Revealed Jun 13, 2022 4:04 PM
When speaking about long-range calibers and their finest purposes, the instant query pops up: For what? There isn’t any scarcity of wonderful cartridges that supply dazzling efficiency at prolonged ranges. The very fact is rifle shooters have by no means had it so good. Hardly per week goes by with out the introduction of a brand new product—whether or not a bullet, a kind of gun powder, a riflescope, an digital gizmo, or what have you ever—that doesn’t assist shooters put projectiles heading in the right direction with higher precision.
However when you think about the particular activity at hand, the sector of choices narrows. For these numerous purposes, these are my prime picks amongst long-range calibers. (Regardless that the time period “cartridges” is appropriate, the widespread utilization of “caliber” dictates why this story is known as “Finest Lengthy-Vary Calibers” relatively than “Finest Lengthy-Vary Cartridges.”)
Lengthy-Vary Cartridges
Key Options
- Properly balanced
- Confirmed observe document
Why It Made the Reduce
The .308 Winchester is the final word jack-of-all-trades long-range caliber.
Execs
- Average recoil
- Broadly out there
- Nice bullet choice
Cons
- Much less forgiving trajectory
- Extra vulnerable to wind
Product Description
A couple of years again after I was planning a hunt for blacktails in Oregon I ran by means of a psychological guidelines of all of the big-game cartridges I might select from. Regardless that I really like my Creedmoors, my 7mm Rem. Mags., the .257 Wby., and a number of others, I ended up proper again the place I typically do—shouldering a .308 Winchester.
There are numerous causes for this. Nostalgia for my earliest days in deer camp. A legacy that conjures up confidence. The truth that if the .308 was ok for our boys in Viet Nam, then it certain as hell is nice sufficient for me.
However placing the emotional attracts to the cartridge apart, there are nonetheless loads of pragmatic causes for the selection. The .308 Win. is the proper Goldilocks spherical. It has ample killing energy for all however the largest of recreation, it’s simple to shoot nicely, the cartridge is inherently correct. Though it isn’t the flattest taking pictures spherical, that trait is, sarcastically, overrated in a long-range spherical. Extra necessary is consistency, and the mild-mannered .308 demonstrates that in spades.
For that blacktail hunt I ended up making a rifle with the now-defunct Legendary Arms Works with my pal Mike Hudgins. That useful rifle is a wonderful expression of the delicate nature of the .308. It might make lengthy cross-canyon pictures when wanted, but you may deliver it to motion in a flash ought to a buck materialize in entrance of you within the dense timber.
That versatility is what drew Col. Jeff Cooper to the spherical when he refined his concepts concerning the scout rifle. Amongst his necessities have been that the cartridge for the rifle ought to be capable of kill a 1,000-pound animal with one shot, that the ammunition needs to be extensively out there, that the sensible area accuracy of the rifle, which ought to weigh seven kilos or much less with scope and sling and be not than 39 inches from butt to muzzle, needs to be 2 MOA, demonstrated by the shooter putting 3-shot teams on a 200 yard goal that measure 4 inches or much less. For Cooper, the .308 Winchester match the invoice.
A great instance of a rifle that demonstrates the .308’s long-range chops is this rifle I constructed with Shilen a number of years again. It’s robust, easy, and within the phrases of Jacob Bynum who helped with the method, “sloppy and silly,” which is supposed as a praise with respect to the rifle’s potential to digest any .308 ammo, regardless of how poorly made, and shoot it nicely.
However the reality is you don’t have to endure with unhealthy .308 ammo. There’s loads of manufacturing facility stuff that shoots lights out. The long-time commonplace bearers are Federal’s two Gold Medal Match hundreds, the 168- and 175-grain BTHPs.
Ammo to Take into account:
Federal Gold Medal Match 175-grain BTHP
Key Options
- Arduous hitting
- Upgraded for accuracy
Why It Made the Reduce
The .300 Win. Magazine. can deal with any big-game animal on earth.
Execs
- Nice terminal ballistics
- Broadly out there
Cons
- Heavy recoil
- Some ammo sub-par
Product Description
The .300 Win. Magazine. is the proverbial cat with 9 lives within the long-range cartridge market. It was launched in 1963 to reinforce the collection of belted magnum cartridges that Winchester primarily based off the .375 H&H. That lineup began with the .264 Win. Magazine., .338 Win. Magazine. and .458 Win. Magazine, which have been rolled out in 1958.
