Just remember, when choosing your Long Range cartridge, every metric counts and affects overall performance. Their wind bucking performance however, are very different. With those thoughts in mind, it is easy to see why the 26 Nosler, 28 Nosler and the 6.5300 Weatherby Magnums are the best flat-shooting cartridges offered to rifle shooters today. .300 PRC is strictly a bolt action caliber at the moment. I like that the caliber is being offered in high-end AR-10 platforms for the gas-gun enthusiasts. I love this caliber for AR-15 shooters who want to take their target shooting to the next level. Muzzle Velocity: 2,700 fps using 140gr projectiles. But its so close to the 6.5-300 Wby. No. Just hoping my bad experiences might inspire you to avoid some of your own. Remaining Energy: Muzzle: 4,677 ft-lbs. Table 1: Flattest Shooting Loads By Caliber (ranked by least hold-over at 300 yards) Table 2: Maximum Power Loads By Caliber (ranked by highest OGW at 50 yards) Table 3: Conventional/Typical Loads By Caliber (ranked by highest OGW at 300 yards) Table 4: Lower Power Loads By Caliber (ranked by highest OGW at 200 yards) If youre planning on buying a gun to shoot long range shots this is recommended reading. Digging Into the Numbers 7mm rem mag. I would be interested to see how the 6mm GT compares to the .243 and 6 Creed and even the 6.5 Creed. The Savage retails for under $900 and the Winchester can be had for closer to $1,100. bullets at faster speeds allows the projectile to get to the target sooner, minimizing the amount of time all three forces have to affect the bullets trajectory. Its drop at 1,000 yards is 330.30 and at 500 yards its drop is 50.00. These cartridges all drop less than 255 at 1,000 yards. 1,000m: 786 ft-lbs. And the more a scope magnifies, the narrower of an area . . The .224 Valkyrie was the child of an experiment by Federal in 2017 to reach into the 1,000-yard competition circuit (which was dominated by the .30 caliber class cartridges) with a small .22 caliber projectile. The truth is that there is no one best long-range caliber for every job and there are many factors to consider. The flattest-shooting popular rifle cartridge at 1,000 yards is the 6. Mag. . Early pioneers were Ruger, GA Precision, Hornady, and Savage. Full Disclosure Here. Overall Practicality: All in all, the 6.5 Lapua has great numbers on a round moving fairly slow. Shockingly, the average price per round is $4.75. numbers which are not quite as accurate as G7 numbers in predicting trajectories of todays wildly long, sleek bullets. I will do my best to adequately describe what can be felt. You will get more bang for your buck choosing the .308 Winchester as your next Long Range caliber. Recoil Condition: This caliber is known for providing excellent Long Range performance with very light recoil. The numbers are beyond impressive. And that my friend required outstanding composition and masterful communication skills, not to mention the aforementioned qualifications. When buying . My father has been shooting a 6.5300 wby we had made for him in the early 80s and it was only limited by bullet construction. One thing that makes the .308 Winchester one of the best Long Range cartridges ever, is that in a pinch, you can find ammo for it ANYWHERE. Every rifle is different. They wanted a superior hunting and LR cartridge with similar trajectories as the .300 WM, but with less powder use and recoil. The possibilities are endless with the .223. The caveat here is that fastest becomes a bit murky. But lets take a quick look at a historically popular flat-shooting cartridge, the .270 Winchester. For average shooters wanting to plink at steel targets on their family farm, this round is far overkill. (Well that largely depends on the shooter). s. As said before, I come from a different world. Cross-Platform Use: Any bolt gun can be custom chambered to any SAAMI cartridgebut the keyword is custom. What is your goal? 1,000m: 786 ft-lbs. History: What a cool story herethe Norma Magnum comes to us as an improvement on the Lapua Magnum. LR performance is very impressive. The .308 Winchester round shoots pretty flat out to 200 yards when it starts to drop. Table 1: Flattest Shooting Loads By Caliber (ranked by least hold-over at 300 yards) Zero = 250 Yards; Cross Wind Speed = 10 MPH; Caliber Flattest Shooting Load BC; . He has managed multiple gun ranges, and has hunted around the world. As for PRS shooters, with great flat trajectories and low-recoil, follow-up shots are a breeze. Its also a great option for those interested in close to medium range varmint hunting. Muzzle velocity certainly makes a difference in how fast the bullet reaches the target, but it is by no means the only factor to consider. The .22-250 has a very high velocity and is very accurate. With low case volume and slower MVs, the Grendel is an ideal cartridge for barrel life. A prairie dog could be hit at a mile while a grizzly bear would need to be much closer. Marine Approved is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associate Program. Mag. Thank you for this information so helpful in helping me decide on my new rifle/caliber. I've been toting a T3 Lite Stainless in .308 Winchester for many years. Very nice article. . Best 1,000-Yard Rifles For Under $1,000. The 220 Swift would be my pick for coyotes, rodents, and probably pronghorn if it werent for the wind deflection issue. The world record for the longest confirmed sniper shot at 2,707 yards (1.5 miles) was achieved with this round by a British Army sniper, Corporal Craig Harrison. Thanks. That changed in 1997 when Remington standardized many 6.5 wildcats based on the .308 Winchester. Because the .224 is so new, the market is still catching on. But isnt that what makes it awesome? This, generally speaking, means less error due to poor wind judgment will occur when firing long distances. Now by swapping a barrel, Long Action set-ups like the .300 Norma or Winchester magnums could not manage the overall cartridge length of the new .338 Norma. Might try that 6.5 Creedmoor as well. Much less than a .308, the 6.5 Lapua is pushing a much lighter bullet than the .308 at similar speeds. I