How To Shoot Long-Range Consistently: Cartridge Selection

Hopefully by now you have a good handle on what type of rifle build you want. To properly decide on the right cartridge for you, you need to know a couple of things. You need to know what type of rifle configuration you are going to buy or build. You need to know what game you wish to hunt and what distance will be your maximum range for the hunt. You need to know what type of bullet you want to shoot. Knowing what type of bullet you want to shoot and to what range are the key factors. Contrary to some legacy gun writers, you can kill anything with a well-placed bullet, no matter the size.

Picking a cartridge comes down to how fast do you want to drive that bullet. As you start getting shorter in barrel length, you need to up your horsepower to keep your velocity up. For this article, I will touch on the three more popular calibers (.264, .284 and .308) and give you two recommendations on cartridges. There are a lot of different cartridges out there that people can choose from. Being a handloader, I can tweak cartridges and wildcat where most people cannot. For this list, I will stick to SAAMI spec chamberings and factory ammo availability.

If you go the custom route, you can always tinker with an older cartridge to make it better. You can get a faster twist barrel that will allow you to shoot some of the heavy for caliber, high BC bullets. But we will stick with looking at the SAAMI offerings for this cartridge because a lot of people don’t have access to that type of customization.

Some of you have heard people say, “Why do I need that new cartridge when my old one works just fine?" While that might be the case for some, remember, we are talking about long-range consistency. That means we need to think about a cartridge that can be very accurate throughout a broad range of rifles and factory ammo. For the ballistics comparison, I will use 50 degrees and 5,000 feet of elevation. You can easily run the numbers for yourself with several ballistic calculators to find your performance based on your given temperature and elevation for where you are shooting.

.264 cal / 6.5mm Cartridges

The .264 cal / 6.5 is my favorite caliber. I think it blends things like bullet selection, ammo selection, rifle selection, down-range performance and minimal to marginal recoil. The 6.5mm caliber is a love it or hate it type of caliber. Most people hate on 6.5mm because they automatically think of the 6.5 Creedmoor. Whether you hate it or not, the 6.5 Creedmoor has made a name for itself for its easy accuracy, low recoil and long range performance. The high ballistic coefficient (BC) for the heavy for caliber 6.5mm bullets makes the caliber a long-range easy button. With bullet offerings from 90 grains to 156 grains, there is a bullet out there for whatever you need.

My first recommendation for 6.5 mm cartridges is, you guessed it, the 6.5 Creedmoor. This cartridge has been one of my most shot cartridges over the past 5 years. This cartridge is the easy button for people that are looking for a light-recoiling cartridge that still packs a punch down range. The performance in the wind and the ability to hold velocity out to extended ranges makes it a great choice for anyone. It works great as a competition cartridge, as well as a great hunting cartridge.

If you aren’t planning on putting a suppressor on your rifle, keeping your barrel at 26 inches will give you great extended range performance in a very mild recoiling rifle. If you are looking for a shootable package but in a lightweight rifle, the 6.5 Creedmoor is where you should look. An 8.5-9-pound rifle is still very shootable with this cartridge. You can find just about any factory rifle chambered in this cartridge. Pair that with a great bullet like the Hornady 147 ELDM and you will have great performance whether at the range or in the mountains. At approximately 2750 fps with a 147 ELDM, you are retaining 1800 fps out to 950 yards. At 600 yards, you are still over 2100 fps. Even in a 20 inch barrel length (2560 fps) you will still be over 1800 fps at 800 yards.  At 600 yards you will be just under 2000 fps.

For the magnum side of things, look no further than the 6.5 PRC. The cartridge is still able to fit in a short action but that does not mean that much to me. The 6.5 PRC takes over where the 6.5 Creedmoor left off. This cartridge gives you a little more versatility in the rifle configuration while maintaining the down range velocity. I have personally built a 20 inch, a 22 inch and a 26 inch long barrel 6.5 PRC. With the 20 inch variety, you will get 26 inch 6.5 Creedmoor performance in a handy package. As you step up in barrel length, you increase your down range velocity.

While I have never shot factory ammo through any of my 6.5 PRC builds, I will give you numbers based on my handloads. For the 20 inch barrel, I was shooting 147 ELDM at 2850 fps. At that speed, I retain 1800 fps out to 1,075 yards. At 600 yards, I would be just over 2200 fps. In a 26 inch barrel, with that same 147 ELDM (but different handloads), I was getting 2990 fps. At those speeds, I was still getting 1800 fps out to 1,150 yards. At 600 yards, I was over 2300 fps.

