Best long range rifle and calibre?

Depends on what you call long range.
From 300 to 600 yards the 6mmbr, 223's and 7mm's ruled.
From 800 to 1000 the 338, 308, 300 and 7mm do well.
From 1000 to 1200 the 6.5-284 and 300 and 338 are kings.
My 6.5-284 touched a 1500 yard target, soon to try a mile.
In most cases its not the tool but the tool driver.
This is just from my observations at shoots, which are limited.
 
In F-Class, any cartridge large enough to propel a 180 grain Berger VLD beyond 2900 fps is preferred and that combo was used to clean house at the FC World Championships this past summer in Bisley.

Historically, the 300 WM has more long distance (1000 yd+)wins than any other in F-Class, with the 6.5X284 in close second.

The 308 is still regularly shot in competitions to 1200M in a sport known as "Match Rifle" and is still a competent cartridge. FTR is a sport devoted to long distance 223 and 308 shooting and there are some very competent shooters still using these to clean house.

I shoot in lots of long distance competition. The gun and cartridge are part of an equation that has a large factor of human input. I shoot the 6BR in 900 and 1000M shoots and do just fine with it. Any gun beyond a coupld hundred yards MUST be accurate. Beyond 500M YOU MUST know how to read mirage and wind in order to be truly successful. To hit the target beyond 800 on anything but a dead calm day, you must be a competent condition reader no matter what you shoot.

In those long distances that use optical sights such as F-Class and Benchres, the 12-42X56 Nightforce is arguably the most popular, with Leupold, March Weaver and Sightron pulling up the rear.

Big is not necessarily better. 338's and big 30 cals have significant recoil., and to get the best benefits of these huge rounds, you must use really long heavy bullets. Ballistically, you basically cannot beat a 7mm 180 grain VLD in any gun legal to shoot in any DCRA/ICFRA sanctioned match
 
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might you assist a Benchrest guy who wants to try

longer ranges. maybe out to 500 or 600 yards, and I would build a stiller or barnard with a robertson stock but wish just to dabble. I would spend a year thinking of various cartidges, different type stocks and so on.

In wanting to keep it simple I dont want a remington, or a savage but would like a rifle to plink a bit.
Considering a cooper phoenix in 6mm BR but the advertised twist rate is only 1 in 10 option (not the 1 in 14 for 68 grain bullets)

so can I get good bullets out to 500 yards just to play and compete casually, not seriously.

Then if the bug persists I will build a better gun, this way I can play if at a range without a flat out benchrest gun, and if I ding it up a little oh well.

might you give me some guidance bearing in mind I dont want a remingon or a savage or a tikka (althugh a nice tikka for sale ofr 1700 or so in the EE I think)

thanks

Jeff
 
anything that you can shoot 1/2moa or under. The further you want to go the bigger your going to want to get. I am thinking 2500 yards with a .338 Lapua should not be to hard. 1500yrds with anything around .300 WM 1200yds with .308 or close to. play in the wind as much as you can, its whats gonna get you in the end.
Cheers
 
I have seen some Coopers that shoot very well. I suspect they could be tuned to work close to a custom.

If you don't want a Remington, Savage or Tikka, you are restircting yourself to poor factory choices for upgrading - shyte in many cases - or you are looking at Custom.

I am not a fan of Savage actions at all, but I have to admit that their 6BR F-Class gun can produce terrific results.

and they are the only manufacturer making true target type rifles that one can afford.

I am thinking 2500 yards with a .338 Lapua should not be to hard. 1500yrds with anything around .300 WM 1200yds with .308 or close to. play in the wind as much as you can, its whats gonna get you in the end.
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There are many incremental distances you'll want to master before you try and figure out how many yards your expensive 338 bullets missed the target by at a mile and a half. A Lap mag will do it, but it is a grunt.
 
deadshot said:
anything that you can shoot 1/2moa or under. The further you want to go the bigger your going to want to get. I am thinking 2500 yards with a .338 Lapua should not be to hard.
Click to expand...

Just out of curiousity... what kind of accuracy or group sizes do you expect would be easy to achieve?? 2500 yds is a looooooooooong ol' ways away to be thinking it's easy. :)
 
Jefferson said:
longer ranges. maybe out to 500 or 600 yards, and I would build a stiller or barnard with a robertson stock but wish just to dabble. I would spend a year thinking of various cartidges, different type stocks and so on.

