The .308 Win. The cartridge was designed for reliable feeding in battle rifles, not efficient powder burns for consistent accuracy. Stocky's Owner Don Bitz walks David Faubion through the company's new rifle stocks for 2023. Take the Lapua and shorten the case so it can be fired from a standard Long Action. As a result, barrel life suffers. One of the newer cartridges on the list, the .300 PRC comes to us from Hornady in 2018. The overall intended target range for the 6.5 Grendel was between 200-800 yards. Especially in the bolt action realm. The .223 is an excellent choice for an inexperienced and/or younger shooter. What I can tell you is that choosing the right caliber in relation to recoil can make or break your performance as a shooterespecially if youre new to the game. Whats not to love? With low recoil and flat trajectories, the .260 is another great option for someone interested in Long Range shooting. In the final analysis, when regulation demands, the .308 can be manipulated into working at long range. The .243 can be a great beginner gun because of its low recoil and ammo availability. Hornady is loading 6 GT ammunition with 109-grain ELD-M bullets that are available through GA Precision. His custom-made barrels had a 1:17 twist. High ballistic coefficient bullets carry their velocity better. That changed in 1997 when Remington standardized many 6.5 wildcats based on the .308 Winchester. As to be expected, the 6mm Creedmoor is still a young cartridge. Muzzle Velocity: Firing the 250gr Lapua Scenar projectile, MV: 3,030 fps, Ballistic Co-Efficient: G1: 0.603 G7: 0.310. Unless you will be loading subsonic rounds, all standard Long Range rifle calibers maintain supersonic flight (Mach 1 or greater than 1125 fps). How do we know all five shots went in that hole? Since the most common .223 projectile for LR performance is the Sierra Match King 77gr OTM, we will use that; G7 BC ~ 0.202. This caliber is one of the most popular and widely used centerfire cartridges in the world. Not very economically practical for the entry-level guys, but for those taking rifles down-range itll give you confidence if you get issued a rifle chambered in this cartridge. (1,269) combining for more than 2,000 yards . Bob Meinert, FN Marketing Director, introduces FN's first commercial pistol suppressor, the FN Rush 9Ti. Exceedingly well written and informative article. Yeah, itll work in a bolt gun, but in the AR-15 it is the undisputed best cartridge for stretching distance. Muzzle Velocity: Average MV for a .223 is 3100 fps. I expect barrel life is better than the PRC, yet probably not as good as the Creedmoor. Any shooter of any age can comfortably shoot the Valkyrie without feeling recoil fatigue. 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. Almost all wildcat (a round that is not mass-producedusually strictly custom hand-loaded) chambered rifles have to be hand-built by very niche gunsmiths who specialize in Long Range precision rifles. Its an excellent choice for shooting groundhogs out to 500 yards. Case capacity matches the 300PRC and is not far off the 300 Norma that you like, but wouldnt cost $5/rd. The average price per round is $1.75. As a candidate for the best overall long-range caliber. The projectile still punched through steel at one mile! My bias steers clear of the wildcat calibers. Several other .30 cal magnum rounds were designed at the time, but the .300 Winchester Magnum was the only one of the lot, to stand the test of time. With low recoil and flat trajectories, the .260 is another great option for someone interested in Long Range shooting. Barrel Life: Again, as most wildcat rounds are concerned, barrel life will not be great. If you are inexperienced, youre in luckbecause todays Long Range shooting community is being flooded by great, streamlined, low-recoiling cartridges. Great article. The .30-06 is such a classic sniper rifle round, I could not leave it out of the running. Many shooters claim the .224 has about half of the felt recoil as a .308. Ballistically, it absolutely trounces the .308 Win. Now when it comes to ammo, I already mentioned wildcat cartridges. History: Created in 2007 by a ballistics team from Hornady, the 6.5 Creedmoor was designed as an improved Long Range target cartridge, based on the .308 Winchester .30 TC (Thompson Center). A column writer for. Mag. The new big bore pistols feature industry-first capacity, with a standard 15-round capacity and 22+1 rounds of 10mm or 18+1 rounds of .45 ACP from the extended magazines. in the 1960s when Marine Lance Corporal Carlos Hathcock used the round to win the Wimbledon Cup, a 1,000-yard rifle competition in 1965. Little information is out there on 6.5 PRC barrel life. Mag. Vastly improved barrel life by having a good case volume to bore volume ratio, and pushing longer bullets through the tube. This was a great article that puts a lot of good info out there that we average shooters would not have otherwise realized. High-end AR-10s can regularly maintain sub-MOA accuracy. Ballistic Co-Efficient: As with MV, .223 projectiles vary greatly. G7 is the most current and most accurate measurement of the predicted flight of a long-range projectile. However, for less bullet size, you can get a much better performing Long Range caliberand for a lot less money too. This cartridge has been around for a while. Top shooters use an accurate, standard-length (magazine compatible) match bullet for the 200- and 300-yard stages but transition to super long, high-BC, heavy-for-caliber projectiles for 600 and 1,000 yards. I am interested to see how the price of such systems will come down and become more readily available to entry to novice level LR shooters. KIDD Not long ago, the .308 was king. The .30-06 is such a classic sniper rifle round, I could not leave it out of the running. 