The 7.62x54R was initially developed for the bolt-action Mosin Nagant rifle in 1891. In long-range shooting, you can go for accuracy, or you can go for precision. And, the factory-installed bore-sighted 3-940 scope really is a welcome bonus. Accuracy is solid, and the rifles will send the 338 bullet to one mile with spot-on accuracy when all the DOPE has been factored correctly as applied to the selected projectile. 7 Best New Cartridges for Long-Range Precision The Bushmaster BF BA50 is a fine example of how a longer barrel length can translate into better long-range accuracy. Sure, smaller calibers will hit that far the .220 Swift, for instance however, bigger bullets retain more energy downrange and buck the wind better. The Fix by Q 11. Extremely tight tolerances in the chamber throat design make the Creedmoor one of the most inherently accurate out of the box rounds available in the market today. You can shoot long-range with iron sights, but rifle scopes are recommended. However, the 50 currently holds the record for the longest sniper rifle kill at 3,871 yards (2.2 miles) by an unnamed Canadian sniper during the Iraqi Civil War in 2017. They want a string of shots to be as close together as possible. Nosler Model 21. The 416 Barrett offers some shooters 50 BMG ballistics without the issue of actually owning a 50 BMG. If you want to hit a target at 1,000 yards, you must practice with a gun and ammo capable of reaching that far. Finally, unlike many traditional bolt-action rifles, this one features a 20 MOA Picatinny rail. Both mean putting the bullet on target. Energy The bullet has to be humanely lethal at 1,000 yards. The best long-range cartridges are those that are flat shooting, feature aerodynamic projectiles and have enough power to go the distance. The 300 PRS is a dead-on 1500-yard rifle, as is the 300 Win Mag based on the correct BC-selected bullet. Although the 300 Win Mag is known for its flat trajectory and amazing terminal ballistics, shooters pay for this performance in terms of recoil. You shouldnt be surprised if this story sounds somewhat similar to the 338 Lapua Magnum, which began its life from the cordite-fired 416 Rigby case. As a long range big game round or hard. Now dozens of countries use the cartridge. The Best Long Range Calibers of 2023, Tested and Reviewed To buy a rifle that shoots several miles accurately is not getting the most bang for your buck. Introduced in 2007 by Hornady Ammunition, the 6.5 Creedmoor was the product of a gripe session between legendary shooter Dennis DeMille and Dave Emary, the senior ballistician of Hornady at the time. To combat the potential for case-head separation or case rupture (a potentially fatal malfunction), the 408 CheyTac case was hardened in almost the exact same fashion as the 338 Lapua. The Black Ops Sniper Rifle S is a high-powered pellet gun solidly built and ready for your long range targets. Two of the most common brands youll come across are AccuTrigger and Marksman Adjustable. Usually, barrels attach to the receiver or stock of a rifle. Furthermore, 338 Lapua ammo is very expensive when compared to a smaller round like the 308 Win. Calm down and be patient crybaby. Then, of course, if you want to target accurately long-range, quality sights are a must. Sig Sauer Cross 3. In long-range shooting, the rifleman needs to burn all the powder inside the barrel to get maximum bullet velocity and performance. Precision means how close multiple shots are to each other. So thats more of the budget you can use for ammo and accessory customization to your hearts content. If youre familiar with long-range shooting, then youre likely aware that the 338 Lapua has been responsible for some of the longest confirmed sniper rifle kills in history. What is the top long range rifle for big game? This allows you to gain the perfect shooting position to target effectively. due to its fast-cooling and fluted 26 inch 416 stainless steel barrel with TriNyte PVD finish. Daniel Defense Delta 5 6. Hornady developed the cartridge to fire long, aerodynamic, and high BC 30-caliber bullets to be everything long range shooters want but havent heard about yet. No matter which round you choose, make sure to stock up on all your sniper rifle ammo here at Ammo.com and well see you out on the range! For larger game such as deer, you will need to use 130-grain bullets. This isnt terrible by any stretch, but the 300 PRC does slap a bit harder both downrange and on the shooters shoulder. I have been writing firearms and outdoor material for over 50 years to date. 15 Best Long Range Rifles in 2023 | Ranked by a [Marine Sniper] The initial design for the 300 PRC fires a 212 gr bullet at 2860 fps and 3850 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle. US Special Operations uses this caliber. The top long-range rifle is one that you can shoot with consistent accuracy. Email: contact@barrettrifles.com, Copyright 2023 Barrett Rifles, Factors to Consider When Choosing a Long Range Rifle, The Gun Digest Book of Long-Range Shooting. Handloading is virtually a must, as there are only a handful of factory loads available for this incredibly niche round. The most recent and final issue I have with them is I bought a $75 PSA 2-stage trigger that does not work. The steel action stock is made by the reputable Tough Bell & Carlson and comes with TriNyte finish. Charles Greer put 10 shots into a .2862 space. It is extremely important to try and get a rifle with a long barrel length for sniping, long-range targeting shooting, or hunting. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Barrett offers these rifles or variants of them in everything from 6.5 Creedmoor, 300 Win Mag, 300 Norma to the big 338 Lapua and 416 Barrett. Currently, I shoot the 300 PRC, 300 Win Mag, and the 338 Lapua in these chassis rifle designs. This allows it to be a great all-around hunting cartridge for whitetail deer all the way up to elk and black bear. A longer barrel will essentially propel the bullet in a flatter and more uniform trajectory towards your intended target. Designers John Taylor and William Wordman utilized the 400 Taylor Magnum cartridge as a parent case. Best Long-Range Hunting Cartridges of 2023 | Field & Stream Astonishingly, some are capable of under 1 MOA of accuracy as well. For shooters looking for quick action, without having to purchase extras and mount scopes, heres a novel solution. So in long-range caliber selection, we consider rifle cost, ammo cost, and the ability to reach 1,000 yards regularly and accurately. The designers of the 416 Barrett were Chris Barrett (son of Ronnie Barrett, the founder of Barrett Firearms) and Pete Forras. The caliber that shoots the farthest is either the .416 Barrett or .50 BMG. It offers precision rifle shooters and military snipers exceptional downrange performance, stopping power, and effective range at a price point that cant be beat. For long-range shooting, you need a caliber with a flat trajectory and some powerful velocity so that you can hit your intended target. A bipod will allow you to target extremely well over very long distances because it keeps your gun dead stable. and .308 Win. As well, you could think about the rifles ability to shoot successive rounds, and how quickly it can do this. Be advised that even though I have covered some very long-range performing rifles, I have not hit anything close to all of them. This is far less than a wildcat or upper-end super velocity long-range bullet offered in many other rifles and cartridges. Its an all-around handsome rifle that handles recoil well and lets you actually see where youve hit. Its a traditional bolt-action style rifle that fires the immense .50 Browning Machine Gun rounds. What are the best long-range cartridges: .22-250 Remington .308 Winchester .300 Winchester Magnum .338 Lapua Magnum .300 Weatherby Magnum 6.5 Creedmoor 6.5-284 Norma 26 Nosler The rep told me hed expect them to be out of stock within a few weeks, so make sure to snag one before theyre gone: Selecting the Howa 1500 Bravo rifle is like a no-brainer in terms of observing a rifle that fits a need, is affordable, and is state-of-the-art in terms of manufacturing methods and performance characteristics. At this point RAI was under pressure from the military to finish their work and they desperately reached out to the Finnish company, Lapua, in 1984. However, compared to some of the heavy hitters we have on our top ten list (Im looking at you 50 BMG! At the 100-yard mark, I shoot the same rifle in the 6.5 Creedmoor with also very positive results. Offering a nearly 20% increase in muzzle energy over the 30-06 Springfield, the 300 Win Mag can take down any big game animal in North America and all but the largest game animals in Africa. The Best Long Range Caliber For Any Situation in 2022 A bullet starts dropping immediately after leaving the rifle barrel. for its cold hammer forged rifling and heavy tapered free-floating barrel. Multiple rifle makers produce 50 BMG rifles and most all of them come with a muzzle brake and bipod installed at the factory to help mitigate the punishing recoil of the round. Semi-automatic rifles have surged in popularity in recent years, in particular modern sporting rifles like those built on AR-15 platforms, according to data . The .300 Winchester Magnum, also known as the 300 Win Mag, was released in 1963 by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company initially as a big game hunting cartridge. Plan to spend at least $2000, if not $3000, to assemble a high-quality long range rifle build. The 50 BMG also requires special powders to accommodate for the massive charge and bullet weights it fires. The 10 Most Accurate Rifles We've Ever Tested (Plus, the Most Accurate One of the appeals of the 308 Winchester for big game hunting is its versatility in bullet weight, typically ranging between 120 to 180 grains. Retrieved from