Including this .30-caliber to the household was a no brainer and, in truth, wildcatters had completed so from practically the second the .338 Win. Magazine. appeared, calling that cartridge the .30-338 Winchester. The .300 Win. Magazine. shortly established itself as a go-to looking spherical for Western massive recreation and worldwide looking. It mixed flat-shooting ballistics with hard-hitting bullets in a bundle with lighter recoil than the .300 Weatherby Magnum, which debuted in 1944.
Taking pictures a 180-grain bullet (.507 G1 BC) at 2,960 fps and sighted in 1.5 inches excessive at 100 yards, the .300 Win. Magazine. drops 6.7 inches at 300 yards and slightly below 20 inches at 400 yards. The retained velocity at 400 yards is 2,261 fps, offering loads of punch for hunters who wish to shoot with a point-blank zero.
However the navy additionally found the advantages of the .300 Win. Magazine., and the story of its adoption and evolution in that position is what actually lands it on the listing of finest long-range calibers.
The navy began taking discover of the .300 Win. Magazine. within the Sixties when Marine Lance Corporal Carlos Hathcock used the spherical to win the Wimbledon Cup, a 1,000-yard rifle competitors in 1965. Hathcock, after all, went on to develop into essentially the most storied Marine sniper in historical past in Viet Nam within the following years, although he didn’t do it with a .300 Win. Magazine.
It wasn’t till the late Eighties that the Navy began wanting on the .300 Win. Magazine. in earnest, awarding a contract to Federal Cartridge Co., in 1987 to supply .300 Win. Magazine. rounds to their specs.
Quickly after, the .300 Win. Magazine. hit its first main stumble. To adjust to the foundations of warfare that prohibited using hollow-point ammunition, Federal needed to burnish the ideas of the 180-grain Sierra Matchkings they have been loading. That closed the ideas of the open-tip match (OTM) bullets and made the projectiles barely shorter in size. It additionally induced instability that rendered the spherical unstable and inaccurate at 800 yards and past.
To salvage the venture, the Navy switched to 185-grain Lapua FMJs, which went into manufacturing in 1990. Sadly, this spherical too fell quick, not assembly the accuracy requirements that the Navy had established whereas growing chamber strain that exceeds SAMMI requirements within the course of.
The third time proved to be the allure. The Navy switched to 190-grain Sierra Matchking HPBT’s. Charged with Reloder 19 and 22 powders, the spherical carried out nicely at 1,000 yards throughout the Navy’s accuracy testing with the intense spreads of the teams measuring 10.79 and 10.68 inches respectively. Federal was tapped to supply the ammo in 1992, and so the navy had a sniper spherical that slotted between the .308 Win. (7.62x51mm NATO) and the .50 BMG.
The spherical, designated A191 (Mk 248 Mod 0), was deemed efficient to 1,200 yards, although in actuality it was succesful nicely past that distance, as was demonstrated by Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle who used the spherical to kill an enemy combatant in Afghanistan at 1,600 yards.
One motive for the .300 Win. Magazine.’s accuracy at these distances have been modifications to the chamber reamers used. As initially designed in 1963, the .300 Win. Magazine. headspaces off the belt and has a big quantity of slop on the shoulder (about .004 in.), neither of which is conducive to good accuracy. To beat this design limitation, reamers have been modified to tighten up the chamber, headspace the cartridge off the shoulder relatively than the belt, and lengthen the throat.
Nonetheless, throughout the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Naval Floor Warfare Heart wished to develop a sniper spherical that was efficient to 1,500 yards and began in search of a cartridge to meet that position.
They thought of the .338 Lapua as an choice, however the .300 Win. Magazine. bought one other lower on the plate thanks largely to Jeff Hoffman, the proprietor of Black Hills Ammunition, who efficiently advocated for loading the .300 with a 220-grain bullet at 2,800 fps.
The brand new bullet remained supersonic longer than the 190-grain Mod 0 load, and didn’t hand over a lot downrange efficiency to the .338, whereas producing much less recoil and being a lot less expensive for the navy to undertake, which it did in 2010.
Different cartridges have come alongside in latest instances which are designed higher than the .300 Win. Magazine., notably the .300 PRC and .300 Norma Magazine., however for now, the .300 Win. Magazine. retains reinventing itself to stay related. It’s the Madonna of long-range rounds.
Ammo to Take into account:
Winchester Deer Season 150-grain XP
Federal Gold Medal Match 190-grain HPBT
Finest for Mule Deer: 6.5 PRC
Key Options
- Deadly at lengthy vary
- Engineered for accuracy
Why It Made the Reduce
The 6.5 PRC is the final word open-country looking cartridge.
