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best long-long range caliber

89K views 28 replies 18 participants last post by  Long guns 
#1 ·
what caliber is best fro extreemly long ranges, or is it if u spend enough money on a gun you can get any caliber to shoot 1000 yards, is it possible to shoot proficiently at 1000 yards with a factory rifle, if so what
 
#2 ·
I am only offering my opinion and I'm sure there will be many others. Best reach but lowest recoil category would belong to the various 6.5 mm .260 cal. class. Equal reach, more power but more recoil would be the .30 cal magnum class. Best B.C. and as good as anyone else reach class, but with a bit more recoil, the hot 7mm"s. My opinion, with unlimited resources, meaning you could buy whatever you wanted, I'd do this. For targets and hunting, I'd go 6.5-284, or .264 Win. Mag. for hunting at extreme ranges, 7mm Rem. Ultra mag. Hunting at extreme ranges and needing severe foot pounds of energy, .300 Rem. Ultra mag. If you need more than that, stay home, it isn't worth it.:D R
 
#4 ·
Pretty open ended question for sure.

For hunting, I question taking a shot past 500 yds at anything. Like bow shots over 50 yds, travel time for the bullet is enough for random behavior of the game to cause a poor shot, at a statistically unfavorable rate. 10% is unacceptable to me.

Are factory rifles adequate in terms of accuracy for such shooting? Many are, right out of the box. At least if you're shooting from an adequate rest, know the range to within a few yds, and the crosswind velocity, and of course bullet drop within an acceptable range of error for the vital zone of the game you're after.
 
#5 ·
You might want to look up match results from various 1,000 yard contests. Some shooters are doing amazing things with fast-twist .223 barrels and really heavy bullets on the AR platform, just for something you might not have previously considered.

Basically, whatever 1,000 yard game you want to play, see what the winners are using. The weight restrictions are going to be what limits your caliber choices. Too light of a gun and too much recoil aren't a recipe for accurate shooting.
 
#6 ·
You'll get tons of opinions with a question like that.

Heres mine, remembering you asked, "best for long ranges".

My .30-378Wby with Sierra Match King 220 grainers coming out >3200fps works for me. -----pruhdlr
 
#7 ·
I agree with the above comments on game size and marksmanship. If you are serious about long range performance (and not recoil shy) you might consider the .30-378 Weatherby. From Wikipedia:

"The .30-378 Weatherby Magnum is a cartridge introduced by Weatherby in 1996 that uses the same case as the previously existing .378 Weatherby Magnum and .460 Weatherby Magnum, necked down to a 30 caliber (.308 inch) bullet. It is offered with bullets between 165 and 200 grains in factory loading, generating velocities able to exceed 3500 ft/s and muzzle energies over 4750 foot-pounds. The cartridge was originally designed for hunting game at very long distances, and for marksmanship competition in excess of 1,000 yards (910 m)."

Certainly, the energy delivered by such a cartridge only serves a useful purpose when the projectile accurately hits the intended target.

Good luck!
 
#8 ·
Hey savager.204, my God son shoots a 338 Laupa and I have been advised that the Armed Forces are supposedly using this as a long distance sniper rifle.
I have never shot this thing but his dad who is a guy that weighs well over 300lbs and shoots a 300 RUM as a toy advised me that it was ugly on the bench and that is with a brake on it.
 
#9 ·
Just to add,my .30-378 is the Accumark. It has a factory installed muzzle brake(Accubrake).

I purchased this weapon after having guided a sport, on a moose hunt in Maine,that brought one to camp. His was the Accumark also.

When sighting in prior to the hunt, he allowed me to shoot his weapon. He stated that,"in order to appreciate the brake,you need to shoot it first without it installed". I did and OUCH !!

With the brake installed the recoil is, to me, similar to a .30-06 shooting 165 grainers. It's VERY effecient to say the least. The brake can be easily taken off with the use of a suppiled tool. It also comes with a thread protector in case you want to leave(huh?) the brake off the weapon.

