Long range rifle question

Discuss rifles, carbines, and other long-arms here (AR-15's, AK's, etc...)
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Hammer 35
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Re: Long range rifle question

#16

Post by Hammer 35 »

I'd start with a 6.5CM. The 6CM is great, but shorter barrel life will make practice a little more expensive.

The 308win will get out to about 1k pretty well, but not without specific ammo. Federal Gold Medal Match 175gr would be my pick.

6.5CM will do it easier, and further out. And will be cheaper to feed even if handloading.

If I wasn't already invested in 308win heavily, it's the direction I'd go.


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Re: Long range rifle question

#17

Post by Nanny18 »

does long rage rifle always need scope?
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Re: Long range rifle question

#18

Post by Drmark »

Nanny18 wrote: November 9th, 2021, 3:49 am does long rage rifle always need scope?
Yes, especially as one ages!
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Re: Long range rifle question

#19

Post by samnev »

Nanny18 wrote: November 9th, 2021, 3:49 am does long rage rifle always need scope?
Not only as I aged but as I got even older I keep going to higher power scopes. I started out with 3-9X then 4-15X. Now all my latest scopes purchases have 21X or more on max magnification.
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Re: Long range rifle question

#20

Post by TheAccountant »

Nanny18
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Re: Long range rifle question

#21

Post by Nanny18 »

TheAccountant wrote: November 9th, 2021, 10:45 am Nope. One example:

https://www.6mmbr.com/palmabasics.html
oooh old school, nice!
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Re: Long range rifle question

#22

Post by 792mauser »

A 22lr Winchester 52, vaver iron sights, 8 inch steel plate, 5000 rounds of cci high velocity and 400 yards.

Everything is magnified. From wind drift, velocity variations and drop.
Makes shooting anything under 800yds with a centerfire seem easy.

But yes magnification makes it all easier.
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Re: Long range rifle question

#23

Post by BigNate »

meeneen wrote: September 25th, 2021, 8:53 pm I am not reloading at this time. (Been looking into primers etc and I picked a really bad time to try and get into it).
Beyond 1000meter punching paper or steel, I may use it for hunting at some point (elk, bear).

My 308 is a Remington 700.

Budget for the rifle is 1k-1200
Glass budget is around 6-800
I'm going to echo what others have said - and maybe add a little. I can't tell you what to do - I can only tell you what I would do.

For a "starter" long range cartridge (1000M ish - not ELR stuff where you want to shoot out past a mile) I'd go 6.5 CM - for the following reasons:
1) It is "enough cartridge for 1000M shooting and it is ballistically superior to the .308 and most other "common" competitors.
2) Ease of shooting - It is easier on the barrel and your shoulder than the hotter cartridges.
3) It is commercially available in loads that are meant for 1000M shooting - you can ramp up on long range shooting without having to ramp up on hand loading.
4) It will be dramatically less expensive to shoot than .300 PRC - and practice is king. The cheapest commercial .300PRC that I find on Ammoseek.com this morning is $5.90/round ($117.95 per box of 20) before shipping. Similar grade (Hornady ELD Match) 6.5CM can be had for $2.65/round with free shipping. Practice is king and dollar for dollar you can shoot 2.25 times more 6.5CM rounds for the same money - not to mention the cost of replacing barrels, shoulder surgery, etc.

If I were going down this road I'd take the following approach...
6.5 CM until you have settled in to the sport and have outgrown the cartridge (and / or started to shoot out past 1200 - 1300 meters)
.300 WM once you want to start shooting ELR stuff - it can do almost everything that the .300 PRC can do - and still be much cheaper to shoot than .300 PRC. Once you start handloading you'll find brass easier to get, load data more available, etc.
.300 PRC (or some other exocitic cartridge) once you've outgrown the .300WM and / or have decided that you must have the extra 1% that it gives you over the .300WM - or you have grown tired of heating your home by burning stacks of $100 bills.

In other words - it is a very cool cartridge - it is just going to be VERY expensive to build for and to shoot, and its advantages over the others mentioned probably won't be very evident to you until you have many thousands of ELR rounds down range - and that will happen much faster / easier with the other cartridges.

Just my 2 cents.
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Re: Long range rifle question

#24

Post by Jack Dupp »

Hard to argue with BigNate on that one.
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Re: Long range rifle question

#25

Post by Doc »

meeneen wrote: September 18th, 2021, 1:33 am I’m looking to get into long range shooting. I am familiar with 300 win mags but a buddy is trying to convince me to go to 300 prc. Anyone have any experience?
Hey OP. What did you end up getting?
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Re: Long range rifle question

#26

Post by paulgt2164 »

Jack Dupp wrote: January 19th, 2022, 12:29 pm Hard to argue with BigNate on that one.
I agree - that is the route I recently took. Picked a RPR in 6.5, a good bipod, and a decent scope - and off to the races.
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Re: Long range rifle question

#27

Post by 428cj »

I shot the mile with a 300 Win Mag. The bullet was a SMK 200 grain. The barrel was 26'' long. Weapon was a Rem 700P 300 Win Mag.
Last edited by 428cj on January 21st, 2022, 7:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Long range rifle question

#28

Post by Doc »

428cj wrote: January 20th, 2022, 8:18 pm I sot the mile with a 300 Win Mag. The bullet was a SMK 200 grain. The barrel was 26'' long. Weapon was a Rem 700P 300 Win Mag.
How fast do you figure it left the barrel?
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Re: Long range rifle question

#29

Post by 428cj »

Yes, a screw-up.
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Re: Long range rifle question

#30

Post by 428cj »

DevilDocAZ wrote: January 20th, 2022, 10:53 pm
428cj wrote: January 20th, 2022, 8:18 pm I sot the mile with a 300 Win Mag. The bullet was a SMK 200 grain. The barrel was 26'' long. Weapon was a Rem 700P 300 Win Mag.
How fast do you figure it left the barrel?
It left the barrel at 2,993 FPS. I used Reload 22 powder.
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