Execs
- Ballistically environment friendly
- Average recoil
- Nice bullet choice
Cons
- Costly
- Restricted availability
Product Description
The 6.5 PRC joined an ever-expanding area of 6.5mm (.264 in.) caliber cartridges in 2018 when Hornady launched it after working with George Gardner of GA Precision on the idea.
I used to be an early adopter of this spherical as a result of it appeared to hit a candy spot for the sort of looking I like finest—the open nation of the West, the place lengthy pictures in windy situations on mule deer, elk, and different recreation are the norm. Seems my confidence within the spherical was not misplaced.
It generates about 200 fps greater than the 6.5 Creedmoor, offering a bit extra oomph for hunters and goal shooters who have to go lengthy. As a result of it makes use of aerodynamically environment friendly 6.5mm bullets it has excellent downrange capabilities. These projectiles shed their velocity slowly, so the 6.5 PRC can meet up with a lot bigger and harder-recoiling cartridges at 600 yards and past. These excessive ballistic coefficients additionally assist the 6.5 PRC buck the wind.
For instance, my Allterra Arms 6.5 PRC shoots Hornady 143-grain ELD-X bullets at 2950 fps. At 600 and 800 yards the drop is 65 and 137 inches, respectively. Retained velocity and power is 2202 fps / 1539 ft-lb and 1967 fps / 1229 ft-lb at these distances. Evaluate that with a .300 Win. Magazine. taking pictures a 180-grain Accubond, one of many best looking bullets round. On the identical 2950 fps muzzle velocity, the drop of the bullet at 600 and 800 yards is 76 and 163 inches, respectively. Whereas the retained velocity and power is 1937 fps / 1500 ft-lb and 1656 fps / 1096 ft-lb at 600 and 800 yards. So, you get a lot better efficiency from the 6.5 PRC versus the .300 Win. Magazine., whereas having to place up with considerably much less recoil.
Numbers are one factor. Efficiency within the area is one other. And right here, the 6.5 PRC shines as nicely. I’ve used it with nice success on mule deer, whitetails, elk, and moose. Its pinpoint accuracy makes it lethal on these animals to 500 yards and extra. Additionally it is a winner as a contest spherical, particularly as a lighter ELR (excessive lengthy vary) spherical on targets out to 2,100 yards.
Regardless that it’s a relative newcomer, in mild of its accuracy, shootability, and lethality it has earned its place as the most effective long-range calibers for looking open nation recreation like mule deer.
Ammo to Take into account:
Federal 130-grain Terminal Ascent
Remington Premier Match 140-grain
Key Options
- Engineered for high-volume taking pictures in 1,000-yard competitions
Why It Made the Reduce
The 6.5 Creedmoor introduced inexpensive long-range efficiency to the plenty.
Execs
- Wonderful accuracy
- Pleasing to shoot
- Nice bullet choice
- A lot of manufacturing facility ammo choices
Cons
- None, however haters are gonna hate
Product Description
This upstart has been on a tear since its introduction in 2007 and evokes passionate responses—each professional and con—like no different cartridge in latest reminiscence. The haters declare it’s over-hyped by the outside media (definitely true), that it’s insufficient for recreation bigger than deer (false), and that it’s no higher than older traditional cartridges (additionally not the case).
Let’s take a look at the final level, first. If a shooter is in search of nothing higher than deer-killing accuracy at 200 yards, then there are many cartridges that match the invoice, and there isn’t something to argue about. Use no matter you need—whether or not a .223 Rem., a .45/70, or one thing in between—and name it Christmas. The deer gained’t know the distinction.
The place the 6.5 Creedmoor excels is with its engineering. It’s constructed alongside the rules of contemporary cartridge design. That includes taking pictures ballistically aero-efficient bullets at average velocities with the understanding that they may retain their velocity and shoot flatter at lengthy distances whereas producing gentle recoil and good barrel life. The engineering of those cartridges, which will get into the minutia of rifle twist (quicker), chamber dimensions (tighter), case taper (much less), shoulder angle (steeper), throat lede angle (shallower), and different particulars, is why they’re inherently extra correct, and higher, than the cartridges of yore.
One wants look no additional than how the 6.5 Creedmoor and its kin have fared in precision rifle competitions, profitable repeatedly when the pictures are on small targets at 1,000 yards or extra. The final time a .270 Win. or .30/06 might make that declare was an age in the past.
