best caliber for 2,000 yard competition

For example, when the inception of the M110 came to the Army sniper community some guys hated leaving behind their trusty M24s. The 6 mm Creedmoor is simply another telling of the 6.5 Creedmoor story, but with different cartridges. Garmin Tactix 7 Pro Ballistic Solar-Powered GPS Smartwatch: First Look, Wilson Combat SFX9 5-Inch Solid Frame 9mm Pistol: First Look. Being developed in 2017, most ammo is going to come from reloading. The US military decided that the average rifle squad was more effective by accurately delivering rounds on target with a 5.56mm rifle than the heavier recoiling 7.62 platforms. 1,500m: 610 ft-lbs. With a muzzle brake and/or suppressor, the recoil is definitely manageable. Several factory loads do exist on the market today. In the future, maybe the Over .30 Cal Club will find some traction in the AR- world. Since the beginning, the 6.5 has taken off as one of the best LR cartridges to date. Is it the most accurate? 6mm Creedmoor. A good muzzle brake or suppressor is advised. An AR-10 firing with a suppressor, the .308 will recoil slightly more than an AR-15. To overcome this design limitation, reamers were modified to tighten up the chamber, headspace the cartridge off the shoulder rather than the belt, and lengthen the throat. This round is a hammer and a scalpel. There is definitely a point of diminishing returns with the .308. Caliber Comparison: 7mm Rem Mag vs 30-06 Springfield. The picture is of one of our 2000 yard shooters who uses a 300 win mag with no issues. Buying a $1000 rifle and a $1500 optic will bring you more success than a $2000 rifle and $500 scope. The intended use and shooters budget play a major role in determining which is best. Although the two cartridges have very small differences, SAAMI (Sporting Arms and Ammunitions Manufacturers Institute) maintains it is safe to interchange the two rounds. Century and has since stayed for a reason. For starters, all the cartridges included below feature the following prerequisites: They are all readily available in quality, task-appropriate factory ammunition (i.e., their benefits are not limited to handloaders). Use whatever you wantwhether a .223 Rem., a .45/70, or something in betweenand call it Christmas. However, most off-the-shelf Long Range rifle manufacturers are chambering their flagship rifles in 6.5 Creedmoor (and for less than $1,200). The .260 Remington and 6.5x55 have higher muzzle velocities, but the mandated faster twist rate of the Creed is what allows it to handle higher BC bullets and outperform both at distance. I still think this cartridge might be a bit on the wildcat side of the market (expensive to shoot and a barrel burner). For those lucky enough to be able to own and fire a .338 rifle, you know what I mean. Since the beginning, the 6.5 has taken off as one of the best LR cartridges to date. This was partly because it could deliver bullets to great distances with very flat trajectories, but also partly because it could do so with less recoil than other popular long-range cartridges. Mag. 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. I have used it on more big game animals than any other cartridge since 2007. is the perfect Goldilocks round. We all have scores of 5.56 mags laying aroundwhy not beef up that system? Competitive shooters traditionally pick a hollowpoint boattail bullet in the 168-grain range, such as Sierras obscenely accurate MatchKing. As a serious LR shooter who intends on needing terminal performance or wanting a modern tactical build, I would leave the .243 behind in the 20th century where it belongs. Another ballistic value that has importance is the Remaining Energy (RE) of the round at any given range. It should be possible that a few savvy and disgruntled hunters/reloaders have stocked up in anticipation BEFORE the grab for those start after rifles are released. Muzzle: 2,401 ft-lbs 500m: 1,301 ft-lbs 1,000m: 633 ft-lbs 1,500m: 325 ft-lbs. To take the 6.5CM and add MV to the equation, pure joy happens. In 2008, the cartridge was introduced not to expand upon the capabilities of the .338, but the possibilities. Definitely a dark horse in the competition cartridge realm, the 7mm SAUM is quietly used by competitors who know it and love it to trounce those who dont. The rest of the targets from T1 to T4 went well, and I cleaned T4, going 5-for-5 at 1,942 yards. No. The .308 Win case has a nice even powder burn and has readily available brass for reloading. He took that case and necked it down to load .243 (6mm) projectiles. .243 Winchester is still a viable option for most East Coast White Tails and Mid-West Prairie Dogs. As a result, barrel life suffers. To this day, the 7.62x51mm still has a place in the modern military sniper community. All 6mm projectiles are notorious for extremely fast throat erosion. Sadly, a .300 NM barrel will only live to 1,200-1,500 rounds. He served as team leader for a scout sniper team during the 22nd MEU. Recoil Condition: This caliber is known for providing excellent Long Range performance with very light recoil. With the same Case Overall Length as a .308 (2.800) you can certainly mag feed gas guns. Remaining Energy: Muzzle: 1,456 ft-lbs 500m: 660 ft-lbs 1000m: 248 ft-lbs 1500m: 162 ft-lbs. Sierras 80-grain MatchKing is a profoundly good choice for extreme-range shooting with the .223/5.56, a fact borne out by a glance at a list of National Match winners. The new 9mm suppressor can mount easily to any pistol barrel threaded x28 inches and doesn't compromise on sound suppression, gas blowback or recoil. 