Best round for 200+ Yd shooting.

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CoyoteSix

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Hey all!

I've gotten an itch to hunt my deadly enemy, Steel, at long distances.

Just brain storming and debating right now about what the best round would be for this kind of work.

My first to thoughts were .223 or .308, but they're not available just yet so they're out of the picture for now.

I'm very open to Varmint cartridges. And very open to cheap rounds, I've used steel case alot and have faith in it if it feeds fine. I know it's not the most accurate but I'm going for steel, not a brilliant kill shot on game.

I would want the range to be between 200-500yds. I'd also want to only pay between .40-.60 a round if at all possible. I'm not a reloader (YET!). The caliber I choose if I decide to this will likely be the first caliber I reload for.

Recoil is not much of a factor. I'm comfortable up to .30-06.

Throw me some Ideas THR!
 
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Nowadays it is hard to find bulk ammo or any popular caliber but if you are going to start reloading the 6.5x55/260/6.5 Creedmore would make a FANTASTIC range gun. I bought bulk 6.5x55 for dirt cheap and have been reusing the brass ever since, cost me $0.65 a shot new and about $0.40 to reload with the good stuff.
243 is cheap to reload too, I would not go smaller then the 6mm bore if you are going to be shooting any kind of distance seeing as the ballistics fall off sharply below that .243 caliber.
 
I would say .308. Why are you saying its "not available yet"? You can always go for a mosin nagant in 7.62x54r. Pre craziness rounds ran .25-.30 per round. I would definitely recommend getting into reloading. I am loading match grade .308 for under .50 per round compared to as much as $1.50 per round from a LGS. Best of luck.
 
The 30-06 is always a fine choice, it has the added advantage of being amongst the easiest to reload so not a bad place to start if you are learning how. Unlike some of my short action cartridges I have found the 06 to be both forgiving and versatile. Just buy a pound of 4350 and Serria bullets in the weight of your choice and the 06 will deliver. 6.5x55 is almost as easy RL 19 for the 120-130gr stuff and RL22 for anything heavier, it shoots every bullet weight so well it takes my #1 spot for my most versatile rifle.
 
22lr and aim high :D,,,,,

200+ yards ?? I'm good out too 400 yards with my 270win's my 7mm-08, 7mmWSM or my 25WSSM I would not try it with my 32, 44's or my 35's you should be good with any 22-250 up to a 300mag
I think we should ask "what else are going to ues this gun for?"
 
@ Centurian: Right now .308 is amongst one of the disappeared calibers like .223 and 9mm. Atleast around here. I do have a MN 91/30, but I'm not gonna kid myself into thinking I can ping a plate with open sights.

@ Sav-Dad: Other uses? Might do some Coyote hunting with it, It is also gonna serve as my "Psuedo-Sniper". It's gonna be the gun that I take up with me on a hill and play Sniper with in the desert. I'll be hunting these:http://store.actiontarget.com/evilroyline/at-evil-roy-practice-target.html.

I've had my mind set on this project for a while. I'm slowly procurring the gear I need for it. Ex: Rests, Camel Paks, The Tripod mounted portable steel targets in the above URL, I just recently got a nice new Laser Range Finder and a good set of Binos. It's getting close to me actually having to buy the rifle soon!

I had originally planned on a plain Jane AR15 with a nice Leupold on it. But that might not happen for a while now. So I'll settle for a cheap Savage/Ruger/Remington until than.
 
what are those targets rated at ? GunsAmerica Blog did a report on some of those last summer , I don't remember the brand , but most wont take a hit from 2600fps 180gr or a 3000fps 130gr, and you can drop a coyote with under a 75gr , so I'm thinking 243 or smaller , maybe a .25 cal



this would work 25WSSM AR15.jpg in 25WSSM :neener:
 
I can't find a reliable supply of 223 or 308 bullets for reloading right now (I got a few boxes off midway recently, but the "big bulk packs" have gone the way of the dodo).

But I scored 1,000 Sierra 7mm 140gr spitzer projectiles the other day at a pawn shop for a princely sum of 15c a bullet. :)

Having oddball calibers is a great thing in a sellers market. It means I can still go have fun while 99% of the people are fighting over components for a handful of bore diameters.
 
The .223 will do everything on your list, no other cartridge listed comes close.

Cheap ammo, cheap to reload, low recoil, rifles in .223 come in many different flavors..... What's not to like?
 
