best caliber for 2,000 yard competition

Although it isnt the flattest shooting round, that trait is, ironically, overrated in a long-range round. 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. They will also fit any .308 Winchester bolt face; meaning that to obtain a 6.5CM, all you need to do is swap a barrel, making this cartridge extremely modular across bolt and gas guns. Slightly more than the .308 Winchester. Lets look at the last point, first. With a muzzle brake and/or suppressor, the recoil is definitely manageable. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. The only affordable model, the Winchester XPR, is neutered with a 24 barrel. Overall Practicality: I argue that you will not find a more practical Long Range caliber in this list. For example, my Allterra Arms 6.5 PRC shoots Hornady 143-grain ELD-X bullets at 2950 fps. Recoil Condition: A line can be drawn in the sand between the .30 cal class projectiles and the .338 and larger. Mag, which were rolled out in 1958. Either way it is flexible for your mission. I shot this out of the new Barrett ASR at 1,600m. 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. That one-millimeter difference means a large increase in MV. Where are you getting 223 / 556 for 30 cent a round? Several factory loads do exist on the market today. Great article, bringing in all the relevant points. LR performance is very impressive. While its not as efficient as the 6.5 Creedmoor, and recoils harder and burns barrels faster, it is indubitably more effective at bucking wind. Not to mention guys that still compete with and collect old military surplus riflesI see the .30-06 sticking around for a good while longer. I do not know of any systems running this caliber in gas guns. Too much felt recoil can build bad habits like target flincheven for experienced shooters. 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. Vortex Strike Eagle 4-24x The best long-range cartridge in the world might be the .408 Chey-Tac. The components for reloading are also readily available. It can make long cross-canyon shots when needed, yet you can bring it to action in a flash should a buck materialize in front of you in the dense timber. The .223 Remington offers an excellent choice for the novice weekend warrior who has limited distance range facilities. Ammo Availability: The 6.5 Grendel can be found on almost all online ammo retailers. For hunters, the retained energy, MV, and increased projectile expansion technology, the 6.5CM makes for a great terminally performing round for medium and even large games. However, the majority of builds will be designed for the bolt action system. Average price per round at $2.25. Why not mention the 7mm Remington Mag? After digesting this lovely meal, I changed my mind about 6.5 PCR (or CM) and now favor the .308 for economy, availability, hunting flexibility, and barrel life. Its an excellent choice for shooting groundhogs out to 500 yards. Most of these calibers are also fairly expensive to shoot in both ammo and barrel replacements. While we always focus our coverage on standout productsbecause we want our readers to be aware of the latest and greatest gearwe also cover the flaws and quirks of any given product. Ammo Availability: Several factory loads do exist on the market today. With low case volume and slower MVs, the Grendel is an ideal cartridge for barrel life. It makes sense. The .338 Norma did what the Lapua did. Mag. It is meant for the traditional long-range projectile; featuring a long, slender ogive and a boat-tail rear end. I still like this cartridge for a bolt gun though. Remaining Energy: Muzzle: 5,096 ft-lbs. Muzzle: 2,832 ft-lbs. Prior to this round, there was no bridge between 7.62x51mm and .50 BMG. I still like this cartridge for a bolt gun though. Just remember, when choosing your Long Range cartridge, every metric counts and affects overall performance. It is indeed a gratifying experience to know you can direct a bullet to a beachball or even a smaller target at such an incredible distance. 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. If you put a gun to my head, the 6.5mm Creedmoor is the best, overall, Long Range caliber. Mag. 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 Still less than the classic .308 Winchester. Mag. Prior, only dedicated .338 Lapua Magnum receivers could handle the round. I would argue, these are two of the most important questions to ask/answer when talking about the best Long Range roundwhat is the ammo availability like, and/or do you reload? It will also get a bullet to 1,000 yards faster than the 6.5 Creedmoor. The recoil is almost non-existent. Real-world shooting of this round is even more impressive. Due to its age and relevance today, the .308 has proven itself for over 65 years! This cartridge calls for a custom case. I just want to see more of the market available to the 6CM. Muzzle: 5,096 ft-lbs. As said before, I come from a different world. There is definitely a point of diminishing returns with the .308. Invest the money and invest the time in solid training from reputable sources. I still think this cartridge might be a bit on the wildcat side of the market (expensive to shoot and a barrel burner). Some compare it to the .260 or 6.5 Creedmoor, the 6.5x47mm Lapua is known to be very accurate. That changed in 1997 when Remington standardized many 6.5 wildcats based on the .308 Winchester. Recoil Condition: You are definitely going to feel less recoil than a .308. No one denies how incredibly devastating this caliber can be, but for the average tactical and competition guy, this caliber is overkill. Most service rifle matches include stages at 200, 300 and 600 yards, from various positions, some timed, while others are slow-fire. Why even mention such an antiquated round? 