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. .300 PRC is strictly a bolt action caliber at the moment. Whats not to love? Like many of the Volquartsen rimfires, it's good for hunting and precision shooting. Nonetheless, during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Naval Surface Warfare Center wanted to develop a sniper round that was effective to 1,500 yards and started looking for a cartridge to fulfill that role. Take a .300 Winchester Magnum with a barrel life of 1,500 rounds and compare that to the 8,000+ barrel life of a .308 Winchester. 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. Hornady has led the new millennium charge with regard to cartridges for long range shooting. I shot this out of the new Barrett ASR at 1,600m. I believe this was due to the projectiles that were selected for each. Its not the fastest, farthest, or most accurate roundbut it will certainly get the job done with less headache and wallet-ache. The rifle is my primary backcountry gun for deer, elk, bear and whatever else I think I may need to hunt. I fear that is about all this round is targeted for. Essentially a legitimization of a great bench rest competition cartridge called the 6 mm PPC, the new Hornady 6 mm ARC will get to 1,000 yards faster and hit harder than any other cartridge that can be chambered in the platform. The correct response is, for what? Length-of-pull and comb height adjustments help fit the rifle to any shooter. The macho days of showing off to your friends by shooting the .50 AE Desert Eagle or even being lucky enough to fire the M107 in the military are over. Basically, whatever Gx model is used, will be the standard bullet profile shape to compare off of. Then came the bonus plates at 3,592 and 4,137. These are the calibers that I have seen shot to 2000 yards or more that are very accurate. In physics, gyroscopic stability explains that the rotational spin on a projectile will keep it on its initial course. One of the newer cartridges on the list, the .300 PRC comes to us from Hornady in 2018. .300 PRC. We prioritize field testing and objective data when reviewing products. The new-for-2023 lineup includes ultralight hunting stocks and a VGA 2-pound adjustable vertical-grip stock. 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. Rather than the 3,000 to 5,000 rounds a careful shooter gets out of a 6.5 Creedmoor, most 6mm Creedmoors are burned out by the 2,000-round mark, and many last fewer than 1,500 rounds. If I was building a rifle on this caliber, I would expect to look at bolt-only options. The projectile designed specifically for Long Range shooting is the 90 grain Sierra Match King. Ill admit, I fancy myself a bit of a marksman. 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. The .300 Win. This cartridge as it stands is perfect for a PRS shooter. I do believe the market will catch up to this round. Again, this round is such a classic. Most Magnum cartridges have 10 times less barrel life than standard cartridges. This website is not affiliated with the United States Marine Corps, and the information on this website does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Marine Corps as a whole. No other caliber on this list can perform more universally across multiple systems than the .308. 1,000m: 1,523 ft-lbs. He wanted an even lighter-recoiling cartridge with the same performance, so the 6mm Creedmoor was born. Barrel length will also change average MVs. The cartridge was designed for reliable feeding in battle rifles, not efficient powder burns for consistent accuracy. This cartridge was designed to deliver devastating .30 cal Magnum performance. The numbers dont lie. 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. The projectiles dont carry a lot of mass, therefore their stopping power is limited. No. Ammo Availability: Ammo is available online, however, it is not cheap. Initial Thoughts: Again, this round is such a classic. 