For hunting it makes more sense to run with something a bit stouter. I have used it on more big game animals than any other cartridge since 2007. The Nosler AccuBond is one of the best all-round big-game bullets offered, and Weatherby has smarly offered the 140-grain version for their 6.5 RPM cartridge. Over the years the round has set numerous records in 600- and 1,000-yard benchrest competitions, so when the PRS started to catch on in 2012, it wasnt long before those shooters started looking at this stubby little round. We'll send you the latest guides and training tips geared Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. I know plenty of people who can actually do that and even they won't shoot at game beyond 300 or 400 yards, depending on the wind. Lets look at the last point, first. And that light recoil not only makes you a better shot in the field; it also makes practicing more fun and productive. rounds to their specs. First deer rifle ever since I was 13 and I keep going back to it (37 now). It happened to shoot the, ammo, but Wolf offers extremely affordable plinking ammo with their, Once dialed in, I was able to put rounds on a steel silhouette, Ammunition choices have increased lately, and Hornady has ammunition with the, none of these choices are necessarily easy on the pocketbook, with most loads over $1/round. The 6.5x284 is a long range cartridge that is gaining popularity by leaps and bounds. So who is going to tell me how bad it is. Prices can be high for match-grade ammo, but Wolf offers extremely affordable plinking ammo with their 100-grain FMJ steel-case loads. (The main exception would be shooting canyon to canyon - you may not be able to get closer) I personally won't take shots that have a time of flight of about .5, .6 seconds so time of flight becomes an issue also. ), neither of which is conducive to good accuracy. It's a pre-64 and well it's not used much now. Only a handful of .277-caliber cartridges are made today, but the .270 Winchester is still by far the most popular, given all the guns and loads out there for it. He lives in Western Pennsylvania where he has enjoyed the outdoors, hunting, and shooting for the past 20 years. With the highest BC bullets, the 26 Nosler remains supersonic beyond 1,750 yards. Another downside is that the 6mm Creedmoor does not buck the wind as well as its bigger brother, the 6.5 Creedmoor. Although it will always be there and ready if the need arises. got another cut at the plate thanks in large part to Jeff Hoffman, the owner of Black Hills Ammunition, who successfully advocated for loading the .300 with a 220-grain bullet at 2,800 fps. still possess remarkable capabilities. Newer cartridges do offer better ballistics, but at the expense of more recoil, shooter barrel life and less off-the-shelf cartridge selection. Oh, I also on a 300 Win Mag too, just in case I get lucky enough to go elk hunting. While at the High Bar Homestead with PSA, I was able to stretch their 6.5 Grendel out to 1,000 yards with Federal Premium 130 grain Bergers. Mag. Heavier bullets in the Swift, however, were lauded in the mid-20th century as incredibly effective, quick killers by animal damage control shooters who were culling destructive, invasive feral burros and horses from Grand Canyon National Park. With the right bullet and (as always) good shot placement, the 6.5 Creedmoor hits hard. These are all with commercial brass available, 300NM, 338NM, 338LM , 375CT , .408 CT and 416 B all shoot very good out to and passed 2000 yards. "Of course, he said quietly, it can't reach out and flatten antelope like your Weatherby, but" Can't tell you how many times I've gone back to the ballistic tables to make sure I'm not going crazy. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. The .270 Winchester stays supersonic out to 1,400 yards, which is more than what 99 percent of hunters will ever need. So, to find the worlds flattest shooting cartridge, find the best combination of fast MV and high B.C. Many western hunters still swear by the 220 Swift as a pronghorn and mule deer round. If you take a left turn, you can go through an endless list of wildcat cartridges as well. The most accurate long-range caliber cant be reduced to a single answer. There are many of us who have rifles to attempt to master the art of long range steel shooting. Many of the contenders are based on the 6mm