When I got my weapon,before I shot it for the first time,I moly coated the bbl. I also use ONLY moly coated bullets. This has seemed to prevent the bbl erosion that one would suspect when burning 120+ grains of powder. -----pruhdlr
 
#11 ·
When I got my weapon,before I shot it for the first time,I moly coated the bbl. I also use ONLY moly coated bullets. This has seemed to prevent the bbl erosion that one would suspect when burning 120+ grains of powder. -----pruhdlr
Haven't heard of moly coating a barrel. Can you direct me toward more information on the process? Can it be done to a barrel that is not new, but has had only a limited number of bullets fired through it? I have a .257 Weatherby Accumark that is very accurate that I shoot very infrequently because I understand that cartridge is a also a "barrel burner".
 
#10 ·
There are also bunch's of guys hunting with the 50 caliber Machine gun round in both single shots and bolt guns and semi-auto's where it's legal. Take a look at the Barret rifles for that kind of usage. Many states have made the illegal though.

Frankly I don't much believe in shooting game at excessive ranges. Shots much over 500 yards brings in lots of factors other than the simple ability to hit at those ranges. To be fair to the game harvest at shorter ranges. For target shooting it's a whole different ballgame, go for as far as you like. I've never seen anybody wound a target and leave it to die.
 
#12 ·
You can moly coat any barrel by using the moly prep that Midway or Brownell's or Cabela's sells. This is usually only done when using either commercial or home moly coated bullets. It's applied to a clean dry barrel on a patch wrapped on an old brass brush and is simply ran back and forth up to 20 times to embed the moly into the steel.

There's a lot of pro's and cons about moly coating. I did that for a while (it's touted to make it longer between cleaning periods). As far as reducing barrel erosion I can't tell you about that, but it takes more powder to get the same velocities from any loads and will reduce factory velocities. It adds nothing to the accuracy of any rifle I've tried it in and it's a messy substance to use and coat bullets with if you do it at home.

I tried it for a year or two before finally going back to uncoated bullets. I guess I'm a little anal about cleaning so all the guns get cleaned after a shooting session and I got tired of having to use more powder to get the same velocities. Another reason for not using it is you have to use a moly bore prep or shoot up to 25 plus rounds to get the barrel to settle down to base accuracy in many of the rifles I tried it in.

Bottom line in rifles such as pruhdlr is shooting the 30/378 Weatherby it may be an advantage as he says for cases using over a hundred grains of powder, but for the average shooter it's a no gain situation. Rifles such as the 30/378 are going to have a limited barrel life simply because of the amount of powder they burn compared to the bore diameter and velocities they shoot.

Most shooters expect that and are prepared to do a barrel replacement when it's needed. On the good side though most folks that hunt with those kinds of calibers don't put the thousands of rounds thru them that target and varmint shooters do and barrels last a lot of seasons. I shot an 8mm Remington Magnum and for the few shots a year sighting in and at game it will last my lifetime and probably the lifetime of my grand kids when they get it.

It's also a little harder to clean out the moly, but doable after a shooting session. My recommendation is to simply clean regularly and stay away from the moly, it's just one more expense that mostly does nothing, at least from my trials nothing that warrants it's cost.
 
#17 ·
A lowly .308??? Do you realize the things you can do with a .308 if you handload? I love that caliber, and I see it as being nearly as versatile as the venerable '06! The 308 cartridge has spawned at least as many new rounds as the 30-06, including GREAT long distance rounds like the .243, 270, and 7mm/08.
 
#16 ·
I have a buddy that shoots a .50BMG for yotes in South/North Dakota.

He says that in the early morning sun they are on the hillsides gettin' warm. If you stay 1000yds+ from them they simply stand up and look at you.

He shoots off the hood of an old Bronco. He has an old moving company pad that he first throws over the windshield. He has lost a couple windshields due to the over pressure.

He kills 75-100 yotes a year using this method.

