade with a 150-grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range at 3300 fps. The difference between hunting in the forested mountains and chasing deer out where the deer regularly start running away 400 yards out if they see you creates a whole different experience. 500-yard drop: 45 inches (based on a 100-yard zero). We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Hand-Picked Daily GUN DEALS, and Exclusive Coupons Codes >>>, Federal Premium 69-grain Sierra Match King. Ill be honest; I may be a huge Grendel fanboy. is the perfect Goldilocks round. inherent in 6.5mm (.264) caliber bullets. I have used it on more big game animals than any other cartridge since 2007. If you think thats the product of the latest technology, know that Winchester introduced this cartridge in 1935! 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. Up until that time, there had only really been two .277-caliber hunting cartridgesthe .270 Winchester and the .270 Weatherbyso the .270 WSM was almost immediately popular. Yeah, 6.5s are all the rage, and their blinding popularity has taken some shine off the old .270, but the latter is still one of the very best long-range hunting cartridges. This "best" list is a list of "best" for the author, others mileage may vary. To explain the nuances of rifle twist rates, you can read my previous article about AR-15 Twist Rates! It outperforms the .280 Remington (also known as the 7mm-06 and the 7mm Express), and for years wildcatters and handloaders have been singing its praises. In real world shooting, were always starting with a barrel angled upward slightly because this is the only way we could hit anything downrange without aiming over it. Shouldn't penetration at the point of termination be a consideration? Even though it is a relative newcomer, in light of its accuracy, shootability, and lethality it has earned its place as one of the best long-range calibers for hunting open country game like mule deer. We'll only use the information provided according to our privacy policy. The intended use and shooters budget play a major role in determining which is best. According to Stinnett it takes him eight firings to get the brass to the correct dimensions before it is good to go. While they are relatively close within 500 yards, at 1,000 yards, the .308 Winchester has 4 feet more drop when you compare a 6.5 CM 140-grain ELD vs. a .308 Win 168-grain ELD. 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. Wisconsin. 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. But don't let that stop you and keep us informed of your progress. Are going to forget about 6.5 rem mag again? A: Kelly, it depends on the distance across which you want to measure. Barrel life is longer, packs more energy at all distances too!!! It has ample killing power for all but the largest of game, it is easy to shoot well, the cartridge is inherently accurate. Now, you might think this cartridge is new and unproven. (Yes, our govt. Faster velocities mean flatter trajectories. The Navy switched to 190-grain Sierra Matchking HPBTs. They considered the .338 Lapua as an option, but the .300 Win. Mag. I then went about correcting it for the 300-yard target. There's plenty of setups out there where 500 yd shots are simple things. I grew up in Montana,hunting both in the mountains in the West and in high school out in the flats in the East part of the state. I don't know if you're from the east, but that argument is typically made from someone who lives in the east and hunts woods. Let us know in the comments below! When coupled with bullets that have a high ballistic coefficient, the, It also has less wind drift and less bullet drop than the .223 Remington or the 6.5 Grendel. If I am just putting holes in paper at 1000+ I'd go 6mm Creed, 6mm Dasher, or 6x47 Lapua. While there are not a lot of ammunition choices for the 6.8 Western, there are some good ones. headspaces off the belt and has a significant amount of slop at the shoulder (about .004 in. we started testing in VIET-NAM, they were great, even at LONG range. Charged with Reloder 19 and 22 powders, the round performed well at 1,000 yards during the Navys accuracy testing with the extreme spreads of the groups measuring 10.79 and 10.68 inches respectively. Been shooting this particular caliber since I bought my first legal rifle at the old age of 18 lol. I hate to be so critical here but when you start a list of "best long range cartridges" with the 5.56 you have immediately started off by being disingenuous. Why It Made the Cut: The .300 Win. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. Heavier bullets in the Swift, however, were lauded in the mid-20th century as incredibly effective, quick killers by animal damage control shooters who were culling destructive, invasive feral burros and horses from Grand Canyon National Park. We really neednt measure individual cartridges/bullets because just two things determine drop: muzzle velocity and bullet B.C. Prices vary greatly for rifles, but feeding them is a whole different story even if you reload. After Weatherbys 6.5-300 Magnum did not win as many hearts and minds as theyd hoped, Weatherby rethought the 6.5mm cartridge and developed the 6.5 RPM (Rebated Precision Magnum). It drops almost 400 inches at 1000 yards and drifts 100 inches at the same with a 10 MPH full value wind. Nathan, I got to say I really appreciate that defense. With the highest BC bullets, the 26 Nosler remains supersonic beyond 1,750 yards. Mag., notably the .300 PRC and .300 Norma Mag., but for now, the .300 Win. It is the Madonna of long-range rounds. Ive also used it in Africa on large and small game, including on Giant Eland, the worlds largest antelope that tips the scales at 2,000 pounds. It shoots as flat as a Kansas prairie and holds its velocity way out there. I've been teaching my dad how to shoot. Esoteric hardly touches on Stinnetts gear and is part of the reason his record might stand for decades before anyone bests it. The .30 Stewart, however, is based on the 6.5 Grendel necked up to .30 caliber. bbl. Mag., and .300 Rem. But these niche cartridges are expensive (to put it mildly) to shoot and build guns for and arent practical for everyday shooters.For shooting out to 1,000 yards, the 6mm Creedmoor is about ideal. For many, this is a round that you hate to love. If you handloaded the same heavy bullets used in the 224V and had a custom rifle built with a faster twist rate (1:8), it would either match or slightly beat the 224V. 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. A legacy that inspires confidence. And that requires lengthy driving and an annual membership fee to a club. Beyond 1000 yards they use either the 338 Lapua or the 50 BMG. 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