500m: 1260 ft-lbs. Prior, only dedicated .338 Lapua Magnum receivers could handle the round. At 5,000 feet altitude? Based off of the .375 Ruger Compact Magnum, the PRC tries to deliver the best performance in its case range. The designation of 7.62x51mm points to the military brother of the .308 Winchester. For reference, see the WSSM line. The .243 can be a great beginner gun because of its low recoil and ammo availability. Taking the original .300 Ruger Compact Magnum and necking down to accept the 6.5CM projectiles, Hornady could fire the same projectiles as the 6.5CM but with 250 fps added MV. Now when it comes to ammo, I already mentioned wildcat cartridges. Recoil Condition: Getting into the magnum calibers, recoil is going to be noticeably more than the .308 Winchester. Essentially a legitimization of a great bench rest competition cartridge called the 6 mm PPC, the new Hornady 6 mm ARC will get to 1,000 yards faster and hit harder than any other cartridge that . The .300 PRC tries to deliver to a market that doesnt need what its selling. Back in 2013, Mike Stinnett bested a benchrest record that stood for nearly 40 years when he shot a 5-shot group in competition at 100 yards that measured .0077 inches. Like the classic 06 did during the Great War, this efficient, mild-mannered, high-performance 6.5mm has opened the eyes of shooters to a new realm of possibilities. Somewhere in-between an AR-15 and AR-10. Meet the all-new Taurus Judge Executive Grade, a revolver featuring a hand-polished satin finish, presentation-grade wood grips, a brass rod front sight and an exceptional hand-tuned trigger. Still less than the classic .308 Winchester. The 338LM at 4000+ rounds a great rifle and round but wanted more consistency past 2000 yards. This makes the Valkyrie an excellent choice for distance shooting with an MSR. He is also a passionate supporter of the Second Amendment. The .300 Norma Magnum comes to us from the .338 Norma Magnum, necked down to accept a .30 cal projectile. Ammo Availability: Again, being one of the forefathers of the Long Range shooting community, .308 is found everywhere. The .243 was also a great option for those living in countries that banned the use of military countries (.308 Win/7.62x51mm NATO). The .308s biggest weakness is the lack of propellant capacity to push heavy-for-caliber, super-aerodynamic bullets at useful velocities. Advertising does not influence our gear reviews and it never will. G1 BC: .563 G7 BC: .274. A few years back when I was planning a hunt for blacktails in Oregon I ran through a mental checklist of all the big-game cartridges I could choose from. This cartridge calls for a custom case. Recoil Condition: This round is special just like the other 6.5mm projectiles in its class. For off-the-shelf accuracy, the 6.5 Creedmoor is tough to top, no matter how much the Creeds detractors might howl. Thats for another day. For the Long Range hunting community, I would argue that the .30-06 still has a place in this world. 1,500m: 776 ft-lbs. Because it shoots a much lighter bullet about 300 fps faster than its parent, recoil is much lighter, trajectory is flatter and wind drift is equal or less. Looking at the .308 Winchester, most loads will reach TR on average at 900-1,000m, making shots past 1,000m inconsistent. The average life will be anywhere from 4,000-7,000 rounds. You will HAVE to use very slow burning propellants to push a 175 grain bullet out of a .277 bore, and will HAVE to have at least 26 of barrel to most efficiently burn said powder. 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. Recoil is harsh. One of the classic LR projectiles is the 175 Sierra Match King @ 2,700 fps. You will not impress anyone serious in the Long Range community by selecting the largest bore LR caliber if you cant properly mitigate and control the recoil of your system. History: Winchester designed the .300 WSM in 2001 with the idea of a hybrid. The rifle that made the record-setting 4,137-yard shot is chambered in 33XC. With the right rifle, the .300WM can be a very smooth shooting set-up. I suspect that going forward, a lot of top PRS shooters will be transitioning to the 6.5 Creedmoor. Muzzle: 2402 ft-lbs. The lack of factory offerings is one reason the 6 GT might overtake the Dasher. We were always trained to overcome our shortcomings. Remaining Energy: Muzzle: 4,186 ft-lbs. And most of all, be safe and be fun. Other than that, the projectiles will always be available. 