As for its effectiveness on recreation, there’s little doubt about its observe document there. I’ve used it on extra massive recreation animals than every other cartridge since 2007. That features quite a few elk, and extra deer than I can bear in mind. I’ve additionally used it in Africa on giant and small recreation, together with on Big Eland, the world’s largest antelope that suggestions the scales at 2,000 kilos. With the fitting bullet and (as all the time) good shot placement, the 6.5 Creedmoor hits onerous.
It’s average recoil, inherent accuracy, and confirmed lethality is why it’s such an ideal selection for brand spanking new hunters. Any cartridge that’s fulfilling to shoot in a rifle is one a hunter—whether or not new or skilled—will likely be extra apt to apply with. And that issue alone will make an individual a extra competent area marksman and a greater, extra moral hunter.
Ammo to Take into account:
Federal 140-grain Sierra Matchking
Finest for Precision Taking pictures Matches: 6mm Dasher
Key Options
- Improbable accuracy pedigree
- Exceptional consistency
Why It Made the Reduce
The 6mm Dasher persistently wins in competitors.
Execs
- Straightforward to reload
- Hyper correct
- Negligible recoil
Cons
- Requires reloading
- Costly elements
- Some feeding points
Product Description
On the planet of sensible precision rifle competitors, exemplified by the NRL, PRS, RTC and different collection, there’s an arms race amongst light-recoiling 6mm cartridges. Most of the contenders are primarily based on the 6mm Benchrest cartridge. That household consists of the 6mm BRA, 6mm BRX and 6mm Dasher. Of those the 6mm Dasher is the present champ, by way of recognition and profitable.
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. Over time the spherical has set quite a few data in 600- and 1,000-yard benchrest competitions, so when the PRS began to catch on in 2012, it wasn’t lengthy earlier than these shooters began taking a look at this stubby little spherical.
I shoot numerous workforce matches and though I run a 6mm GT (one other fantastic spherical that has the potential to knock the 6mm Dasher from its perch), my taking pictures associate runs a 6mm Dasher, so I’ve seen what it may possibly do first-hand.
The important thing to the Dasher and these different rounds is their consistency. With correct handloading method, the Dasher delivers muzzle velocities with minimal shot-to-shot SD (commonplace deviation) and ES (excessive unfold). These predictable velocities imply that shooters can calculate their trajectories at longer ranges with excessive confidence.
For the reason that velocities are usually gentle (2850 fps is common) additionally it is simple for shooters to handle the rifle recoil and spot their hits and misses, which is one other key to success in sensible rifle competitors.
On the draw back, the Dasher may be finicky with respect to feeding since it’s so quick and has a steep 40-degree shoulder. However with some tuning of the journal that challenge may be largely mitigated.
The opposite problem with taking pictures the Dasher is that it’s a must to handload. Apart from some boutique companies that may load ammo for you, there’s at the moment no manufacturing facility 6mm Dasher supplied, which is a big barrier to entry for a lot of shooters.
The dearth of manufacturing facility choices is one motive the 6 GT may overtake the Dasher. Hornady is loading 6 GT ammunition with 109-grain ELD-M bullets which are out there by means of GA Precision. However within the meantime, the Dasher can rightfully declare the title as the very best precision rifle cartridge in the marketplace.
5 Dasher Elements
Brass:
Bullets:
Hornady 110-grain A-Suggestions
Key Options
- Goal-built for benchrest
Why It Made the Reduce
The .30 Stewart shot the smallest 5-shot group in historical past.
Execs
Cons
- Specialised area of interest cartridge
Product Description
One cartridge must be topped essentially the most correct and it simply occurs to be one you’ve in all probability by no means heard of. Again in 2013, Mike Stinnett bested a benchrest document that stood for practically 40 years when he shot a 5-shot group in competitors at 100 yards that measured .0077 inches.
To place that in perspective, seven-thousands of an inch is the equal thickness of two sheets of paper. Stinnett stacked these bullets so completely that the shot-to-shot variance was solely detectable by precision calipers.
How do we all know all 5 pictures went in that gap? Throughout benchrest competitors the targets have a paper backer that’s transferring positioned behind them. Except that backer has 5 distinct holes in it—which Stinnett’s did—it doesn’t depend.
The cartridge Stinnett used is sort of as shocking because the group he shot. Once we consider benchrest, our minds immediately go to the 6 PPC, which has been a dominant cartridge in benchrest for the reason that Eighties. The .30 Stewart, nonetheless, is predicated on the 6.5 Grendel necked as much as .30 caliber.
