Or more specifically why are .223 22-250 243 and 308 the ONLY games in town for factory heavy barreled target rifles. Why in the world are excellent long range rounds such as the 7mm-08 and 260 rem largely relegated to compact rifles. Or even the outstanding 30-06 or 270 either of which can do miraculous at silly long ranges. Heck even a heavy barreled 6.5x55 could kick butt and take names with the best of em.
and don't give me that inherent accuracy garbage that's as big a myth as "knockdown power"
Three things: Ballistics, bullets, recoil.
In my little patch of the woods, the 1000 yard game has gone to cartridges such as 6.5-284, 6.5-08, (260 Rem) and a whole bunch of 6mm and 6.5 mm wildcats.
For a couple of decades, if you were shooting service rifle class, you shot 30 caliber. Service rifles are either 30-06, 308, or now, .223. There are a bunch of long range service rifle only competitions at the National Matches. Palma is shot with a 308 Winchester, which evens out worldwide competitions. The military no longer supports civilian shooting programs, so without the free brass and cheap ammo, people are inclined to experiment with non military cartridges.
30 caliber rifles are not the ultimate in long range shooting. They kick hard. The difference on paper between a little flinch and no flinch is observable. I have shot a 30-06, just for fun, for years. At 1000 yards it is not competitive to the sub calibers, and it kicks with the 190’s and 200 grain bullets. I know a few who have tried 300 Win Mags and after getting stomped to death they trade the rifle to some other unsuspecting wide eyed newbie. The ballistics of even 200 grain bullets in a 308 or 30-06 are vastly inferior to a 6.5mm.
So why not a .270? . It kicks harder than a 6.5-08. It is an overbore cartridge, barrel life would not provide any advantage, probably wears faster than any 6.5 mm. And don’t forget match bullets. You can’t compete without the best match bullets. That’s why the 6.5 calibers languished for so long, the only good consistent match bullets for years were in 30 caliber. For a few years the 7mm-08 caught on and a couple of National Championships were won with the 168 SMK. The wana bees used it, but then Sierra changed the ballistic coefficient to a worse number and people started dumping it. When good bullets started coming out in 6.5 the market walked away from 7mm’s. .
The 243 is a rich man’s caliber. The barrel burns out very quickly. And that is a problem for all shooters, you want to arrive at the Nationals with a barrel at its peak, not with a barrel that is just about to fall off that peak. With the 6.5 calibers, you can get maybe 500 rounds more accuracy life.
As for .223 or 22-250, only service rifle shooters use the .223 beyond 600 yards. The scores are humbling, a .223 just floats and gets blown all over the place. Never seen anyone using a 22-250.
that's as big a myth as "knockdown power"