1,500m: 610 ft-lbs. Best for Beginners: 6.5 Creedmoor Best for Precision Shooting Matches: 6mm Dasher Most Accurate: .30 Stewart Best Long Range Calibers: Reviews & Recommendations Best for Hunting: .308 Winchester Nosler SEE IT Key Features Well balanced Proven track record Pros Moderate recoil Widely available Great bullet selection Cons Less forgiving trajectory Bergara B-14 HMR. .338 Lapua is readily available online. You cannot pick a better round for the beginner Long Range shooter. You dream it, and it can be done. For a more modern, cutting-edge option, Sierra and Hornady now both produce composite-tipped match bullets that provide significantly higher BCs while maintaining similar levels of accuracy. This cartridge calls for a custom case. 1,000m: 1,523 ft-lbs. Great Article!! So guys who reload might fall into brass availability problems. For those PRS guys that prefer bolt-guns, the PRC is a great alternative to the CM. Mossberg 940 Pro Tactical Optic-Ready Autoloading Shotgun: First Look, Non-Lethal Personal & Home Defense with Byrna, Range Tested: EAA Girsan Pistols & Shotguns, New for 2023: Christensen Arms Modern Hunting Rifle (MHR), New for 2023: All-American RIA 5.0 Sporting Pistol, New for 2023: FN Rush 9Ti Pistol Suppressor, New Big Bore Pistols for 2023: FN 510 Tactical and FN 545 Tactical, New for 2023: FN SCAR 15P Rifle Caliber Pistol, First Look: Taurus Raging Hunter 460 Magnum Revolver With 10.5-Inch Barrel, New-for-2023 Taurus Judge Executive Grade 410/.45 Colt Revolver, Smith & Wesson Equalizer and the Brand New M&P 5.7 Pistol, Most useful for: PRS & 1,000-yard slow-fire matches, Most useful for: Service rifle and .223-only PRS matches, Most useful for: Matches regulated to .308 only, Most useful for: 1,000-yard slow-fire matches, Most useful for: Cross-country long-range & 1,000-yard slow- fire matches. It was a great option at the time for those wanting long range performance with very low recoil. I find it so interesting to see how this compares to the Lapua Magnum. And here, the 6.5 PRC shines as well. Not long ago, the .308 was king. Remaining Energy: Muzzle: 2,158 ft-lbs 500m: 1,047 ft-lbs 1,000m: 436 ft-lbs 1,500m: 222 ft-lbs. All of these factors will ultimately decide if you will be sticking with ole reliable the .308 Winchester or reaching deeper into your pockets for the new and improved .300 Norma Magnum. 1,500m: 362 ft-lbs. .308 Winchester. Factory ammo isnt heavily available; expect to pay around $1.75 per round. Today, the primary platform is the bolt action (long action) rifle. Thats not only the record for the farthest .338 impact, but also the longest impact in any ELR competition ever. Caleb Giddings, Marketing Manager at Taurus, introduces the all-new TaurusTX 22 Compact. The .308 Win case has a nice even powder burn and has readily available brass for reloading. Initial Thoughts: This round is a hammer and a scalpel. Also, no mention of the .375 & .408 Chey Tac, the 416 Barrett, and of course the .50 BMG. Initial Thoughts. Although I dont see this being an entry-level caliber, it could very well lead to a goal for new shooters. The .223 is an excellent choice for an inexperienced and/or younger shooter. 500m: 2,755 ft-lbs. hit its first major stumble. With regard to time-of-flight and trajectory, out to 1,000 yards its right on the heels of the 6 mm ARC. 6.5 projectiles hold a reputation of great BCs. Soon after, the .300 Win. Like the .308 Winchester, ammo availability and reloading components are everywhere. Barrel Life: These magnum rounds love to kill barrels. That honor probably goes to the movie American Sniper, which not only glamorized precision shooting, but gave Americans a hero at a time when we really needed one. It is a product of natural selection and evolutionthe best features of several classic LR rounds fused into one. The .308 Win used 175s with a higher BC than the .30-06s 168 grain Sierra. At the same 2950 fps muzzle velocity, the drop of the bullet at 600 and 800 yards is 76 and 163 inches, respectively. As to be expected, the 6mm Creedmoor is still a young cartridge. The .338 Norma did what the Lapua did. Recoil Condition: With a suppressor on the .300 Norma Magnum, the recoil still isnt all that bad. The caliber took the LR community by storm. The name .30-06 refers to the caliber, .30, and the year, 1906when this round was developed by the US Army. 500m: 1,212 ft-lbs. That one-millimeter difference means a large increase in MV. KIDD Innovations KIDD has a variety of aftermarket accessories to build your own rimfire or upgrade an existing one. This cartridge is a beast, and while its a great long-range performer, it is on the large side for commonly sized bolt-action rifles. All in all, the .308 is certainly manageable by shooters of most ages. Little information is out there on 6.5 PRC barrel life. 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. PRS is a rapid-fire, multi-position, multi-target, long-range game wherein no spotter feedback is allowed while the clock is ticking. Ballistic Co-Efficient: 143 ELD-X G1: 0.625 G7: 0.315, Remaining Energy: Muzzle: 2670 ft-lbs 500m: 1439 ft-lbs 1,000m: 698 ft-lbs 1,500m: 335 ft-lbs. Cross-Platform Use: Multi-platform builds do exist in the .260 Remington. You can build a .223 rifle in almost any rifle action. Im referring to cartridges that have been custom designed by people in the industry who squeeze every drop of performance out of a round. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. No one denies how incredibly devastating this caliber can be, but for the average tactical and competition guy, this caliber is overkill. One thing that becomes abundantly clear is that theres a world of difference between a 1,000-yard poke and one that stretches beyond a mile (1,760 yards). A big selling point to the Grendel is its ease on barrels. It has been a proven competitor in the PRS circuit. The market has followed. 308 Winchester - High availability of good match quality, tactical type ammo that can reach out to 1000 yards. Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. The .30-06 is such a classic sniper rifle round, I could not leave it out of the running. 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. Among his requirements were that the cartridge for the rifle should be able to kill a 1,000-pound animal with one shot, that the ammunition should be widely available, that the practical field accuracy of the rifle, which should weigh seven pounds or less with scope and sling and be no longer than 39 inches from butt to muzzle, should be 2 MOA, demonstrated by the shooter placing 3-shot groups on a 200 yard target that measure four inches or less. Initial Thoughts: Just like any new and exciting caliber that is designed specifically for the LR community, I know the performance will be top-notch. Ive also dabbled in the world of ELR shootingmeaning Extreme Long Rangeshooting to 2,000 yards and beyond with the Remington Custom Shop 300 PRC I had built for that purpose. The case body is slightly smaller and more efficient than the 7mm WSM, and slightly larger and more capable than the .284 Winchester. Like I said, each discipline and personality will favor a certain caliber. Muzzle Velocity: 168gr Berger Target Hybrid @ 3,200 fps, Ballistic Co-Efficient: G1: 0.515 G7: 0.264. A lot of the newer, ultra-flat cartridges take a good deal of reloading knowledge to successfully harness their ability. The downfall? Their high muzzle velocity and heavy projectile weights greatly increase erosion of the lands and grooves that make up the barrel rifling. The Great Grandfather of them allthe .30-06 (thirty ought six) is the oldest cartridge on this list. If buying online, you are looking to spend at least $2.20 per round. 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. High-end AR-10s can regularly maintain sub-MOA accuracy. Overall Practicality: The .224 Valkyrie takes the benefits from the .223 and extends its range performance drastically. The .300 PRC tries to deliver to a market that doesnt need what its selling. The TaurusTX 22 Compact delivers class-leading reliability, capacity, and shootability in a 22 LR platform, and it's cut for a slide-mounted mini red dot. Very nice article. Do Pistols Benefit From Popular Aftermarket Modifications? I think the .375 & .408 Chey Tac and 416 Barrett suffer from ammo cost and availability? One of the selling points of this round, when it was introduced, was its light recoil for a deer gun. Reproduction of any part of this website without direct permission is prohibited. Think again. Muzzle Velocity: One of the classic LR projectiles is the 175 Sierra Match King @ 2,700 fps, Ballistic Co-Efficient: 175gr SMK G1: 0.474 G7: 0.243. They are great long-range guns, but not known by the our Armed Forces community. I see another wildcat come to the limelight. But isnt that what makes it awesome? Shockingly, the average price per round is $4.75. Recoil Condition: With a muzzle brake and/or suppressor, the .300WM can feel similar to a .308 Winchester. still possess remarkable capabilities. If you are inexperienced, youre in luckbecause todays Long Range shooting community is being flooded by great, streamlined, low-recoiling cartridges. I do not know of any systems running this caliber in gas guns. Barrel Life: Average barrel life will depend greatly on ammo type and how fast the gun is shot (barrel temp.). If a shooter is looking for nothing better than deer-killing accuracy at 200 yards, then there are plenty of cartridges that fit the bill, and there isnt anything to argue about. It could be argued the 6.5 Creedmoor started the current long-range shooting craze. 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. 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. The key to the Dasher and these other rounds is their consistency. Muzzle: 4,677 ft-lbs. Our editors are experienced outdoorsmen and women, and most importantly, were trained journalists. The first two sections, Muzzle Velocity, and Ballistic Coefficients are values that the projectile or ammunition manufacturer would display as a selling point of the round. This cartridge as it stands is perfect for a PRS shooter. models. During its launch in 1997, the .260 was still on par with other wildcats. I like that the caliber is being offered in high-end AR-10 platforms for the gas-gun enthusiasts. 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.

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best caliber for 2,000 yard competition