The method of forming the brass is laborious. Stinnett mentioned he would take the 6.5 Grendel brass made by Lapua and run it by means of a sizing die till the shoulder is pushed again far sufficient to chamber. He would then fire-form the brass in a barrel devoted to that course of after which run that brass by means of a die with a .30-caliber mandrel, at which level he turns the case neck for uniformity and trims the brass to the fitting size. In keeping with Stinnett it takes him eight firings to get the brass to the right dimensions earlier than it’s good to go.
He used .30-caliber BIB 114-grain bullets made by Randy Robinett (loaded over H4198 powder for a 2980 fps muzzle velocity). When loading the cartridges the bullets have been solely seated .12 inches into the instances. His custom-made barrels had a 1:17 twist.
Evidently you’re not going to search out one in every of these rifles, or the ammo, in your gun retailer shelf anytime quickly. Esoteric hardly touches on Stinnett’s gear and is a part of the rationale his document may stand for many years earlier than anybody bests it.
FAQs
Q: What’s the most correct long-range caliber?
Probably the most correct long-range caliber can’t be lowered to a single reply. The proper response is, for what? For excessive long-range competitors there are a number of specialised rounds designed to hit targets positioned two miles (or extra) from the shooter. However these area of interest cartridges are costly (to place it mildly) to shoot and construct weapons for and aren’t sensible for on a regular basis shooters.
For taking pictures out to 1,000 yards, the 6mm Creedmoor is about best. There are many manufacturing facility weapons and ammunition to select from, and it’s a straightforward cartridge to reload. For looking at prolonged ranges, the 6.5 PRC and .300 Win. Magazine. are robust to beat.
Q: Is the 5.56 good for long-range taking pictures?
A couple of years again I took a really properly constructed AR-15 to Buck Doyle’s coaching facility the place a gaggle of us shot out to 1,100 yards on metal targets. After I wrote concerning the occasion, many commenters known as me a liar for suggesting {that a} .223 Rem./5.56 NATO might shoot that far. Properly, with the fitting bullets (70 grains and up) and the fitting barrel twist (1:7 is finest), the 5.56 is able to taking pictures spectacular distances, together with the elusive 1,000-yard mark.
Q: What’s the most correct caliber at 500 yards?
Metal positioned at 500 yards are the bread-and-butter targets for PRS and NRL competitors, so for these purposes the pipsqueak 6mms are the very best. That features the 6 Dasher, 6 GT, 6 BRA, and 6 BRX, together with the 6.5mm and 6mm Creedmoors. For looking it makes extra sense to run with one thing a bit stouter. The 6.5 PRC, 7mm Rem. Magazine., and .300 Rem. Magazine. are all able to fantastic accuracy and game-killing energy at these distances.
Find out how to Choose the Finest Lengthy Vary Caliber
I made my number of lengthy vary calibers primarily based on my experiences looking, taking pictures, and competing with these hundreds. I additionally took ballistic efficiency under consideration, in addition to the experiences and outcomes of the highest long-range shooters on this planet. However to decide on the very best long-range caliber for you, begin with your individual expertise and pursuits. There isn’t any one-size-fits all reply on the subject of the very best long-range calibers. The supposed use and shooter’s funds play a serious position in figuring out which is finest. Then there’s the matter of private desire. Some shooters have an intense disdain for newer cartridges. Fortuitously for them, older stalwarts just like the .308 Win. and .300 Win. Magazine. nonetheless possess outstanding capabilities.
For these seeking to leverage the most recent improvements in cartridge design and bullet know-how there’s a complete world of goodies to select from. Smooth taking pictures 6mms give essentially the most bang for the buck when evaluating their long-range capabilities with how (comparatively) inexpensive they’re to reload. For off-the-shelf accuracy, the 6.5 Creedmoor is hard to prime, regardless of how a lot the Creed’s detractors may howl.
Hunters who simply need extra gun ought to look to the larger .30s, just like the .300 PRC and .300 Win Magazine., particularly if their adventures take them into territory the place bigger predators like bears prowl the panorama.
Ultimate Ideas
Regardless of the selection, there’s no denying that we reside in a golden period of rifle accuracy. We’ve by no means had it so good on the subject of selecting among the many finest long-range calibers to shoot. So make your decide correctly, after which get to taking pictures, as a result of a cartridge can solely be as correct because the one firing it.