'Best' cartridge for long range?

If 100-600 yards is your goal, my suggestion is to stick with the 223 until you can outshoot it. Your scope will be as important as your rifle, so while you are saving your pennies allow for a good piece of glass. Shooting out to 800 yards and beyond is a skill that requires time behind a rifle on a routine basis. Make sure you are making the time and ammo commitments with your current rifle before you upgrade.

When we set up to shoot the 50bmg at 1200yrds I always bring out the 30-06s and take a few shots at a 2x3 target, some days are better than others

marksman13 said:

If 100-600 yards is your goal, my suggestion is to stick with the 223 until you can outshoot it. Your scope will be as important as your rifle, so while you are saving your pennies allow for a good piece of glass. Shooting out to 800 yards and beyond is a skill that requires time behind a rifle on a routine basis. Make sure you are making the time and ammo commitments with your current rifle before you upgrade.

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But but that’s not the sexy answer.
We all know it’s more fun to have cool new toys then to use the old ones.

On a serious note, I’m guilty of this, although I’ve been good about hitting the range lately with what I have, and yes, practice can be an amazing thing if you go with a plan, follow the plan and work it so you get into good habits.

Of course too many also just go and shoot a bunch of ammo and don’t plan what they’re doing nor what they need to do to get better.

midland man said:

wow no one has mentioned the great 243win using 100gr sierra sp bullets and Winchester 760 powder! I guess it's outdated??

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Not everyone thinks its outdated ,RPR .243...It now wears a new scope this is an old picture. I took off the Leupold 6.5-20 40mm,It has a Leupold VX3i 8.5-25 50mm LRP FFP on her now ,shooting 103gr ELD-X with Winchester 760 pushing it.Problem is now I have to buy a gun to put the 6.5-20 40mm on top of.

Ks5shooter said:

Not everyone thinks its outdated ,RPR .243...It now wears a new scope this is an old picture. I took off the Leupold 6.5-20 40mm,It has a Leupold VX3i 8.5-25 50mm LRP FFP on her now ,shooting 103gr ELD-X with Winchester 760 pushing it.Problem is now I have to buy a gun to put the 6.5-20 40mm on top of.
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yep I love shooting 243 as it's a sweet round!

Heck, If it’s just for paper there are few things more satisfying than shooting a 30” 45-70 single shot way out there. Or any obsolete cartridge/gun for that matter.

Who is to say what’s the best if it’s for fun on paper.

My current modern ‘efficient’ rifle is a 300 win mag, but that’s because I’d like the cartridge to have the long range knockdown power and it has real world application I also like the ammo availability as I have enough wildcats. If it’s truly for paper only, the precision guys are using the 6mm Creedmore the most

If you’re shooting for groups you’ll need to hand load. If you want small groups you cannot skimp on components. That’s where all the rest of your money will go after you pick the rifle and scope.

For 100 yards, .17HMR or .223 Neither one will teach you much at that distance unless you’re new to shooting, but you’ve got to start somewhere. I have 6.5s and don’t smell like patchouli, no earrings either, just a watch and wedding ring. It isn’t as cheap to load for as .223 but it’s cheaper than my .30s for sure. Recoil is minimal.

Pick what you can afford that makes you happy and buy as much scope (quality) as you can afford. Nothing says you can’t mount it on your dream rifle down the road.

Kind of similar shooting to you. My local range goes out to 200 yds. My next closest range 45 min. away goes out to 300 yds. I have a Rem. 700 in .223 that I regularly shoot out to 300 yds and can shoot 1/2 MOA 5 shot groups when doing my part. Around 2 hours away I've discovered a 600 yd range I'd like to try (haven't yet). As others have said, a .223 with heavier bullets (I load Hornady 75gr. BTHP's) certainly gets to 600 supersonically. The .223 I've put somewhere north of 700 rounds through and am totally happy with.

Like you, new toys do have a certain appeal. I recently came across a Rem. 700 ADL in 6.5CM that after sale pricing, Remington rebate and some Cabela's points, came in at under $200. Couldn't pass it up. So now I'm building a 6.5CM (for the reasons other have mentioned) similarly to my .223 for "mostly" shooting up to 300 yds. Do I need a 6.5CM...nope. Do I want one...yup!

Based on the road I've traveled, I would recommend starting out with a .223 with at least a 1:9 twist, if not a 1:8 twist so you can shoot heavier, higher B.C. bullets out to 600 yds. You can certainly trick it out to make it yours. It doesn't have to be run of the mill. On mine, I plopped it into a KRG Bravo stock to get proper fit, added a Timney 510 trigger and a Vortex PST II scope. Pretty cool rifle.

