or .30/06 could make that claim was an age ago. It will push a 90-grain Fusion bullet to 500 yardswhich is probably the limit for big game with this cartridgewhile still retaining enough velocity to initiate expansion. more do I really need more ??? This newer Weatherby 6.5 combines plenty of gas with manageable recoil. (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. He sighted in his rifle and we immediately dialed to 400 yards. Some people take their rifle out two weeks before the season and fire a dozen shots, these people probably fall into the 50 or 100 yard category. 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. . I also took ballistic performance into account, as well as the experiences and results of the top long-range shooters in the world. The reason why 6.5mm cartridges are exploding in popularity is because they are ultra-efficient. What were your extra parameters here? If youre after critters deer-size and up, the field is dominated by .30-caliber, 6.5mm, and 7mm cartridges, with the best long-range options remaining supersonic out to at least 1,400 yards. Select what level shooter you are! It is the flattest shooting option you can get. That includes the 6 Dasher, 6 GT, 6 BRA, and 6 BRX, along with the 6.5mm and 6mm Creedmoors. As originally designed in 1963, the .300 Win. For off-the-shelf accuracy, the 6.5 Creedmoor is tough to top, no matter how much the Creeds detractors might howl. Also, youll find more ammo options for the .308 Winchester than any of the others. To salvage the project, the Navy switched to 185-grain Lapua FMJs, which went into production in 1990. It will be passed down to my son and so forth. It was introduced in 1963 to augment the series of belted magnum cartridges that Winchester based off the .375 H&H. I understand why some hate the round, and its largely the .308 Winchester fanboys. Wrong on all accounts. inherent in 6.5mm (.264) caliber bullets. The 204 Ruger can come close. Mag. Pure drop from the get-go. Regarding the comment on the 6.5C, the laws of aerodynamics don't agree with you. Here are some examples shot dead flat, meaning the bullet departs the muzzle perfectly horizontally with no sight angle above the bore. Finally, there are the really big, long range specialty cartridges like 408 CheyTac and 416 Barrett, but I dont consider those sporting hunting options. That he us army has recorded kills with a 5.56 using black hills 77 grain ammo at 1800 yards? For those looking to leverage the latest innovations in cartridge design and bullet technology there is a whole world of goodies to choose from. Beyond 600 or 800 yards, however, the efficiency of the high B.C. Hoping to hear some good things about it too. I sincerely am ready to listen to reason: Why is the .257 Weatherby ignored in these discussions? This is the darling diameter for American big-game hunters. If it makes you feel better to hate the 6.5 Creedmoor, go ahead. 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. If you choose to shoot long-range with a .223 Remington, I highly suggest shooting longer, heavier bullets with a 1:7 rifle twist. Mag. It also induced instability that rendered the round unstable and inaccurate at 800 yards and beyond. Retained velocity and energy is 2202 fps / 1539 ft-lb and 1967 fps / 1229 ft-lb at those distances. Why It Made the Cut: The .308 Winchester is the ultimate jack-of-all-trades long-range caliber. Perhaps you or other readers here can find the ultimate winner! Subscribe to OL+ for our best feature stories and photography. Hand-Picked Daily GUN DEALS, and Exclusive Coupons Codes >>>, Federal Premium 69-grain Sierra Match King. The 6.5 CM is superior to the .308 Win in just about any practical sense of the matter with better range, less effect with wind, and less bullet drop. Some of the best loads I have shot through various .223 Wylde/5.56 NATO chambers have been: The .224 Valkyrie was developed with long-range shooting in mind from its inception. Its pinpoint accuracy makes it deadly on these animals to 500 yards and more. This cartridge is flat shooting from 100 yards out to 1000 in the right rifle, and we think it is likely to become the premier precision rifle cartridge. The 6.5 PRC joined an ever-expanding field of 6.5mm (.264 in.) Mag. Covering all of them would practically be a novel, so I am going to stop short here. To comply with the rules of warfare that prohibited the use of hollow-point ammunition, Federal had to burnish the tips of the 180-grain Sierra Matchkings they were loading. ), 1) no Why It Made the Cut: The .300 Win. .300 Winchester Magnum is a favorite of hunters worldwide for big game at long range. All in all, here are six bonus cartridge, all highly capable of reaching way out there. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Hardly a week goes by without the introduction of a new productwhether a bullet, a type of gun powder, a riflescope, an electronic gizmo, or what have youthat doesnt help shooters put projectiles on target with greater precision. It started with the .30/30 and continued with the .30/06 and .308 and right up to todays .300 Blackout. Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range, 150-grain AccuBond Long Range at 2,930 fps. 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. It comes in some factory rifles, like the F-class Savage rifles, built from the factory for 1000 yard competition. 