1,500m: 426 ft-lbs. KIDD The average life will be anywhere from 4,000-7,000 rounds. caliber cartridges in 2018 when Hornady introduced it after working with George Gardner of GA Precision on the concept. The average price per round is $3.00-$4.25. 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. 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. But thats not the case. Stinnett stacked those bullets so perfectly that the shot-to-shot variance was only detectable by precision calipers. At that point, I could barely see anything. Muzzle: 2,401 ft-lbs 500m: 1,301 ft-lbs 1,000m: 633 ft-lbs 1,500m: 325 ft-lbs. Read Next: 8 of the Hottest New Hunting Cartridges for 2021 and Beyond, I was super excited that I hit the 3,592-yard plate, as that was the longest impact in a competition with a .338 caliber. still possess remarkable capabilities. These magnum rounds love to kill barrels. 1,500m: 610 ft-lbs. 500m: 1,866 ft-lbs. The 6 mm Creedmoor will not quite equal .243 Winchester muzzle velocities, but because of its specified 1:7.5-inch twist rate, it will handle more aerodynamic bullets, which makes it perform better at distance. As more and more interest in the Long Range community, one thing has become apparent. Its tough, simple, and in the words of Jacob Bynum who helped with the process, sloppy and stupid, which is meant as a compliment with respect to the rifles ability to digest any .308 ammo, no matter how poorly made, and shoot it well. I also love that this cartridge can be fired from standard Long-Action receivers. If you had the money to spend on it, and were not needing a semi-auto rifle for competitions, the .300 Norma Magnum is possibly the best performing round on this list. The name .30-06 refers to the caliber, .30, and the year, 1906when this round was developed by the US Army. The 6.8 Western sounds like a great idea, except that in the .277 genre, even the 175 grain Sierras lag behind in BC compared to lighter bullets in the 6.5 arena. I ended up going with a 6.5 PRC for target shooting, and this article was a factor in that decision. The .260 also made a name in the hunting community as well, so finding it on the shelves is no problem. Published Mar 29, 2021 5:12 PM EDT, We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. This program is designed to provide a way for websites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon. Low recoil, combined with the above mentions makes the .260 another great round to start the LR game. Learn More . Again, this round is such a classic. Its built along the principles of modern cartridge design. The average barrel life will be 1,500-2,000 rounds. The higher the BC number, the more aerodynamic and better performing the projectile will be. Au contraire! APRIL 29 ROSCHON TO BEARS The Cowboys want to take a running back somewhere in this Day 3 of the NFL Draft, but that guy won't be a favored Longhorn. In the case of the Valkyrie, the magazine length it was built to was that of the AR-15. A lot can actually affect the observed recoil of a Long Range rifle. Including the transonic range and barrel life plus the cost of ammunition was incredibly detailed and much appreciated I couldnt stop reading the article I will hit all the way to the end without stopping. Still less than the classic .308 Winchester. Unfortunately being such an older caliber, new-age tactical guys will not see this cartridge on many platforms. But once they saw just how quickly they could engage multiple, long-distance targetsthe advantages of the gas gun were very relevant. Other than that, the projectiles will always be available. As a result, barrel life suffers. I shot this out of the new Barrett ASR at 1,600m. R1 (8): RB Bijan Robinson, Texas R2 (38): T Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse R3 (75): EDGE Zach Harrison, Ohio State R4 (113): CB Clark Phillips III, Utah R7 (224): S DeMarcco Hellams, Alabama R7 (225): OG Jovaughn Gwyn, South Carolina. 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. Buying a $1000 rifle and a $1500 optic will bring you more success than a $2000 rifle and $500 scope. So when I speak of overall practicality, I would steer people towards a round that is attainable in an easily bought rifle. Overall Practicality: I heavily recommend this caliber to those out there who want magnum performance without magnum recoil. Cross-Platform Use: 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. The possibilities are endless with the .223. All in all, proven through years of ballistic testing, the 6.5 Creedmoor fills the gap between extended-Long Range performance and cost-effective and barrel-safe MVs. As said before, the standard rifle manufacturers have not caught up the .224 Valkyrie. Ammo Availability: The biggest drawback to this cartridge is that the rounds are very expensive if bought commercially. The .260 isnt too informationally unavailable to offer a