Benchrest cartridge. My first successful hunt with a rifle was an antelope (ie, very small kill zone compared to an elk) shot at 330 yards. While there isnt much of a cheap alternative for 6.5 CM ammunition, Lucky Gunner lists S&B 140-grain FMJs for $0.78/round. purchase helps support my work in bringing you more awesome gun and gear articles. I've been toting a T3 Lite Stainless in .308 Winchester for many years. That's mid-range, not even long-range, by many people's standards. The .300 Win. headspaces off the belt and has a significant amount of slop at the shoulder (about .004 in. And that requires lengthy driving and an annual membership fee to a club. 6mm vs. 6.5mm vs. Big 30s In 100/200 yard Benchrest shooting, the 6PPC is pretty much king of the hill. rating) driven more slowly. 26 Nosler is considered by many to be the best cartridge for long-range hunting. An added benefit with the .223 Remington is cheap, readily available ammo. When we think of benchrest, our minds instantly go to the 6 PPC, which has been a dominant cartridge in benchrest since the 1980s. Q: Ron, I would love to see you do a video on the all-time flattest shooting rifle. While precision match loads can be pricey, you can always run cheaper alternatives. anything extra and your Mag. I shoot a lot of team matches and although I run a 6mm GT (another fine round that has the potential to knock the 6mm Dasher from its perch), my shooting partner runs a 6mm Dasher, so Ive seen what it can do first-hand. Thanks! Another downside is that the 6mm Creedmoor does not buck the wind, It honestly feels like cheating when you are behind a quality 6.5 Creedmoor. Why? Your words is like a Bible. Also look at Federal Premiums 180-grain Nosler AccuBond offering at 2,960 fps. Now, the .280 AI is finally a SAAMI-approved cartridge, and while ammunition options are sparse, its performance is right there with the 7mm Remington Magnum. Caliber selection is all about figuring what trade-offs make the most sense for what you want to accomplish. A popular western big-game cartridge, the 7mm Magnum doubles as an excellent tool for long-range target shooting. The reason why 6.5mm cartridges are exploding in popularity is because they are ultra-efficient. I use it long range and it does just fine. Just $1 per month , Depending on the task at hand, the best long-range cartridge might be a big boomer or a soft-shooting pussycat. Not only are new loads being offered, new ARs and even bolt action rifles for the Grendel are being introduced. It is a screamer, and with increased velocity comes increased range. You do not pay Mag. 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. 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. Type your email address and well send It's disconcerting to me that this cartridge always gets left out of the conversation. Flattest-Shooting Cartridges Ever Backfire 641K subscribers Subscribe 4.2K 173K views 1 year ago The flattest shooting rifle cartridges are listed in this video to help shooters determine. Just understand that you can put together the flattest shooting, most accurate AR type rifle possible, but at 1000+ yards, it probably won't compete with the best bolt actions. Nosler Trophy Grade with a 150-grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range at 3300 fps. BUCK DOYLE. John B. Hathcock, of course, went on to become the most storied Marine sniper in history in Viet Nam in the following years, though he didnt do it with a .300 Win. .260 Rem., .243, 6.5 x something, etc. RELATED: The 10 Best Rifle Bullets for Long-Range Shooting. We could go into all sorts of great cartridges that frankly its hard to find anything that is a clear cut winner in the group. Just took me a 600+ pound cow elk 1 shot with my creedmore 200 yards away. However, the .220 Swift and the .22-250 have been used to take deer out to distances a lot of folks got no business shooting, for a long, long time. Whats your take on the 6.5 Creedmoor? Select what level shooter you are! Also, youll find more ammo options for the .308 Winchester than any of the others. One cartridge needs to be crowned the most accurate and it just happens to be one youve probably never heard of. hit its first major stumble. mag. keeps reinventing itself to remain relevant. Ill be honest; I may be a huge Grendel fanboy. Mag. However, in the 1000-yard game, many different calibers