.284 / 7mm Cartridges

The .284 caliber is another great caliber for bullet selection. You pay for the additional weight of the projectile and velocity with added recoil. As we step up in caliber and cartridge size, this will continue to hold true. To get the most out of the newer high BC bullets you must push them fast enough to be relevant. While you can handload bullets like the 175 ELD-X and 180 Berger Hybrid Target in a 7mm-08, you can not get them going fast enough to matter. Also, the relatively slower SAAMI twist of a 7mm-08 at 1 revolution per 9.5 inches (1-9.5 twist) you must shoot the 150-160 grain class projectiles. This also hurts the cartridges like 280 Ackley Improved with a SAAMI 1-9 twist barrel and the 7mm Remington Magnum with a 1-9.5 twist. Some rifle manufacturers have started to offer 1-8 twist barrels, but the factory ammo offerings must stay within the SAAMI twist constraints.

With all these constraints, the King of 7mm cartridges is the 7mm PRC. With a SAAMI twist of 1-8, you can get factory guns that will shoot factory ammo offerings with the heavy for caliber bullets. This cartridge also gets a lot of hate from the older crowd that have 7mm Rem Mags. While getting a custom 7mm Rem Mag and loading custom ammo can get you where the 7mm PRC is at. You can no do that with factory offerings. While Hornady’s claims on speeds, when the cartridge was introduced, have fallen short. The fact that this cartridge can still push 170-180 grain bullets at reasonable speeds and do it accurately, still makes it a winner.

My buddy has a factory rifle with a 22-inch barrel and with factory Hornady Precision Hunter (175 ELD-X) he was getting an average of 2850 fps. That keeps that bullet going 1800 fps just past 1,000 yards. At 600 yards, he is still over 2200 fps. In a 24-inch barrel you can see those speeds increase by about 50-100 fps. Like I said before, you must be able to push those heavy for caliber bullets fast enough for it to matter. The 7mm PRC just barely does that so keep that in mind when you are selecting the cartridge, bullet, and barrel length.

For the next .284 cal cartridge, I must go with the 7mm Remington Magnum. While I said above that the cartridge suffers from a relatively slow SAAMI twist rate of 1-9.5, it makes up for that with speed. While the 280 Ackley Improved can almost reach the 7 Rem Mag velocities, the availability of factory ammo and factory guns doesn’t come close to the 7 Rem Mag. The 7 Rem Mag has been a staple in the hunting woods for a long time. Some rifle manufacturers also have started to offer the 7 Rem Mag chambering with faster twist barrels. While this helps things, the factory ammo still must be able to work in the SAAMI 1-9.5 twist barrels.

If you select your factory ammunition properly, you can nip at the heels of a 7 PRC with the 175 ELD-X. The 7 Rem Mag can push a 162 ELD-X at 2900 fps. With a .318 G7 BC, that bullet will stay above 1800 fps to 950 yards. At 600 you are just under 2200 fps. HSM Ammo produces a 168 Berger VLD load going 3000 fps. This load will retain 1800 fps out to 1,050 yards. At 600 you will be just under 2300 fps. Ammo selection is key with this cartridge though. Traditionally most people shot the 150-grain class of bullets which will hold you back at longer ranges.

For instance, if you picked the 150 grain Barnes Vor-Tx load for the 7 Rem Mag, you’d be limiting your effective range. That load going 3000 fps at the muzzle, would drop below 1800 fps at 750 yards. The minimum expansion velocity for that bullet of 2000 fps would be at 600 yards. I cannot stress this enough that bullet choice matters for long-range shooting.

.308 Caliber Cartridges

Although I have done most of my shooting with 6.5mm cartridges (6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5 PRC), I have done most of my hunting with a 30 caliber cartridge. People who know me know that I have a love for the 300 WSM chambering. I have built 3 custom 300 WSM’s and started with a factory 300 WSM rifle. That cartridge does a lot of things well. It also has its draw backs depending on the configuration and bullet choice. The cartridge has made a name for itself in F-Class and 1,000 yard bench rest. This is do to how easily that cartridge is to tune and how efficient it is with the powders used and case volume. Check out my previous 300 WSM article.