It's gotta be very expensive though. -----pruhdlr
 
#19 ·
I was not dissing the 308, just being a little facetious. It is one of my favorite calibers. I use it because it is one of the most accurate I have ever used. Another thing I like about it is that it is not a big powder burner like the magnums or even my 06s.
But my 260 cal. is a Swede which I hope will shoot like my .308 win.
 
#23 ·
Sorry Lynn!
Sometimes humor doesn't translate well onto a screen, my fault entirely!

M1 - You are very right about the .270, I was talking about the versatility of the '06, and I guess the 270 just popped into my head. Guess I'm a little slip brained from time to time. Thanks for mentioning the .260, though, it's a great round as well. I'm a big fan of all the 6mm calibers for distance shooting.
 
#20 ·
Long range game calibers are different than long range target calibers. Keep in mind that delivering energy to a game animal at ranges much past 600 yards requires a pretty good cartridge. It's much different than punching a hole in a paper target.

It's also different when not only do you need to judge an indiscriminate range, but make a first shot killing hit on an animal at that long range. Lots more to it than setting up a target and walking the bullets into it.

Good long range game rifles are most all of the magnums 30 caliber and under and cartridges like some mentioned. It also takes a bunch of practice to be good at those 1 bullet 1 shot kills at extended ranges.

I've got friends using the 7mm STW and 300 Remington Ultra-mag with great success, but they use range finders, wind speed counters and shoot hundreds of rounds of ammo in practice for every shot they take at game.

If your just doing the target thing the 6.5 by 284 is an excellent long range target round and even the 308 will do good at targets to 1000 yards. For game I'd suggest the minimum of the 300 Win mag or the 7mm STW shooting 175 or 180 grain bullets to start with.
 
#21 ·
One of my favorite very long-range numbers is the 264 Winchester Magnum. It has a trajectory superior to the 270 or a 300. If that caliber is too small, then the 7STW is about the same thing for a heavier bullet. I would be guessing what would be still bigger. It would have to be a large case, perhaps a 300 ultra Mag might be the next step up?
A 300 Jarrett is about a half step up, or have way between a 270 and a 264 mag, albeit much more powerful.
 
#22 ·
just so everyone knows i wasnt really plan on buying anything, but thought this might be a good conversation starter, and fun, which it has been, has anyone evr heard of the 'eargensplitten louden boomer"
 
#25 ·
Yeowza !!

That was the 50BMG necked down to .224 wasn't it ??

To me the VERY BIG distinction between target and hunting is "terminal ballistics".

Bullet performance at less than optimum velocities has to be taken into consideration for the clean kill of the animal.

A .308 caliber bullet out of a .308 at 50yds is one thing. A .308 caliber bullet out of my .30-378 at 1000yds could be completely different. We owe it to the animals we hunt to be able to tell the difference. -----pruhdlr
 
#26 ·
Some new long range stuff that just came worth some consideration , are the 416 Barret, the 408 Chey Tac, and the 22-6mm. those are all 1000+++ yard range cartridges , in proper rifles.

If you want a cheap rifle though, go with a 300RUM, or a 30-378.

It seems kind of odd, but the 378 Weatherby w/a 300grBTHP is a real good wind bucker and shoots almost as flat the 338-378 w/ the 300 gr Sierra.
Dang accurate too
 
#27 ·
no, i believ it was a .378 necked down to a .224 bullet, and instead of cracking like a rifle it sounded like a 9 pounder goin off, and when the bullets hit the target they were going sideways, so it proved ineffective, but thats still a neat thought, and i belive someone should sit and count how many wildcats and famous cartridges were created off of the .30'06 and .308, and also how many .22 cals. were created in making the .223 which include the fireballs and the .204
 
#29 ·
The most important thing with long range shooting is familiarity. my father owns 6 VGX vanguards of various calibers because if your familiar with a rifle it makes alot of difference especially when hunting. also dont skip around on guns and loads. find a good accurate gun/load combination and dont change it. then practice A LOT and your confidence alone will help dramatically.
 
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