can win. Notice that it is only 3 grains lighter than the 150-grain .264 atop that Weatherby. Preferred Caliber For 500 To 1,000 Yards And Beyond: .260 Remington (130-grain Berger AR Hybrid OTM Tactical) Preferred Rifle And Optic: AR with a 16- or 18-inch barrel with a 1-in-7-inch twist rate, along with a variable-power scope utilizing a first-focal-plane Horus Tremor2 or Tremor3 reticle. I've been teaching my dad how to shoot. For example, the 7mm Weatherby Magnum will shoot the same bullet as a 7mm Remington Magnum, but it will do it about 10 percent faster. To build off of the PSA .224 Valkyrie Upper you recommended is there any other changes needed to a standard AR-15 lower assembly? Developed in 2007 by Hornady, the 6.5 Creedmoor has a parent case with the .30 TC, which was originally based on the .308 Winchester. Which as a cartridge is all good for hunting farm deer or friendly competition matches. It comes in some factory rifles, like the F-class Savage rifles, built from the factory for 1000 yard competition. Maximum effective range is out to 1,200 yards, and the round really comes into its own at 800 to 1,000. Is it the 6.5 CM on steriodes but with out the kick of the 300 win mag? The company set out to push the limits with this thing, designing it as a flat-shooting 6.5mm cartridge with performance capable of taking full advantage of the newest long-range shooting reticles used in today's scopes. (, We noticed that you have previously logged in with your, Check what do you get by creating an account, Bookmark and compare your favorite firearms, 7 Best Long-Range Cartridges: Hit Stuff Really Far Away, 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, If you choose to shoot long-range with a .223 Remington, I highly suggest shooting longer, heavier bullets with a 1:7 rifle twist. It seems a bit odd to consider a .22-caliber cartridge of any design suitable for long-range hunting of even smallish big game. Surprising how many people seem to have forgotten the .264 W mag. Recoil is negligible, making it a great option for hunter with sensitive shoulders. projectiles begins to add up and they shoot flatter at extreme range. the flattest cartridge I can find. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. It wasnt until the late 1980s that the Navy started looking at the .300 Win. 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. It sure isn't my spectacular marksmanship. are shooting remarkably flat. As with Hornadys two recent 6.5 caliber introductions, it has found favor with long-range competitors, but also with hunters who like to hit at distance with heavy bullets. Just $1 per month , These rounds have the reach and the power to put down big-game animals way out there, By He used .30-caliber BIB 114-grain bullets made by Randy Robinett (loaded over H4198 powder for a 2980 fps muzzle velocity). And to reach out that faryoull need some quality glass, so check out our article on the Best Long Range Scopes. Richard Mann was born and raised in West Virginia and has hunted from the Montana mountains to the green hills of Africa. Subscribe to Pew Pew Tactical's sales and deals email. (This is essentially what Hornady did to the .260 Remington to make the 6.5 Creedmoor.) If it makes you feel better to hate the 6.5 Creedmoor, go ahead. It's new, very little data out about it. Throw in the extra expense of spotting scopes, expensive scopes and precision rifle builds, time for reloading sub MOA cartridges, etc., and one can see a lot of time, money and devotion are required. Mag. It also has less wind drift and less bullet drop than the .223 Remington or the 6.5 Grendel. It started with the .30/30 and continued with the .30/06 and .308 and right up to todays .300 Blackout. Mag. He said stuff. It's muzzle velocity is a blistering 4145 fps. You must adequately define these currently nebulous extra parameters that lead you to make these statements and pass them off as informative. The new bullet remained supersonic longer than the 190-grain Mod 0 load, and didnt give up much downrange performance to the .338, while generating less recoil and being much more cost effective for the military to adopt, which it did in 2010. It combined flat-shooting ballistics with hard-hitting bullets in a package with lighter recoil than the .300 Weatherby Magnum, which debuted in 1944. My favorite for many years is the 7mmX300 Weatherby