great learning caliber to the average new shooter. Initial Thoughts: A good friend of mine owns a 6.5 Grendel and I must say, it is extremely accurate and pleasant to shoot. Overall Practicality: If you had the money to spend on it, and were not needing a semi-auto rifle for competitions, the .300 Norma Magnum is possibly the best performing round on this list. I was so familiar with how those rounds acted in high crosswinds and how they performed through Transonic. Still not in the magnum range so no worries. It generates about 200 fps more than the 6.5 Creedmoor, providing a bit more oomph for hunters and target shooters who need to go long. All in all, if I had to make the same pick in the same fashion as the author, AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME, I would pick the 6mm Creedmoor simply for the availability of ammo and brass, reasonably long trans sonic range, ease of loading accurately (forgiveness factor). Cross-Platform Use: Unfortunately being such an older caliber, new-age tactical guys will not see this cartridge on many platforms. Barnes, Hornady, Federal, and Berger all make loads ranging from $0.60-$1.30 per round. 500m: 2,621 ft-lbs. That being said, to reach out to the big leagues (+1600m) you will definitely need the larger magnum rounds. Muzzle Velocity: A standard projectile weight for optimum performance out of the 6CM would be a 105 grain Berger Target VLD @ 3,100fps. Barrel Life: You can expect roughly 1,500 rounds. The long-time standard bearers are Federals two Gold Medal Match loads, the 168- and 175-grain BTHPs. is not typically viewed as a competition cartridge. The .30-06 would have higher felt recoil given bullets of equal (or even slightly unequal) bullet weights, though not nearly as much as the .300 Win Mag with 190 grain SMKs. Simply speaking, the BC refers to how well a bullet navigates gravity, air density, and wind. Initial Thoughts: This round is a hammer and a scalpel. The .260 also made a name in the hunting community as well, so finding it on the shelves is no problem. Overall Practicality: For the experienced Long Range hunter, I think this is a great caliber to consider. Their latest entry into this space was specifically engineered for the AR-15. If, on the other hand, you like shooting a lot but dont want to replace your barrel frequently, or if you dont handload, the 6.5mm version is a more practical option. Now lets break down some bullets. Is Hornady's 6 mm ARC the Best AR-15 Round Ever Made? Recently, I have been in the dilemma of trying to decide which caliber to use for 1000 yards. The new case was developed for years based on the T65 developmental cartridge. Ruger's multi-role small frame autoloading rifle - Sear - combines AR-10 power with AR-15 Portability. Getting into the magnum calibers, recoil is going to be noticeably more than the .308 Winchester. This caliber has even won military contracts from SOCOM in 2017, which I specifically took part in. Vaulted to discreet stardom when used to win a 1,000-yard open-class championship at the National Matches at Camp Perry several years ago, this cartridge is a proper short-action round that offers an edge when aggressive wind conditions plague a match. Any bolt gun can be custom chambered to any SAAMI cartridgebut the keyword is custom. Reproduction of any part of this website without direct permission is prohibited. Muzzle: 1,456 ft-lbs 500m: 660 ft-lbs 1000m: 248 ft-lbs 1500m: 162 ft-lbs. The world finally caught on that bigger and louder, does not equate to better performance at extended ranges. Vortex Strike Eagle 4-2450 Most Affordable Vortex Optics 4-24x50 Strike Eagle 330 at EuroOptic Prices accurate at time of writing 330 at EuroOptic EuroOptic (See Price) Amazon (See Price) My most affordable pick is the Strike Eagle 4-24x. Ammo Availability: .338 Lapua is readily available online. Ammo Availability: Factory ammunition can be found nearly anywhere for about 30 cents per round but as stated before, prices range greatly. The Georgia and Alabama players are used to that competition because that's how they get on the field on national championship-caliber teams. The average price per round is $1.75. Looking at the .308 Winchester, most loads will reach TR on average at 900-1,000m, making shots past 1,000m inconsistent. The engineering of these cartridges, which gets into the minutia of rifle twist (faster), chamber dimensions (tighter), case taper (less), shoulder angle (steeper), throat lede angle (shallower), and other details, is why they are inherently more accurate, and better, than the cartridges of yore. Budget speaking, the 6.5 Grendel is much more of a value in rifle and ammo costs than the AR-10 class of calibers. But in the meantime, the Dasher can rightfully claim the title as the best precision rifle cartridge on the market. 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. It has less case volume, traditionally firing a heavier bulletBUT still retains energy over range better and maintains a longer Transonic Range than its bigger brother. or .30/06 could make that claim was an age ago. So, you get much better performance from the 6.5 PRC versus the .300 Win. The average price per round will be around $2.00. Does it go the farthest? Anecdotally, PRS shooters are having to change barrels once per year. If we get another iteration of this article in the years to come, we may have the opportunity to see. Im very glad I read it and committed to the round. Bro, do you even long range? Stinnett said he would take the 6.5 Grendel brass made by Lapua and run it through a sizing die until the shoulder is pushed back far enough to chamber. The info on barrel life added a lot of depth. 