Precision long range cartridge

[Chris]

Along the lines of the Precision/Tactical rifle thread...

Is there a round that is seen as being the most accurate at longer ranges?

Yes, I know hand loading and such all matter, but if you had to select one round for hitting man sized objects in the 800-1200 yard range, what would you look at?

And lets ignore the .50 BMG for now. Lets stick with a cartridge designed for a rifle that you can sling on your back and even shoot off-hand if needed.

 

[seanc]

IIRC most militaries use 300wm and 338 lapua for long distance shooting. An easy way to check what is most popular would be to look at places like Dakota, Accuracy intl, Sako, etc. to see what their standard offerings are. that should give you a good indication of what the "popular" larger calibers are. If all of the who's who of the precision shooting world is offering the same cart, then it is a pretty good barometer of what is in wide spread use.
All of the mfr's will try to make a standard offering of what is being most requested and go into some sort of regular production of that model in order to keep the costs competitive. Also as a standard production model with published specs and price lists it lends itself easily to govt contracts and submitting gsa or other types of bids to agencies. When it all comes down to it, it is all about the government contracts. That is the backbone of their business, that is where the money is.

 

[Droidicus]

US military snipers do it with .308 cartridges on a regular basis. I have also heard that .243 Win round is a highly effective varmint round at long ranges, but have never shot one myself. There is a good table of maximum effective range for various sniper rounds here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sniper_rifle as well.

~Droid

 

[BOBKATT]

308's are very common for long range accuray. 300wm will extend the range and power a bit but it will burn out your barrel faster.

 

[Xak]

.260 Remington or 6.5X55.

 

[PatMcD]

The .308 has done it for many years and the 30-06 before it. The 300 Win Mag would probably do it better, but that comes with a heavy price; recoil.

Current thinking has it that the 6 and 6.5mm bullets are probably the best at pushing through the wind. The 260 (6.5-08) is a candidate, but the 6.5-284 would be better.

There are many rounds that are accurate enough, but to make hits at those distances, you need more than just an accurate round. You need a bullet that will stay supersonic, that bucks the wind, and a shooter that knows how to read it.

800 to 1000yds has been done very well with the .223

338 Lapua would be good for extra long distances, but really not needed for close stuff (600 or under).

1200yds? That's quite a poke. You are really at the mercy of conditions.

P.S. I know nothing about shooting man-sized objects: I leave that to the U.S. Armed services. I shoot paper.

 

[Fixxah]

If you get a chance to watch "Best of the West" on outdoor channel you will have your answer. They routinely shoot game "ethically" (their words not mine) out to 1,200 yards using custom rifle with Huskamar optics. IIRC. With HD cameras you can see the vapor trail to the kill. They are so far away that they practice dry firing before some of the kills.

 

[PatMcD]

They are so far away that they practice dry firing before some of the kills.

??

 

[Walter Smitty]

As mentioned, the .308 is a good choice. Although not a real long range shooter, I've got enough experience to know that bullet weight is important. A heavier bullet at a bit less velocity will quite often prove to work well. Several long range competitors in this area are fans of the .300 Winchester. Also pointed out is the cost of shooting this cartridge. Wind is a constant factor here on the plains and the lighter stuff is effected to a greater extent. Varminting set ups are typically .22 centerfires but shooting from field positions at various ranges will limit them to about 250-400 yards depending on which you use. I think a .308 would serve you well as an all around cartridge that can be used to the limit of reality for most of us.

 

[Xak]

If your looking for a long range round in an AR15 or AR10 rifle also check out the 6.5 Grendel and the 6.5 Creedmoor respectively.

Although the .260 can work well in the AR10 you may need to roll your own as there aren't many (if any) companies selling long distance match type loads and some say it is difficult to keep the overall length short enough for the magazines with the heavier (140gr+) bullets (which fair the best at long distance).

The 6.5x284 is expensive and is a barrel burner. I have been researching this stuff myself and if I go with a bolt action it will be in either .260 Rem or 6.5X55. Most likely 6.5X55 because you can load them hotter than the .260 Rem, just not quite as hot as the 6.5X284.

 

[Pilgrim]

Good long range shooting has been done for a long time. No fancy new high powered cartridges are needed.

Check this article about the old 45-70 at 2 miles

and

another article

and yet another here

Heavy and slow works well sometimes.

 

[drumenigma]

Barrett just came out with their .416 caliber. It's able to keep it's velocity and trajectory better than .50 bmg rounds. Saw it on Future weapons like 2 weeks back.

 

[Fixxah]

They are so far away that they dry fire on target, then load and kill from very long distance. There.....