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. Used 85 grain Winchester preamumbalistic tip, No one ever mentions the .270 Win. rating) driven more slowly. Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range with a 129-grain AccuBond Long Range bullet at 3,400 fps. (cartridge overall length) that fits inside an AR15 magazine well can be capable of 1,000+ yards. Both are of course bolt-action rifle cartridges. But putting the emotional draws to the cartridge aside, there are still plenty of pragmatic reasons for the choice. He lives in Western Pennsylvania where he has enjoyed the outdoors, hunting, and shooting for the past 20 years. The password should contain at least 8 characters with at least one number or special character. That being said, no, the 300WM will not fall out of the sky at 1100m. Both are far more exceptional than the 5 you chose. For hunting at extended ranges, the 6.5 PRC and .300 Win. Not only are new loads being offered, new ARs and even bolt action rifles for the Grendel are being introduced. Learn all the important stuff about handgunswith none of the attitude. The .308 Win. Need to recheck your math when you were talking about the .416 Barrett clinking at 5497m. Lets look at some of the popular calibers. With a growing choice of ammo from 90-130 grain projectiles and the benefit of a great ballistic coefficient with the 6.5mm bullet, 500+ yard shooting can be almost boring. Survival Survival. It happened to shoot the Federal Premium 90-grain Sierra Match Kings very well and hitting a steel torso was fairly regular between myself and my shooting buddy, Kat Ainsworth. Bullets of this diameter are easily configured to have extremely high ballistic coefficients. It's a quick and easy swap. Ammo availability has become extensive for the 6.5 Creedmoor. Effective accuracy range is much different than effective and ethical killing range on game, but that is something to take into account if the rifle will be used for hunting. In 2022, he was named as the brands Shooting Editor. If you want to shoot flat and hit hard, this is the cartridge; at 1,000 yards it hits with more than 1,500 foot-pounds of energy. At 500 yards, the 27 Nosler drops almost a foot less than Jack OConnors sacred cartridge. Like the 26 Nosler, the 28 is based on the 404 Jeffery case and will remain supersonic out past 1,750 yards. He recently got a new rifle and scope so I took him to my shooting club. at 150-grains, the bullet is a bit light, but it still has enough energy at 1,000-yards for deer, bear, and elk. It's new, very little data out about it. For these various applications, these are my top picks among long-range calibers. Complete with ammo suggestions, capability, rifles, and more. Death in the Long Grass: A Big Game Hunter's Adventures in the African Bush .by Peter H. Capstick, Dino Paravano, Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders (Volume 1) Paperback, The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game: Volume 1: Big Game, Horn of the Hunter: The Story of an African Safari Kindle Edition, Use Enough Gun: On Hunting Big Game Hardcover, Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail: Upland Birds and Small Game from Field to Feast Hardcover March 1, 2018, The Easy Venison Cookbook: 60 Simple Recipes for Deer, Elk, and Moose Kindle Edition, 8.5x63mm: A Rimmed Thumper for Heavy Critters. Whats your take on the 6.5 Creedmoor? hit its first major stumble. can handle any big-game animal on earth. The 27 Nosler bests the .270 Winchester by about 400 fps with 150-grain bullets. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. And that factor alone will make a person a more competent field marksman and a better, more ethical hunter. Yes, you can. The RPM does not have a belt or the customary Weatherby radiused shoulder, and it was designed to go with an ultra-light hunting rifle. For hunting it makes more sense to run with something a bit stouter. The cartridge Stinnett used is nearly as surprising as the group he shot. There are many of us who have rifles to attempt to master the art of long range steel shooting. are shooting remarkably flat. After Weatherbys 6.5-300 Magnum did not win as many hearts and minds as theyd hoped, Weatherby rethought the 6.5mm cartridge and developed the 6.5 RPM (Rebated Precision Magnum). 26 Nosler is considered by many to be the best cartridge for long-range hunting. The .300 Win. Write your own article. I can only second what Rick says about the .257 Weatherby magnum. That's fast. By the time the 6.5 Creedmoor started gaining popularity, interest in the .270 WSM was fading. (I looked into it once but can't remember exactly.. I may earn a small part of the sale from links to any products or services on this site. That, combined with their relatively small size, means that compared to cartridges of similar powder capacity, the 6.5s will almost always do more, in terms of external and terminal ballistics, with less recoil. Is it a 7mm rem mag, a 270, a 300 win mag, a 30-06? While still a great long-range precision shooting cartridge, it is starting to lose ground to newer, softer shooting cartridges. 30 years later still shooting this caliber even though I do have the 6.5 CM too. Nonetheless, 7mm bullets can be extremely aerodynamic and, as legendary elephant hunter Karamojo Bell proved, effective on even the largest animals. That lineup started with the .264 Win. You sure can. 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. but the whole free recoil thing and light grip will require some attention also. Been shooting this particular caliber since I bought my first legal rifle at the old age of 18 lol. 