Long Range Caliber?

[Rum Man]

Definitely a bull type barrel ... after this match I'm going to add more weight next time .

I have heavy long barreled rifles that I use for ELR shooting .
Milk jugs at a mile , steel out to 2056 yards and my longest to date 1.72 miles (3027 yards ).
I'm sure you will get the Bug just like I did to go longer and longer ! Ha ha

Rum Man

 

[Rum Man]

The Guys on here will definitely help you out !
So many great members on here that has been through what your heading into !

They surely helped me out to get to what I have Accomplished!

Rum Man

 

[Lee7588]

If you plan on hunting with it and have to pack in to hunt medium, if you are shooting paper or gongs only heavy

 

[Grizzly60]

If one wants to shoot long range and possibly hunt long range, why cripple yourself with a CM. I just don't get how people think that is the do all, beat all caliber.

 

[mww982]

If one wants to shoot long range and possibly hunt long range, why cripple yourself with a CM. I just don't get how people think that is the do all, beat all caliber.

I don't think it is the end all, be all caliber. This gun is more than likely be a target\range gun only, that's why I asked about .308 and 6.5CM specifically. As for hunting I probably won't go more than 500 yards, so my .300 win mag will suffice.

 

[Lee7588]

I don't think it is the end all, be all caliber. This gun is more than likely be a target\range gun only, that's why I asked about .308 and 6.5CM specifically. As for hunting I probably won't go more than 500 yards, so my .300 win mag will suffice.

Lol after starting to shoot "long range" ( it varies for each) you may start extending your hunting range as you get more comfortable. Enjoy the experience

 

[mww982]

Lol after starting to shoot "long range" ( it varies for each) you may start extending your hunting range as you get more comfortable. Enjoy the experience

I always need reasons to buy a new gun.....

 

[K.E.C.]

EASY PEASY, A 6.mm or 6.5 CREEDMORE. There I said it.

 

[ARlife4me]

How fast and how flat do you want to send it? Those cring-more fans are just waiting for a 27 and 28 .

 

[Lee7588]

How fast and how flat do you want to send it? Those cring-more fans are just waiting for a 27 and 28 .

Someone was going there sooner or later

 

[del2les]

I'm just starting off on the long-range stuff, so the max I would go is 850-1000 yards. Heavy sporter contour or bull barrel?

At those ranges, either of the 6.5CM or 308 would suffice. Since you do not handload, the 6.5CM "may" have the edge over a 308. I used the 308 or 7.62x51mm for years on the 1,000yd prone and Palma lines, and it is very capable with proper loads.

Even today, we train a few new LR shooters with fast twist 223/5.56 rifles using 75-80gr bullets all the way out to the 1,000yd line. They are great for wind training, low recoil, and allow for numerous more rounds down range at reduced costs and longer throat life.

 

[marksman1941]

Since you asked specifically about .308 vs 6.5cm, I'll keep it on topic here.

I ran a bench .308 for about 12 years before finally swapping to a 6.5cm. So I have fairly extensive experience with the .308, the 6.5 is still new to me. At first glance I can tell you this. 6.5 simply outperforms the .308 especially if you're looking at factory ammo.

Looking at standard factory match ammo for each - 168gr federal GMM for 308 and Hornady 143gr eldx for the 6.5.
The 308 has more energy to 350 yards, at which point the 6.5 outruns it. At 1000, the 6.5 has more than 9 feet LESS drop than the .308, to say nothing of wind deflection.

Folks like to hate on 6.5 because it's new, and a lot of people here are happy old dinosaurs who don't like change. But 6.5 flat works. Nothing wrong with a 308, and I have shot out to a mile with mine (although it really dies hard around 1100 yards) but a 6.5cm will reliably get you to a mile with half the adjustment of a .308.

These two ballistic charts are from strelok, using factory ammo specs and factory velocities (which I've found to be fairly close to real world). The .308 chart is the one that's red on the bottom.

For barrel contours, with in reason a bench rifle will always benefit from a heavier barrel and heavier overall setup. Most dedicated bench rifles range from 14-20 pounds, and some get dramatically heavier. Mine runs about 13 pounds, and a buddy's is 15.5. You can feel the difference in recoil between the two guns. Heavier means you'll resist shakes more, you'll see less recoil, stay on target after the shot easier, watch impacts easier. A heavier rifle is also less susceptible to a poor trigger press pushing it side to side. The specific barrel contour doesn't matter that much in the grand scheme of things, although I'm sure some benchrest guys know far more than I do and have info on how specific contours can affect accuracy. For what you're doing, it won't matter. get a heavy, 22-24" bull barrel 6.5 cm in a chassis with a clean trigger (trigger tech diamond if you can swing it) and you'll be golden.

 

[Taylorbok]

7-08 or 300 WM will get you to 1000 no problem. If you want another rifle and being smart about it could go with either of those and build it heavy. If you think you are gonna get addicted and wanna stretch it out farther 1500, a mile, 2000 and farther I'd go to a 338 of some fashion. Edge, Lap, Norma mag.

 

[Winkfish]

If you want a target only gun, you can't go wrong with the Creedmoor class as you have mentioned. The rifles weight is going to be your friend, for a target only gun make it heavy. The more recoil reduction the better, as it allows you to see your hits and misses at the range. The 6.5 will have better barrel life than the 6mm option. You can really notice the difference between a 140 class, 6.5 creed and a 108 class 6mm projectile in the same weight gun. I have both and enjoy both. Right now I am playing with a 6ARC in a bolt gun for PRS and it hangs in there with the 6 dasher crowd just fine. I like my 6 ARC over the creeds but factory guns are very limited.

I have rifles that shoot the hornady factory match with the ELDM bullet that will group at .5-.7" groups which is good for factory loaded ammo that is easy to find and relatively low cost. Just keep your cases and if you choose to reload at some point you have a nice starting point.

If you can find a factory rifle with a MTU or M24 contour in the 24-26" range you will get box listed or better speeds and you can shoot at a reasonable rate or 10 shot strings without significant deviation in your point of impact.

Shooting the lower recoil rounds really lets you focus on your fundamentals, seeing those misses and making corrections. It can be done with any caliber, some just take a little more work. There are tons of options out there that will work for you, you just need to determine what factors are most important to you.