on a Ruger No.1 with a Schillen @ 24'' a long with the 264 Win. Federals EDGE TLR .270 Winchester is another outstanding option. Right now options are really slim and ammo prices are really high. The last time a .270 Win. Although it isnt the flattest shooting round, that trait is, ironically, overrated in a long-range round. I have a 2506 killed a deer at 840 yards one shot !! That's a fine caliber, I said. But lack of convenience is certainly the Big Kahuna. Flattest at 1,000 yards Here's where things start to change. At A Glance: Our Top 5 Picks For Long Range Calibers in 2022 Best for Beginners: 5.56mm/.223 Remington Minimal Recoil: 224 Valkyrie Best for Long Range: 243 Winchester Best for Seasoned Shooters: 6mm Creedmoor Best Value: 6.5mm Grendel All kidding aside, the 6.5 Grendel is an amazing cartridge. Ive not done the King of 2 mile thing but if I were younger it would have appealed to me. I tried to pick out some popular ones on the market currently based on typical ranges most shooter's shoot out too. They each have pros and cons. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Not long ago, Team Global Precision Group used the .416 Barrett to ring steel at a mind-blowing 6,012 yards (3.4 miles, 5497 meters, 18,036 feet). Fortunately for them, older stalwarts like the .308 Win. we started testing in VIET-NAM, they were great, even at LONG range. Definitely agree with that statement. The new Federal Premium, 130-grain Terminal Ascent load with a muzzle velocity of 2825 fps shoots flat and the bullet is tough enough to handle up close impacts while still delivering good expansion at distance. at 150-grains, the bullet is a bit light, but it still has enough energy at 1,000-yards for deer, bear, and elk. Those projectiles shed their speed slowly, so the 6.5 PRC can catch up with much larger and harder-recoiling cartridges at 600 yards and beyond. Those high ballistic coefficients also help the 6.5 PRC buck the wind. Once dialed in, I was able to put rounds on a steel silhouette with ease. The difference between hunting in the forested mountains and chasing deer out where the deer regularly start running away 400 yards out if they see you creates a whole different experience. Originally established in 2003 for the AR15 platform, it is now available in bolt-action rifles as well. Cost, ease of part acquirement, availability, things you can run in an AR platform, or a perceived "coolness" factor? We cover a few of our favorite long range cartridges. but the whole free recoil thing and light grip will require some attention also. Yeah, 6.5s are all the rage, and their blinding popularity has taken some shine off the old .270, but the latter is still one of the very best long-range hunting cartridges. I made my selection of long range calibers based on my experiences hunting, shooting, and competing with these loads. Ive also used it in Africa on large and small game, including on Giant Eland, the worlds largest antelope that tips the scales at 2,000 pounds. So it just depends , but I wouldn't lump 556, 224, etc into this category. But the 7mm Remington Magnum will remain supersonic out to 1,400 yards or a bit more, making a good choice for cross-canyon hunting. Retained velocity and energy is 2202 fps / 1539 ft-lb and 1967 fps / 1229 ft-lb at those distances. While other cartridges have emerged and gained popularity, the 6.5 Grendel still has a permanent place in the conversation when talking about long-range shooting. Now, you might think this cartridge is new and unproven. While there are newer cartridges around, many of them are derived from the .308, and all are measured against it. is the perfect Goldilocks round. The 6.5 PRC joined an ever-expanding field of 6.5mm (.264 in.) The key to the Dasher and these other rounds is their consistency. Well, theres really only one option in .22-caliber and thats the .224 Valkyrie. I just think this article was not specifically a hunting article. The jack-of-all-trades long-range caliber. Is it a 7mm rem mag, a 270, a 300 win mag, a 30-06? . Availability is not the best either, so online buying or reloading may be the best option for this cartridge. inherent in 6.5mm (.264) caliber bullets. In fact, loaded correctly it will leave quite a mark well past 2000 yds. Check out more F&S long-range shooting coverage, including advice for getting started in long-range shooting competitions, the reason why rifle groups keep shrinking, how Heavey did at Gunsite Academy, and what makes long-distance shooting so difficult. You would be surprised at what my .25-06 Rem will do. Mag. The long-time standard bearers are Federals two Gold Medal Match loads, the 168- and 175-grain BTHPs. 