I became disenchanted with the .223 round when my shooting at 200 yards was being blown 10-12" off the target with irregular gusting winds. This was back in 1980, right after I had bought an AR-15. Every now and then I miss that sleek, vintage rifle. But then I thnk of how more effective the .30 cals are at keeping bullets on the target, and I just sigh and let the .223 go.
 
5.45x39 will easily go out to 400 yds, 500 is quiet doable too. 7.62x39 is starting to become popular in bolt guns as well. Either of these cartridges is dirt cheap right now, and for minute of plate will shoot quiet well.

-Jenrick
 
Hey DoubleA. Cheap ammo, for the 223!?!? Where are you shopping, my friends around here are chomping at the bit to pay $1 a pop for the crappy stuff, I can get quality high powered rifle ammo for less then that. The 223 might be cheaper once the dust settles in a couple years but right now it is just plain crazy expensive.
 
Kick, check out the "Sniper 101" series by "TiborasaurusRex" on you tube. It's up to over 30 vids in the series now but watch the first few to start. It covers caliber and rifle selection better than any other video or advice I've seen. Hope it helps.
 
For 200+ yard steel silhouette shooting, anything .223or bigger is fine. A lot depends on what you like...from bolt action, single shot (e.g., Ruger No. 1, Trapdoor Springfield in .45-70), lever action, etc. I use all of my rifles for target shooting and practice, in field positions and from the bench or mat, so caliber and action type (and your eyesight) should determine things. In iron sights, I particular enjoy shooting a Garand M1 in .30-06 and for single shots, my Ruger No. 1 in 6.5x55 SE. With my handloads of 40.0gr of VV N550 powder under a 139 gr Lapua Scenar bullet or a 142gr Sierra MatchKing, it's one of my most accurate (and fun) rifles. All my hunting rifles get scopes and get work at that distance...indeed, all are sighted in at 200 yards.

As a reloader, I can enjoy a lot of practice. One to consider if you are hand loading is the .45-70 using lead bullets. You don't have to cast them and they're cheap. You can load up or down (Ruger No. 1s in .45-70 can use nice comfortable 19,000 PSI loads useful for the old trapdoor springfield and are strong enough to take a load just about equal to a .458 Win Mag (with jacketed bullets) if you feel so inclined. You can find nice old Trap Door Springfields and Marlin 1895 Cowboy Action Shooting lever actions in that caliber for almost any target game you'll ever want.

I would also agree on the .30-06...it's had 106 years of use for development and load data and components are cheap, available and fun to experiement with. As an example, my M1 Garand match load of 47.0gr of IMR 4895 under a 168gr BTHP match bullet shoots beautifully from one of my huntinting rifles (0.5-0.6" 3-shot groups are the norm at 100 yards) but will not do better than 2 MOA out of my favorite Win M70. One day, just for giggles, I made up rounds with 47.5gr, 48.0gr and 48.5gr for the Winnie using the same bullets...48.0 gr of IMR 4895 and 168gr Sierra MatchKing or Nosler Custom Comp gives me 0.75" or less at 100 yards and has turned my Winnie into one of my favorites.

I would note that Mike Venturino wrote an interesting article in Guns magazine a few issues back on old military sniper competitions using period-correct rifles. I'm intrigued enough so that I may look at Creedmor's or another replica of a 1903-A3 or -A4 with a replica 2.5x scope. This is a .30-06 so I'll be good to go. The Moisin-Nagant in 7.62x54R is also a good bet here because of price and cheap ammo. You can find Mauser K98k replicas (overpriced) or Mitchell's Mausers (even more overpriced) but 8mm Mauser ammo isn't cheap. 1896 Swedish Mausers are wonderful (6.5x55) and the Swiss K31 is very nice as well...the problem with them is that you really need to handload to make them remotely practical.

Just a few thoughts...YMMV and they may be worth exactly what you paid for them.

Good luck,

FH
 
If you're building up a rifle of this sort you may as well do your research starting from scratch.

There's a good set of 7 videos on You Tube called "Sniper 101". It's a set of instructionals about long distance shooting. The great thing is that he doesn't try to sell you on any specific sort of ammo. Instead he provides a very neat way for you to sit down and list all your requirements, then to list the capabilities of various ammo which you might be considering and others in the same ball park and arrive at a suitable short list of options. The tables take into accout things like BC of the bullets, effective range if you'd be hunting with the gun, and to some extent the effect of cross winds on each. It's well worth the time to watch the whole set even if the "action" is rather classroom like and somewhat repetitive seeming at times. Just don't get trapped into HIS examples. Do your own charts up.