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). History: Introduced to us in 1955, the .243 was designed as a sporting and target rifle round. However, a variety of match-grade .300 Win. No problem. 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: This round is special just like the other 6.5mm projectiles in its class. Ammo is available online, however, it is not cheap. You have more knowledge in your non-dominant pinky than I have. Ideally, projectiles that have a higher BC, will retain their MV over a longer range. I had some elevation issues with target six because of the 17 to 26 mph 4:30 wind. It is also a winner as a competition round, especially as a lighter ELR (extreme long range) round on targets out to 2,100 yards. This caliber is one of the most popular and widely used centerfire cartridges in the world. All 6mm projectiles are notorious for extremely fast throat erosion. The designation of 7.62x51mm points to the military brother of the .308 Winchester. Thread starter Schw15; Start date Nov 30, 2019; Forums. Like many standardized wildcat rounds, this cartridge excelled in bench rest, long range medium game hunting, and steel target shoots. The .300 Norma Magnum comes to us from the .338 Norma Magnum, necked down to accept a .30 cal projectile. appeared, calling that cartridge the .30-338 Winchester. Mag. Daniel Defense Delta 5 6. Today, this cartridge is in use globally by military/LE personnel, hunters, and LR shooting enthusiasts. Advanced Marksmanship Unit. The 6mmCM excels amongst the PRS community and even long-range hunting. Lighter projectiles may be pushed faster, but most long-range shooters prefer the outstanding ballistics of the heavy-for-caliber versions. This cartridge as it stands is perfect for a PRS shooter. Decide where you fit in. Recoil Condition: One of the great things about a .223 rifle build is that the recoil is manageable for a shooter of any age. Remington simply took the .308 case and necked it down to house the 6.5mm. Barrel Life on the .243 can range anywhere from 1,500 rounds to 3,000. The .243 WSSM was a freaky-accurate little cartridge with great muzzle velocity but could have been so much more with better brass. So like the 6.5 Creedmoor, if you have a .308, you can have two calibers in one rifle action with a new barrel. When a heavy 6mm Creedmoor match rifle is paired with an aggressive muzzlebrake, it barely jars when the shooter fires, making self-spotting easy. 1,000m: 1,345 ft-lbs. To put that in perspective, seven-thousands of an inch is the equivalent thickness of two sheets of paper. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. Soft shooting 6mms give the most bang for the buck when comparing their long-range capabilities with how (relatively) affordable they are to reload. The sheer muzzle energy from these bigger calibers is beyond impressive. I believe this was due to the projectiles that were selected for each. Barrel length will also change average MVs. That changed in 1997 when Remington standardized many 6.5 wildcats based on the .308 Winchester. When loading the cartridges the bullets were only seated .12 inches into the cases. ammo is readily available, which is probably because of its history as a military sniper cartridge for distances where the .308 cant get it done but the .338 Lapua and .50 BMG are unnecessary. Caliber Comparison: 7mm Rem Mag vs 30-06 Springfield. Its moderate recoil, inherent accuracy, and proven lethality is why it is such a great choice for new hunters. It is a product of natural selection and evolutionthe best features of several classic LR rounds fused into one. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. With a suppressor on the .300 Norma Magnum, the recoil still isnt all that bad. And in slow-fire matches, neither recoil nor barrel burning is really an issue. Ballistic Co-Efficient: As with MV, .223 projectiles vary greatly. Mag. Like many of the Volquartsen rimfires, it's good for hunting and precision shooting. And here, the 6.5 PRC shines as well. 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. I have been considering something with more power and am willing to learn to reload. Greatly extended range external and terminal ballistic performance at the cost of barrel life. headspaces off the belt and has a significant amount of slop at the shoulder (about .004 in. Also, terminal performance on larger targets has proven weak at best (one large reason the .243 never caught on with the military). Many shooters claim the .224 has about half of the felt recoil as a .308. I talked to the score keepers watching the target cameras and they confirmed they could see what looked like an impact on the plate as well. Overall Practicality: Incredible mid to long-range performance. 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. For those looking to leverage the latest innovations in cartridge design and bullet technology there is a whole world of goodies to choose from.

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