6mm Creedmoor. Overall Practicality: Unless you are a military sniper, this round has almost zero practicality. Also, experience firing large bore calibers is advised. Full Disclosure Here. All 6mm projectiles are notorious for extremely fast throat erosion. Gyroscopic Stability is lost in the Transonic Range and the bullet begins to pitch and yaw and ultimately tumble. When thinking of muzzle velocity, a faster round is not always better. With proper handloading technique, the Dasher delivers muzzle velocities with minimal shot-to-shot SD (standard deviation) and ES (extreme spread). I can already hear the snarls and gnashing teeth of offended readers. The average price per round is $1.75. Better are the 175-, 178- and 180-grain bullets, if they can be pushed fast enough. The new case was developed for years based on the T65 developmental cartridge. 1,000m: 1,523 ft-lbs. Does it go the farthest? Mag., from Sierras legendary 190-grain MatchKing to Hornadys cutting-edge 212-grain ELD Match. Shockingly, the average price per round is $4.75. It was a great option at the time for those wanting long range performance with very low recoil. You can readily find these rounds online. The process of forming the brass is laborious. As said before, the standard rifle manufacturers have not caught up the .224 Valkyrie. The new RIA 5.0 Sporting Pistol from Rock Island Armory features a patented RVS Recoil system that maximizes barrel mass and linear movement to give shooters super soft recoil. Little information is out there on 6.5 PRC barrel life. All in all, if you are new to the LR community and have an heirloom .243 in the family and that is it, re-barrel it and work on fundamentals. At standardized sea-level atmospherics, it gives shooters legitimate 1,600-yard supersonic capability with the right load. What I can tell you is that choosing the right caliber in relation to recoil can make or break your performance as a shooterespecially if youre new to the game. ), neither of which is conducive to good accuracy. Instructional Tools for Modern Sight Alignment Training. Basically, if you click on a product link on this site and buy that product we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. This last factor will doom the cartridge, in and of itself if no one else picks up the torch for brass production (which isnt likely). Remington 700 PCR 9. The top-end stuff certainly has its gatekeepers. Those of you who reload can stretch the Valkyrie by playing with different powders, bullet seating depths, and projectile types. models. 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. Many shooters claim the .224 has about half of the felt recoil as a .308. Needless to say youre not going to find one of these rifles, or the ammo, on your gun store shelf anytime soon. Not very economically practical for the entry-level guys, but for those taking rifles down-range itll give you confidence if you get issued a rifle chambered in this cartridge. Also, terminal performance on larger targets has proven weak at best (one large reason the .243 never caught on with the military). I see this more for the shooter that needs terminal performance. As more and more interest in the Long Range community, one thing has become apparent. 15 Best Long Range Rifles in 2023 | Ranked by a [Marine Sniper] Picking the top six cartridges for any discipline is akin to shimmying out on a branch and then rasping away on it with a pruning saw. They get down range faster and this diminishes the time that gravity and wind have to act upon them. Currently, G1 through G8 and GL is the only mathematical models to express BCs. Ammo Availability: Again, being one of the forefathers of the Long Range shooting community, .308 is found everywhere. The numbers are beyond impressive. An AR-10 firing with a suppressor, the .308 will recoil slightly more than an AR-15. You will get more bang for your buck choosing the .308 Winchester as your next Long Range caliber. You could say that the 6 mm Creedmoor story started in 1955 with the introduction of the .244 Remington, which was a .257 Roberts cartridge necked down to 6 mm. However, most off-the-shelf Long Range rifle manufacturers are chambering their flagship rifles in 6.5 Creedmoor (and for less than $1,200). Hunters who just want more gun should look to the bigger .30s, like the .300 PRC and .300 Win Mag., especially if their adventures take them into territory where larger predators like bears prowl the landscape. The average price per round will be around $2.00. The 375VM2 challenging issues Its pinpoint accuracy makes it deadly on these animals to 500 yards and more. