General Discussion
BY FAR the most common question we are asked on a regular basis goes something like "How do I get started in long range shooting", "All I have is a hunting rifle, there's no way I can shoot long range", "What caliber do I need to shoot long range". Theses are all valid questions, and in general the short answer is really quite simple. ANYONE CAN SHOOT LONG RANGE, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SHOW UP AND SHOOT WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE! You dont even have to reload!
First lets start with "What is long range shooting"? Lets break this down into three basic categories based solely on the distance you are shooting. This is partially driven by shooting disciplines (discussed later) and also just to get everyone on the same page.
Mid-Range (As defined by the CMP and NRA) 300-600yds
Long Range (As defined by the CMP and NRA) 800-1000yds
Extreme Long Range (As defined by us) Anything Beyond 1000yds
Now that we are all talking about the same thing, lets look at what you need to get started for each of the above. As sometimes we all just want the easy answer first, I'll start with that and then go into more detail. I might not finish this all in one post, so check back for updates.
Mid-Range 300-600yds
This is the easiest entry into the "Long Range World". The best rifle to use is what you already have to get started. Any rifle that can shoot 1MOA or less at 300yds will also shoot 1MOA or less at 600yds. Quite frankly this accuracy requirement is not that difficult to obtain with a factory rifle in just about any caliber. There is such a thing as inherent accuracy (some calibers are easier to make shoot well than others) but by and large commercially available calibers are only successful because they perform well. Factory ammunition in a factory rifle is capable of this type of accuracy as well. When you are starting out, the most important thing is to shoot....alot. This is the only way you will get better. Any factory hunting rifle will teach you the basics, figuring out how to shoot more often is the most important part. Even a 223 Varmint type rifle with a reasonably fast twist rate barrel (1-9 or faster) will work well at 600 yds, the only caveat here is you should use the highest BC bullet as you can manage with the twist rate of your rifle (69gr or larger). If you ARE going to go out and buy a rifle, then our recommendations are simple....
Calibers: 223 Remington, 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5mm Creedmoor, 308 Winchester.
Rifle: Remington 700, Tikka T3
Barrel Length/Weight: A Heavy Barrel is more important than length, But longer barrels will give better velocity, At least 20" is recommended. The twist rate is by far the most important thing on any barrel, (1:7 or 1:8 for 223, 1:7 or 1:8 for 6 creed, 1:8 for 6.5 creed and 1:10 for 308). Its better to have a short (20") skinny barrel with the correct twist than a long heavy barrel with the wrong twist.
Stock: Personal preference mostly, HIGHLY recommended to get one with an adjustable cheekpiece, The KRG Bravo is a good option and is available for a very reasonable price.
Optics: Anything that tracks well (Tracks means when you move the dial 1moa your impact actually shifts 1 moa), MOA is better generally than mil-rad because MOA is finer adjustments. First vs second focal plane is completely personal preference. It doesn't need to have massive magnification either, you can shoot Master level scores with a 14X scope on an F-Class target at 600yds.
Long-Range 800-1000yds
Our recommended calibers here are really no different than for 300-600yds. The only additional limitation you need to worry about is a bullet going subsonic (unstable) prior to reaching 1000yds so you bullet selection needs to be more focused and higher BC than at 600yds and under. For example the 168gr Sierra HPBT Matchking is a wonderful bullet in the 308 at 600yds and under, but it does not have a high enough BC to perform well at 1000yds. Something like the newer 169gr Sierra HPBT Matchking is a much better choice as its BC allows it to remain supersonic beyond 1000yds. Likewise 77gr bullets in the 223 work great at 600yds and under, but you will need to shoot 80, 85, 88 or 90gr bullets to reach 1000yds and remain supersonic. If F-Open Class is your chosen shooting class then you will probably want to look at some 7mm calibers (Highly recommend the 7mm SAUM) but thats getting a little more in depth than the purpose of this post.
Calibers: 223 Remington, 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5mm Creedmoor, 308 Winchester.
Rifle: Remington 700, Tikka T3
Barrel Length/Weight: A Heavy Barrel is more important than length, But longer barrels will give better velocity, At least 20" is recommended. The twist rate is by far the most important thing on any barrel, (1:7 or 1:8 for 223, 1:7 or 1:8 for 6 creed, 1:8 for 6.5 creed and 1:10 for 308). Its better to have a short (20") skinny barrel with the correct twist than a long heavy barrel with the wrong twist.
Stock: Personal preference mostly, HIGHLY recommended to get one with an adjustable cheekpiece, The KRG Bravo is a good option and is available for a very reasonable price.
Optics: Anything that tracks well (Tracks means when you move the dial 1moa your impact actually shifts 1 moa), MOA is better generally than mil-rad because MOA is finer adjustments. First vs second focal plane is completely personal preference. It doesn't need to have massive magnification either, you can shoot Master level scores with a 14X scope on an F-Class target at 1000yds.
Bullet Recommendations:
223 Rem = 85.5gr Berger Hybrid, 88gr Hornady ELDM, 90gr Berger VLD
6mm Creedmoor = 105gr Berger Hybrid, 107gr Sierra HPBT Matchking, 109gr Berger Hybrid, 110gr Sierra HPBT Matchking
6.5mm Creedmoor = 142gr Sierra HPBT Matchking, 140gr Berger Hybrid, 144gr Berger Hybrid
308 Win = 168Gr Sierra Tipped Matchking, 168gr Berger hybrid, 169 Sierra HPBT Matchking, 175gr Sierra HPBT Matchking
Extreme Long-Range Beyond 1000yds out to appx 1 mile (1760yds)
This is where things start to get much more complicated. Caliber and bullet selection suddenly become critical and also your #1 limiting factor on the range at which you can shoot. Longer Barrels with fast twist and semi custom or full custom rifles become far more reasonable to justify. Caliber choices vary widely, our recommendations are based on what we shoot and what we have seen be successful consistently.
Calibers: 7mm SAUM, 7mm PRC, 300 PRC, 300 Win Mag
Rifle: Remington 700, Tikka T3, Custom (Stiller Tac or Predator, Pierce Steel actions reccomended)
Barrel Length/Weight: Minimum 26" recommended with 30" being more reasonable. 7mm should have a 1-8 or 1-8.5 twist, 30 Caliber should be 1-9 or 1-10 twist.
Stock: Personal preference mostly, HIGHLY recommended to get one with an adjustable cheekpiece, The KRG Bravo is a good option and is available for a very reasonable price. Manners make very nice stocks as well. A full aluminum chassis type stocks are more common, we like the Eliseo RTM Tactical the most.
Optics: Anything that tracks well (Tracks means when you move the dial 1moa your impact actually shifts 1 moa), MOA is better generally than mil-rad because MOA is finer adjustments. First vs second focal plane is completely personal preference. It doesn't need to have massive magnification but something with a max magnification of 25 or 30 is preferred.
Bullet Recommendations:
7mm = 180gr Berger Hybrid, 183gr Sierra HPBT Matchking, 190gr Berger Hybrid, 197gr Sierra HPBT Matchking
30 cal = 210gr Sierra HPBT Matchking, 215gr Berger Hybrid, 245gr Berger Hybrid
Extreme Long-Range Beyond 1 mile (1760yds)
This is where things start to get REALLY complicated. Caliber and bullet selection are critical and also your #1 limiting factor on the range at which you can shoot. Expect a full custom build with a very long barrel and calibers of 375 or larger (375 MEW in the works). Scope elevation travel needs to exceed 100MOA with the addition of a prism or a moveable scope mount.
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