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). In the old way of thinking that was good because I could achieve that consistently. When talking about long-range calibers and their best applications, the immediate question pops up: For what? 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. For good reason. and 7mm RUM might come close with the right bullet. Its also based on the 220 Russian/7.62x39mm Russian cartridge, but unlike the Valkyriewhich uses a 0.223-caliber bulletthe Grendel is yet another 6.5. 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. Because it uses aerodynamically efficient 6.5mm bullets it has outstanding downrange capabilities. With its rebated rim and 1/2-inch diameter at the base, it is essentially a longer version of the 6.5284 Norma; ballistically equivalent to the .264 Winchester Magnum. The key to the Dasher and these other rounds is their consistency. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. 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. 1000 Yard Shooting Part II Caliber Selection, Shooting Technique, Reloading and the Mental Game. 500-yard drop: 45 inches (based on a 100-yard zero). The fact that if the .308 was good enough for our boys in Viet Nam, then it sure as hell is good enough for me. Could the 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, or 26 Nosler be the flattest shooting cartridge? If there was ever a cult cartridge, the .280 Ackley Improved is it. It nearly matches the ballistics of the Winchester Magnum, but does so in rifles with faster-twist barrels and modern powders that extend barrel life. Feb 17, 2008. But as with the 6.5 PRC, there are not a lot of factory-ammo options to choose from. Mag. The Navy switched to 190-grain Sierra Matchking HPBT's. Charged with Reloder 19 and 22 powders, the round performed well at 1,000 yards during the Navy's accuracy testing with the extreme spreads of the groups measuring 10.79 and 10.68 inches respectively. With the highest BC bullets, the 26 Nosler remains supersonic beyond 1,750 yards. I don't judge those who take longer shots, but encourage people to know their limits. Just dont try to enumerate its downsides to anyone who knows anything, because there arent any that matter. To me, those are akin to lobbing footballs at something. And to reach out that faryoull need some quality glass, so check out our article on the Best Long Range Scopes. They shoot the exact same projectile, but the 300WM does it much faster. All kidding aside, the 6.5 Grendel is an amazing cartridge. A personal favorite of mine is the Federal Premium 130-grain Bergers, which at the time of this writing costs $1.50/round. | I don't expect to change your mind, but think respectful conversation is a good thing. Mag., and the story of its adoption and evolution in that role is what really lands it on the list of best long-range calibers. One reason for the .300 Win. drops 6.7 inches at 300 yards and just under 20 inches at 400 yards. Kelly, I did not take the time to research and compare every cartridge in the world that I thought might win this flat trajectory contest, so you might find another. Not much else to say, sorry. All the other factors combined still dont add up to that one huge deterrent. One needs look no further than how the 6.5 Creedmoor and its kin have fared in precision rifle competitions, winning time and again when the shots are on small targets at 1,000 yards or more. Are going to forget about 6.5 rem mag again? Based on the antique .404 Jeffery cartridge case, the 27 Nosler is the first new .277-caliber rifle cartridge since the .270 Winchester Short Magnum, which was introduced almost 20 years ago. Want to send it really far downrange? With their Vanguard line you can do it for less than $900. One cartridge needs to be crowned the most accurate and it just happens to be one youve probably never heard of. Those predictable velocities mean that shooters can calculate their trajectories at longer ranges with extreme confidence. 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. Underwood Ammos 110-grain Lehigh Controlled Chaos bullet at 2800 fps is another great option. Where the .308 Winchester comes up short, the 6.5 Creedmoor turns on the afterburners primarily because of the 6.5mm bullets excellent sectional density and ballistic coefficient. That's about 55 Statues of Liberty (305'), not 20. Worth a look anyway. In 2019, Nosler submitted the cartridge to the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Institute (SAAMI) for approval, and in 2020, you can expect to see Nosler and other ammunition manufacturers offering factory loaded ammunition and even rifles for it. 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. Mag. There are not many places you can shoot 500 yards. The ultimate open-country hunting cartridge. Different shooters will all have different calibers that are better suited for their specific goal or mission. Even then youre talking about a 1/4 MOA Shot. Q: Ron, I would love to see you do a video on the all-time flattest shooting rifle. Even at a 1000 yard drop, the cartridge range is around 210'', which makes the 26 Nosler perform quite capably at such a range . 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And the Mental game or.30/06 could make that claim was an age.... Hunting, and 6 BRX, along with the.30/06 and.308 right...