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine. However, the majority of builds will be designed for the bolt action system. Basically, whatever. Other than that, the projectiles will always be available. A quarterback must spin the football in a way to achieve a tight spiral. To salvage the project, the Navy switched to 185-grain Lapua FMJs, which went into production in 1990. The 6mm ARC Cartridge: Why the Military Needed It, Springfield Armory Hellion 5.56 NATO Bullpup Rifle: Tested, Buyer Beware: Buying 'Bargain' Guns Can Be Risky. And the AR-10 was designed SPECIFICALLY for the .308 Winchester/7.62x51mm NATO. 10 years ago, the 6.5284 Norma would have easily made the list. The .300 WSM steals the performance of a .300 WM and transforms it down to a short-action rifle. Muzzle: 1316 ft-lbs 500m: 470 ft-lbs 1000m: 165 ft-lbs 1500m: 108 ft-lbs. Even though primarily technical, it somehow makes a very enjoyable and mentally stimulating read. Ive always liked the .260. I like the 300 win mag for above reasons. The projectiles dont carry a lot of mass, therefore their stopping power is limited. Many, even most, will average half-MOA groups out of an accurate rifle. For the Long Range hunting community, I would argue that the .30-06 still has a place in this world. Vortex Strike Eagle 4-24x 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. The truth is that there is no one best long-range caliber for every job and there are many factors to consider. Without, this cartridge should be shot by older more experienced enthusiasts. This fact alone makes it a good do-all choice for shooters that dabble in quite a few different disciplines but dont particularly care about winning in a certain one. 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. Muzzle: 2,158 ft-lbs 500m: 1,047 ft-lbs 1,000m: 436 ft-lbs 1,500m: 222 ft-lbs. We used our training and repetitive experience to put accurate rounds on target, not fancy top-of-the-line rifle builds and hand-loaded bullets. The .284 Winchester (7MM) is very popular with bench rest shooters. Sportsman could use the same rifle used for groundhogs and coyotes, as for deer. Its a thankless job, but somebodys got to point you toward the best of the best. Unfortunately, the better the long-range bullet (read: heavy and streamlined with a stretched-out profile), the longer it intrudes into the .308s powder chamber. Projectile manufacturers are even still making their high-end rounds in .243. Very nice article. 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 Coming from my military background, I was always reluctant to stray from the 7.62x51mm or .300 Winchester Magnum. For average shooters wanting to plink at steel targets on their family farm, this round is far overkill. Here are the seven best new precision long range cartridges. As for PRS shooters, with great flat trajectories and low-recoil, follow-up shots are a breeze. Because the .224 is so new, the market is still catching on. For all-around optimal performance, the projectile weight needs to be in the 140gr+ range. 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. they have come a long way. Transonic speed is the point in a bullets trajectory where it slows down and transitions from supersonic to subsonic (Mach 1-Mach 0.7 or 1125-880 fps). Recoil Condition: For being a long and hard-hitting round, the 6.5 CM still maintains a lower felt recoil. The 6.5 Grendel comes to us in 2003 from Alexander Arms. Mags., the .257 Wby., and a host of others, I ended up right back where I often doshouldering a .308 Winchester. Average price per round$1.00. Mag. For that blacktail hunt I ended up creating a rifle with the now-defunct Legendary Arms Works with my friend Mike Hudgins. Todays magnum cartridges show us the performance that could only exist in science fiction, 20 years ago. Lapua has offered cases off and on for several years, enabling accuracy-obsessed shooters to make the most of the 7mm SAUM. Finding barrel life data can be tricky, especially for a round that has only been alive for 3 years. Top inherently accurate 2000 yard calibers | Sniper's Hide Forum Cowboys Miss On Kicker; Sign Gould? Jerry Reveals Plan There are many different kinds of pistols out there, and whats right for one person might not be right for you. 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. Cross-Platform Use: We all know that AR-10s of the past could never keep up in accuracy with a bolt gun. The rest of the targets from T1 to T4 went well, and I cleaned T4, going 5-for-5 at 1,942 yards. For the experienced Long Range hunter, I think this is a great caliber to consider. A big selling point to the 6CM is that from its inception, and from the help of GA Precision, its use in the AR-10 platform has been immensely popular among PRS shooters. His favorite caliber at the time for LR competition shooting was the 6.5CM. The numbers dont lie. I like the idea of taking the .223/5.56 concept and stretching its legs. Tikka T3 CTR Tikka rifles are excellent shooters. Some compare it to the .260 or 6.5 Creedmoor, the 6.5x47mm Lapua is known to be very accurate. The 6.5 PRC was born at the 2018 SHOT Show. If not, this is one less thing you have to worry about. In essence, the 6.5284 Norma equals the performance of the .270 Winchester with projectiles having much higher BC and consuming slightly less powder. This topic may be daunting to some readers because the actual numerical values in which we represent a projectiles Ballistic Coefficient seem like arbitrary numbers. Mag. Barnes, Hornady, Federal, and Berger all make loads ranging from $0.60-$1.30 per round. The Best 22 Rifles: Reviews & Recommendations Savage Mark II FV SEE IT Specs Barrel Length: 21 inches Weight: 5.5 Pounds Capacity: 5+1 Pros Affordable Lightweight Great for youth hunters Cons.