In wanting to keep it simple I dont want a remington, or a savage but would like a rifle to plink a bit.
Considering a cooper phoenix in 6mm BR but the advertised twist rate is only 1 in 10 option (not the 1 in 14 for 68 grain bullets)

so can I get good bullets out to 500 yards just to play and compete casually, not seriously.

Then if the bug persists I will build a better gun, this way I can play if at a range without a flat out benchrest gun, and if I ding it up a little oh well.

might you give me some guidance bearing in mind I dont want a remingon or a savage or a tikka (althugh a nice tikka for sale ofr 1700 or so in the EE I think)

thanks

Jeff
Click to expand...

With SR BR, you already have one of the best actions you can get. Why not just rebarrel with a chambering you are curious in trying?

A change to a more appropriately shaped Robertson and you are COMPETITIVE.

Not sure how tight the bolt face is but if it will accept a standard 308 case, you have all the common options anyone could want. From the 6BR to the 6.5-284 or whatever will fit in the ports.

If you are just having fun, why not just build a PPC with a faster twist? Fast enough to push 95gr+ VLD. I bet you would get 2700fps with the 105gr VLD from a PPC. More then enough to compete at 600yds.

Simple..

Jerry
 
rig_pig69 said:
Just out of curiousity... what kind of accuracy or group sizes do you expect would be easy to achieve?? 2500 yds is a looooooooooong ol' ways away to be thinking it's easy. :)
Click to expand...

Well I never said it's easy, just not that hard. Hardest part of shooting out that far is finding a place to shoot that far, where you can spot your hits.
I am very luckly to shoot with a bunch of guys who do this well and to have a rifle that shoots under a .25 MOA. Accuracy is another matter like you said 2500 yds is a looooooooog way out, you have to shoot early morning before the sun starts warming the ground and air, no wind, no mirage, great optics is must and a steady platform. A good read is Precision shooting at 1000 yards and beyond it will get you started in the right direction there's guys in there shooting 16" gongs at 3120 yards with .308 A.I.
But whats more important then making the shot is to still have fun missing.
Cheers
 
some more notes

--not sure if you meant me as a troll, hope not cause I aint one.

--all my bats have a right bolt left port right eject so loading on the ground is not great at all. next they all have 6ppc barrels and flat stocks, i cannot bring myself to change barrels even though easy as pie, once I get a barrel shooting on the gun I leave it until it is eaten away. You are right just get another stock but with robertson maybe taking some time off this summer to enjoy life a litte (not too much I hope) it may be fall before I made up my mind about which stock to get, I would need to go to a couple of shoots to try some different stocks as I like the speedy F stock, some other stock my buddy has and so on so I would need one of each.
I am of average height so a heavy F class gun does not excite me, also I dont think I will attend more than 1 shoot with my rimfire BR and centerfire BR this year.

--I was thinking of getting a EE gun and just trying it out but with all the calibers, different guns and so on I would be changing my mind quicker than my shorts.

--the cooper is a nice gun NOTHING SPECIAL OR FANCY just Ok to take to the range for a tactical or F class or medium range plinking without being out of place, IT WILL NOT WIN IN ANY OF THOSE events or outings but I can just play with the 6Br by GETTING MY FEET WET (or my shorts if I like it)

SO just thinking that before deciding on a quite expensive course of action(building a stiller or barnyard (sp) full blown gun I thought a cooper will satisfy the needs for this year and then over winter I can pursue the acquisition of a REAL MEDIUM RANGE GUN TO KEEP FOR A WHILE

I thought of getting a special twist 1 in 8 form cooper as you can special order them but thought the OAL would thne be too long for the 95 grain bullets and the 68 to start with to find a load and check the gun would not even cast a shadow on the lands, so thinking of just going with the 1 in 10 or now

--NOW THE NEAT THING FOR ME is the bullet pointing whiitten die has some fun in it for me, I like to tinker with new toys so that in a 1 in 10 twist with some 95 or so bullets, lapua and those you guys mentioned woud be neat to try at 300 to 500 years to practice, (tough for me not to see windflags on range) SSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOa cooper in 1 in 10 to start and then learn from you guys about real guns and real results.

thanks gents, it has been a pleasure to sit on the sidelines and learn a little,

takes me a while but all guns are fun

hopefully this answers the questions mystic had for me

later
Jeffer
 
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