I'd also suggest that you realistically consider how many rounds a day you'll be shooting and how the recoil from them affects you at the moment. Out of the blue I chose 7mm-08. As it happens it would not be a horrible long range round at all. And by any normal consideration it's quite a moderate recoil. But if I try to shoot 20 to 25 of them over a couple of hours my shoulder is most definetly somewhat shocky after the first 10'ish shots and my finer motor skills go away. A heavier gun and good shoulder pad would most certainly help. But it's something to consider when you're planning your system. Even with a heavy gun I would expect something like a .30-06 to bring on the same shoulder shakes in me after the first 10 to 12 rounds set off. The "moral" of this tale is that a round which is fine for a few shots may be a little too hot of a recoil for someone if the round count jumps up a bunch for the day.
 
@Sav-Dad, I paid $20 extra for the "Heavy Duty" models. The Heavy duty models are rated for High cal rifle rounds, they're fine up to .30-06 I believe.

@Everyone Else: I'll definitely check out those videos! Also, what are some nice "Odd ball" Calibers that are on the cheaper side and dope wind well?
 
I like .243 for this. You'll hit 200yds with almost boring regularity, and with the low recoil, you'll soon be looking for longer ranges to shoot, and this caliber will travel right on out with your ability.
I also like that I'm still finding relatively inexpensive .243 on the shelves while everyone else is scrambling for dribs and drabs. I also just picked up a couple boxes of .45acp at Walmart yesterday, too. Not a round of 9mm in sight. Muahahahahahaha.

No .22lr, though. Good thing I stocked up a modest supply.
 
For the AR15 Gurus here!:

What are some good oddball calibers for the AR15?

I like the concept of an AR15 in .243, or even .30-06! Any oddball caliber will work.

Does Springfield's M1A come in .30-06?
 
If you want to shoot winning scores then go with a 6 or 6.5mm. 6.5 Creedmore, .260 Remington are both very good , and almost identical rounds.
 
Kick-Down-Doors said:
@Sav-Dad, I paid $20 extra for the "Heavy Duty" models. The Heavy duty models are rated for High cal rifle rounds, they're fine up to .30-06 I believe.

@Everyone Else: I'll definitely check out those videos! Also, what are some nice "Odd ball" Calibers that are on the cheaper side and dope wind well?
Click to expand...
good for a 30/06 , cool , go with a 300win mag , and lets us know how there warranty is :) lol....
 
Kick-Down-Doors said:
Hey all!

I've gotten an itch to hunt my deadly enemy, Steel, at long distances.

Just brain storming and debating right now about what the best round would be for this kind of work.

My first to thoughts were .223 or .308, but they're not available just yet so they're out of the picture for now.

I'm very open to Varmint cartridges. And very open to cheap rounds, I've used steel case alot and have faith in it if it feeds fine. I know it's not the most accurate but I'm going for steel, not a brilliant kill shot on game.

I would want the range to be between 200-500yds. I'd also want to only pay between .40-.60 a round if at all possible. I'm not a reloader (YET!). The caliber I choose if I decide to this will likely be the first caliber I reload for.

Recoil is not much of a factor. I'm comfortable up to .30-06.

Throw me some Ideas THR!
Click to expand...
IF you want a good all round gun look at the 270 you can use light bullets are heavy ones. Look up info on it it has less recoil it will shoot flatter than the 30.06 for you can use light bullets. Good luck
 
Kick-Down-Doors said:
For the AR15 Gurus here!:

What are some good oddball calibers for the AR15?

I like the concept of an AR15 in .243, or even .30-06! Any oddball caliber will work.

Does Springfield's M1A come in .30-06?
Click to expand...
like HOOfan said those are too long, as for cheep odd balls ? can't think of any , but if you want a high power long range AR15 check out the line up of WSSM"S ( 223WSSM, 243WSSM, 25WSSM, 30ossm, but not cheep, I went with Olympic k8 target match in 25WSSM with a Shepherd V1A, 6-18x 40mm on top, keep in mine, I hand load , I think my next uper will be in 6.8mil spc. (short 270) alsol not cheep ,
If this is something you plan on doing soon, you may to stick with a bolt action, as AR odd ball stuff is just going nuts $$$$$$$$ Olympic Arms is out of stock on all AR's as of yesterday,
 
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