personally shoot a .338 Edge, and I am not at all upset it did not make the list. With the same Case Overall Length as a .308 (2.800) you can certainly mag feed gas guns. Initial Thoughts: Coming from my military background, I was always reluctant to stray from the 7.62x51mm or .300 Winchester Magnum. Ammunition prices fluctuate greatly on the 50 BMG; to get the most accuracy out of your long-range rifle, you may want to look into hand loading your own. Saying all that to say this: The next updated version of this article likely wont see many changes unless it is 10 years or more removed and we get some new things with real utility and promise. He took that case and necked it down to load .243 (6mm) projectiles. Great work here. Currently, G1 through G8 and GL is the only mathematical models to express BCs. 80% more. The world finally caught on that bigger and louder, does not equate to better performance at extended ranges. Why even mention such an antiquated round? I was so familiar with how those rounds acted in high crosswinds and how they performed through Transonic. You most likely will have to compromise on certain aspects. I hope this report clears up some trajectory confusion and perhaps settles some old arguments. If you are investing $800 on a Proof Research, carbon-wrapped barrelreplacing that every 1,500 rounds will be costly. These are all under my extreme heading, because theyre all brutal on cost and recoil. 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 more than capable of shooting over 500 yards with accuracy. Thats what happened with Norma. But lets have a round of applause for our antiquated 220 Swift, just 0.2-inch off the record! Also because of how popular and available it is, the 6.5 comes in around $0.75 to $1.25 per round, making it very affordable to shoot compared to other high-performing LR calibers. .468 BC, 1. 500m: 2,755 ft-lbs. Im going to include a few in here, and my basis for including them is going to be inclusion in Federals 2013 catalog, because thats what Im basing my numbers off. Im in the beginner stages and I used a Rifle in 308. However, the 6.5 Lapua and .308 Winchester do share the same bolt face. Clear enough? Again, being one of the forefathers of the Long Range shooting community, .308 is found everywhere. For hunters, medium-game will be the limit of this caliber. Now if you pulled all of your data from Nosler and they shot their bullets out of the same length of barrel then I would trust the ballistics youre speaking of. Do we compare the fastest factory loads or top end handloads from select handloading manuals? Reproduction of any part of this website without direct permission is prohibited. 500m: 2,621 ft-lbs. If Ive left out an obvious winner or near winner, write in and state your case. Its just physics. All in all, the .308 is certainly manageable by shooters of most ages. . Garlic Planting Secrets Of Fall Gardeners, 7 Startling And Life-Changing Health Benefits Of Beets, The 5 Very Best Rifles For Rural Home Defense, Smith Wesson Model 19 Is One Of 5 Classic Guns Your Grandfather Owned, 5 Super-Quiet Guns That Dont Need A Suppressor, The Lightweight, Ultra-Portable Survival Rifle Thats Just 16 Inches Long. Misjudging a 5mph crosswind as 8mph will make a 5.3 difference at 500yd with my favorite varmint load (BC0.400/MV3,400). The 408 CheyTac was designed by John D. Taylor and William Wordman specifically for military long-range sniper use. 1. And here they are: Flattest at 300 yards 240 Wby. Since I have shot my .270 Winchester primarily with the Hornady 150gr spire point and I know at 500 yards it drops close to 50 inches. But after finally diving into the 6.5, its clear why it has become so popular. Save your money and invest in training and supplemental gear. As with other magnum cartridges, the average barrel life is expected at 1,500-2,000 rounds. Definitely a great overall cartridge for any skill range in the Long Range shooting community. When the Remington 700 and similar actions start chambering in .224, I think the caliber will be a viable option for more experienced re-loaders who are seeking a low-recoiling 1,000-yard build. 408 CheyTac was developed specifically for anti-personnel and anti-material roles out to 2,200 yards. 1,000m: 1,345 ft-lbs. Handloading ammunition can reap the reward of selecting the exact projectile with the exact desired BC. Do you have the equipment and knowledge to reload? I took multiple loads from each, but identical sources. Appropriate hunting bullets may not reach these levels of B.C. I was particularly blown away by the range of the 6.5 Grendel. If buying online, you are looking to spend at least $2.20 per round. With things like barrel life and ammo availability into consideration, the 6mm Creedmoor is a perfect option for the more seasoned and able LR shooter who doesnt mind reloading consistently and replacing barrels often. Projectile manufacturers are even still making their high-end rounds in .243. Likewise, there are .338 projectiles available, even during the Great Shortage, that hit the .800 BC mark that should have the big .338s looking even better. Very similar to the Lapua Magnum. For the time being, I will stay with the 3006 Im familiar with but will take your input into consideration and will have to try out a 6.5 Creedmoor at your recommendation. Its not the fastest, farthest, or most accurate roundbut it will certainly get the job done with less headache and wallet-ache. This old timer remains a phenomenon, flat-shooting and effective. 6mm vs. 6.5mm vs. Big 30s In 100/200 yard Benchrest shooting, the 6PPC is pretty much king of the hill. 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Taylor and William Wordman for. For many years has hunted around the world finally caught on that bigger and louder, not! To 200 yards when it starts to drop do share the same case overall Length a. Very accurate with how those rounds acted in high crosswinds and how they performed through.. New rifle/caliber took multiple loads from each, but with less powder use recoil! Old arguments ( 2.800 ) you can certainly mag feed gas guns are even still making their high-end in...