For this recommendation, I must go with the 300 PRC. This cartridge took the market by storm when it was introduced in 2018. The chamber and cartridge design are built for precision. With factory rifles and factory ammo being readily available, if you are looking for a big 30 cal, you need to look at the 300 PRC. The 300 PRC is designed to shoot heavy for caliber bullets while not pushing those bullets deep into body of the case. The 300 PRC has a SAAMI twist rate of 1-8.5 and max cartridge overall length (COAL) of 3.700 inches.

What this cartridge (shooting heavy for caliber bullets) lacks in muzzle velocity, it makes up for it with the high BC bullets. A 300 PRC with a 212 ELDX going 2860 fps will retain 1800 fps out to 1,000 yards. The 225 ELDM going 2810 fps will retain the 1800 fps to 1,100 yards. Both cartridges will be at the 2200 fps mark at 600 yards.

For the second 30 caliber recommendation, I must go with the ol’ .300 Winchester Magnum. While the SAAMI spec twist of 1-10 isn’t ideal for the heavier for caliber bullets in some cases. The 1-10 is plenty for bullets like the 215 Berger Hybrid Target, 212 ELD-X and the 225 ELDM. The bigger problem with the 300 Win Mag in a SAAMI chamber is the head height for those heavier bullets (Max COAL of 3.340 inches). Those bullets in a factory chamber must be seated so deeply, it robs you of case capacity. Also in some cases, the bullet will need to be seated so far down (to not jam into the lands) that the case mouth will be past the bearing surface.

Still the 300 Win Mag has a ton of factory offerings in both rifles and ammunition like the 7 Rem Mag. Because the cartridge has been around for so long, you need to pick the right ammo for long range shooting just like the 7 Rem Mag. I’d personally stay in the 185-210 grain class of bullets.

While the 180 Nosler Partition (loaded by Nosler) has been around for a long time and killed many animals with this cartridge, the low BC hurt that bullet for long range shooting. The 180 Partition going 2950 at the muzzle will bleed velocity so fast that by 575 yards, you are already at that 1800 fps mark. Conversely, the 185 Berger VLD loaded by HSM ammo going 3075 at the muzzle will retain 1800 fps out to 950 yards and over 2200 fps at 600 yards. The 210 Berger VLD loaded by HSM going only 2915 will retain 1800 fps to 1,000 yards and 2200 fps at 600.

Honorable Mentions

Some might be asking why I have not mentioned some other calibers like the .277 caliber. To be honest, there is nothing in that space that excites me. Cartridges like the 270 Winchester just don’t have the factory offerings to push the distances that I want to be capable at. Although the case capacity is there for heavy for caliber .277 bullets, the SAAMI twist rate is just too slow. The handloads I built for my father’s 270 still don’t have that 1,000 yard capability that I am looking for. A 145 ELDX at 2950 fps only keeps the 1800 fps out to 850 yards (which still isn’t shabby). A 26 inch barreled 6.5 Creedmoor can do what the 270 Winchester can but with way less recoil.

The 6.8 Western has some promise, but factory ammo is available is very scarce currently. Even reloading components are hard to come by. If the cartridge and market ever catch up, I think it shows some staying power.

Conclusion

Everything in shooting rifles is a give and take. As you step up in case capacity, you get speed, but you also get added recoil. As you go up in bullet weight you also get more recoil. People often gravitate towards heavy recoiling rifles but don’t take the time to run the ballistic numbers to see what they are getting and giving up. For me, I love the .264 caliber for that reason.

The 6.5 PRC is hard to beat with the performance of the heavy for caliber bullets at long range. You have great down range performance with very manageable recoil if you build your rifle to the RIGHT WEIGHT instead of the LIGHT WEIGHT. I love the .264 caliber so much that I built a 20-inch 6.5/7 PRC that is getting some ridiculously good velocities out of that short of a barrel. More of that to come later. All in all, pick the right bullet and cartridge for your needs. Not everyone needs or wants the 1,000 yard capability. Don’t get sucked into someone else’s opinion (even mine) do your research, do you own ballistics, and figure out what cartridge gives you the most performance at the distances you plan to shoot/hunt. Always keep in mind the recoil aspect as it will help you out in the long run.

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