Once you dial in your technique (breathing, pulling trigger straight back, loading a bipod, follow-through, etc.), maybe consider a longer distance caliber. Some low recoil, high accuracy, not crazy expensive options (again, as others have mentioned) are .243, 6.5CM, 6mmCM, 6mmBR (if you reload), 260 Rem, .224 Valkyrie. I've shot a 7mm Rem Mag. (last week actually) and a 300WM, and for punching paper or steel out to 1,000 yds, I don't know why I would get one. A 300WM for instance was kind of an interesting idea until I shot one - yup, no need for one of those! Heavy recoil, expensive rounds, go through barrels quicker (although the diminuative .243 and 6mm CM can also be barrel burners) don't help you land more hit's in the x-ring out to 1,000 yds. Just one man's thoughts. Let us know what you decide!

p.s. Iike Skylerbone mentioned, a .22 or .17 rimfire at 100 yds will humble you quick. I have one of those too and it sure "makes" you learn to call the wind when you're shooting a ballistically crappy .22 bullet (all .22 bullets have just about the same poor BC, even the expensive European brands like Lapua, RWS and Eley) at 100 yds. on a slightly windy day!

p.p.s. don't forget "previously enjoyed" (used) rifles too. There are one heck of a lot of used bolt actions with only a few hundred rounds through them (if that many) that you can pick up much cheaper than factory fresh.

Skylerbone said:

If you’re shooting for groups you’ll need to hand load. If you want small groups you cannot skimp on components. That’s where all the rest of your money will go after you pick the rifle and scope.

For 100 yards, .17HMR or .223 Neither one will teach you much at that distance unless you’re new to shooting, but you’ve got to start somewhere. I have 6.5s and don’t smell like patchouli, no earrings either, just a watch and wedding ring. It isn’t as cheap to load for as .223 but it’s cheaper than my .30s for sure. Recoil is minimal.

Pick what you can afford that makes you happy and buy as much scope (quality) as you can afford. Nothing says you can’t mount it on your dream rifle down the road.

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I use to think that you had to hand-load to get supper accuracy. That said I was not the only one shooting factory ammo at the Precision Rifle Match I shot last weekend and we where shooting out to 1000 yards.

I am going to brag just a touch here but in my preparation for the match I shot the following group with a factory 700 action in 6mm Creedmoor using factory Barnes ammunition, Precision Match 112gr OTM BT



That is a 200 yard group. .80 inch extreme spread or ~.38 MOA 5-shot group. That is a personal best for me and it was done with a factor gun, shooting factory ammunition.

I have been foolish enough to buy a lot of things some might say I do not need, and sometimes “optionality” is a burden (always a burden for cost), but I do have the luxury of having multiple places to shoot various definitions for “long range,” and multiple rifle options to do so. Maybe the matrix I consider would shed some light on your own decision-making.

• For 0-300 targets, I prefer to grab a 22LR out of the safe. Or a 17 WSM. On a windier day, maybe a 223rem.

• For 0-600, not hunting, I’d pull a 223 Rem out of the safe. Again, a windier day, a Grendel or 6 creed.

• If I’m going to 800, not hunting, a 6 or 6.5 Grendel.

• Reaching to 1,400, targets, a 243win or better, a 6 creed. Insert your 6.5 creed here, if not in context of competition.

In the context of hunting, then the size of game matters, so the volume of the discussion becomes exhaustive. I might punch a prairie dog at 600yards with a 223rem, or a coyote, but a whitetail at 600 takes a big jump, for me, to something pushing a 140-200 grain bullet out to 2800-3000fps, NOT combining the two small ends of that spectrum. I’d happily shoot a whitetail at 200yrds with a 223 Rem, prefer a Grendel or 6.8spc, or better still, a 6 creed class cartridge. I’m heading out on a black bear hunt next week, where I might shoot 600yrds, and am taking a 300 win mag. A rifle I might shoot to 1400yrds for targets might only be a 400-600yrd max deer rifle.

MCB, you're right on factory ammo. With my 75 BTHP handloads, I'm trying to mimic Hornady or Black Hills 75 gr Match factory ammo that originally shot so well in my rifle. Great shooting stuff. I reload as I 1) like the process of reloading, 2) am able to never run out of ammo as like everyone, I don't buy only 100 primers (or bullets, or powder) at a time, and 3) save money on the rounds. Factory Hornady 75gr Match ammo is ~ $50 for 50 rounds. I can reload equivalent rounds at $15 per 50. Lets me shoot a lot more.

milemaker13 said:

Yeah, but... what do howitzer rounds cost? Lol.

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About $400 a pop for 105mm

ilmonster said:

Factory Hornady 75gr Match ammo is ~ $50 for 50 rounds. I can reload equivalent rounds at $15 per 50.

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That’s exactly my point; first that you are hand loading and second that comes to $300/1,000. Factory ammo would run $1,000/1,000 and @mcb $35/box Barnes is not what most guys shoot for factory. Far from knocking all factory ammo but if Asym were what I fed my 1911s I’d not be shooting the volume I do and in most cases factory still leaves accuracy on the table. The true point is that what’s available at Walmart is not produced for serious accuracy.