36 in. Other cartridges have come along in recent times that are designed better than the .300 Win. If youre after deeper penetration, look at the 139-grain Barnes VOR-TX Long Range load. The 6.5 CM is, While there isnt much of a cheap alternative for 6.5 CM ammunition, Lucky Gunner lists, Like Alice in Wonderland, you can go down a. Click below for a FREE LESSON! What about 22-250? It's a quick and easy swap. I grew up in Montana,hunting both in the mountains in the West and in high school out in the flats in the East part of the state. This includes gear reviews, features on technical innovations, stories on shooting techniques and general hunting coverage with the occasional fishing story thrown into the mix. I don't know if you're from the east, but that argument is typically made from someone who lives in the east and hunts woods. .416 Barrett, while a very new cartridge compared to most, is currently the ultimate boss king of extreme long-range shooting. Unless the 300WM was down-loaded to unsafe levels, the 308 will never beat it. I wasnt there to see it actually happen, but I dont doubt that it could have. They usually start at around $300. Weve never had it so good when it comes to picking among the best long-range calibers to shoot. That family includes the 6mm BRA, 6mm BRX and 6mm Dasher. It will be passed down to my son and so forth. The .277 is an oddball bullet diameter, in that it doesnt fall into the much more common 6.5mm, 7mm, or .30-caliber categories. A few years back I took a very nicely built AR-15 to Buck Doyles training facility where a group of us shot out to 1,100 yards on steel targets. To explain the nuances of rifle twist rates, you can read my previous article about AR-15 Twist Rates! For example, my Allterra Arms 6.5 PRC shoots Hornady 143-grain ELD-X bullets at 2950 fps. thanks and what of the 6.5cm PRC you have a picture of it but dont mention it. Want to send it really far downrange? Need to drop an Elk at 500 yards? Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range with a 129-grain AccuBond Long Range bullet at 3,400 fps. I also took ballistic performance into account, as well as the experiences and results of the top long-range shooters in the world. We'll only use the information provided according to our privacy policy. If you took the Statue of Liberty and laid it down, thats almost 20 Statues of Liberty long. But these niche cartridges are expensive (to put it mildly) to shoot and build guns for and arent practical for everyday shooters.For shooting out to 1,000 yards, the 6mm Creedmoor is about ideal. Norma offers a 156-grain Oryx load that wont shoot as flat but provides great terminal performance. in the 1960s when Marine Lance Corporal Carlos Hathcock used the round to win the Wimbledon Cup, a 1,000-yard rifle competition in 1965. This "best" list is a list of "best" for the author, others mileage may vary. .25-06 Rem The .25-06 Remington rifle cartridge used to be a rare wildcat. in earnest, awarding a contract to Federal Cartridge Co., in 1987 to produce .300 Win. The one up top is tipped with an 80-grain Barnes TTSX, while the other has a 110-grain Nosler AccuBond. There's plenty of setups out there where 500 yd shots are simple things. When talking about long-range calibers and their best applications, the immediate question pops up: For what? Some much more. It is the responsibility of any hunter to put down game as quickly and humanely as possible with a single shot. 30 years later still shooting this caliber even though I do have the 6.5 CM too. There are far too many cartridges out there to narrow down, let alone the shooter's need factored in. Mag. This is mainly because the .308 Winchester is a heavier, slower bullet. .300 Win Mag is your ticket. Even though high-BC .30-caliber bullets need to be heavy and pushed hard to shoot flat, many American hunters love them enough to tolerate the recoil. Look at what the best are shooting in PRS, pretty much 6mm and variants. What about the guy who wants to go long with his AR-15?
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