https://www.mossyoak.com/our-obsession/blogs/hunting/taking-long-range-ethical-shots. Hornady . It also has a four plus one round capacity, and you get a choice of the 6.5 Creedmoor or .308 Winchester models. Muzzle devices are a good idea. He served in the military for over 15 years. SEE IT. For reloading, youll need specialized presses and dies, as normal metallic shell reloading presses cannot handle the length of the 50 BMG. When you add it all up, it should be no surprise that the 300 Winchester Magnum is our top choice for the best sniper rifle cartridge. In this case, the rifles have been built around the world-class Cheytac 408 and 375 cartridges. The .308 Winchester has a long and respected history as a rifle cartridge, while the 6.5 Creedmoor hit the commercial market in 2007. It can be carried and maneuvered in the field easily and has all the trademark features of a strong performing sniper rifle. More recently, the 50 BMG has been drafted into long range sniper rifle service for use as an anti-material cartridge. Best Big Game Rifles for 2022: Review - RifleShooter Obviously, this is not a gun you will want to use for maneuvering or carrying around with you on foot. The way this works is the hammering pounds the rifling into the barrel from the mandrel (barrels can also be poured over the mandrel). Instead of killing with brute force like the .50 caliber, this is an 1800+ meter rifle that kills personnel with precision and a flat trajectory. This was a godsend for deer and other hunters, who snapped up rifles in the new caliber. As we have covered the 50 BMG as a long-range cartridge, the attention turns to another rifle known worldwide among combat units as the long-range sniper rifle of all time. That's a mileplus another 1,000 yards. If youre looking for a budget option that performs well and has reliable accuracy, the Howa 1500 is the perfect pick. For these reasons, I cant recommend this rifle to our readers. The rifle is priced VERY fairly and carries all the quality of the German company Sig Arms. Although not an immediate commercial success due to staunch competition from the 7mm Reminton Magnum, the 300 Win Mag steadily grew in popularity and has become the most popular 30-caliber magnum cartridge on the planet. A bolt action is the most secure way to lock the bolt into the breech. Theres no doubt that the 50 BMG is a potent long range rifle round that is excellent for shooting at distances well over 1 mile. This means that the bases are covered in terms of an effective rifle out to 1400 yards or more when selecting the Howa brand turn-bolt rifle. Ruger Hawkeye Long Range Target Rifle 12. Our rating criteria to make this list goes beyond that because even the 9mm can hit a 1K-yard target when used by an expert. Although most sniper rifles are bolt-action, the 224 Valkyrie manages to transform the AR-15 semi-auto rifle into an incredibly versatile long range tack driver. Best Long Range Rifles [2023]: For Hunters, Precision Shooters, and If you decide to scale the fence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and take an unscheduled stroll in the Rose Garden, its likely youll find yourself on the business end of a Secret Service Remington 700 chambered in 300 Winchester Magnum. Rifles are equally difficult to locate and prohibitively expensive for most shooters. In target shooting, precision is the key. This is a very welcome safety feature that prevents accidental discharge of the rifle. Pushing a cutting tool, called a button, down the barrel. The most iconic sniper rifle is a Barrett in .50 BMG. Barrel harmonics just means how much the barrel vibrates when the bullet pushes through it. However, when properly loaded and paired with an accurized rifle, the 7.62x54R rifle cartridge can be an incredibly accurate round. This is done with a tool or laser. I have shot this rifle, and it is all it is reported to be in terms of accuracy. We introduce to you the Savage Arms AXIS XP Compact Bolt-Action Rifle, with a scope included in the package. And, you get a solid and durable composite stock, to ensure steady targeting. Well, here are a few of the main things to consider. Extreme long-range shooting is a mile or more. Unburned powder, common in short barrels, means the bullet is not getting the most from the powder. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. Ruger has built several variants of the rifle over the years. Furthermore, the deadliest sniper in recorded history, Simo Hyh, used a Finnish M28-30 Mosin Nagant and the 7.62x54R to claim the lives of over 500 Russian soldiers during the Winter War of 1939 (using iron sights no less!). Synthetic is the most durable and lightest. I have run the 1500 as a scoped package in long-range testing and found everything the manufacturer says it is a very accurate long-range gunning system. That kind of long-range accuracy comes at a hefty price with this model starting at $11,700 from the manufacturer. As the target gets farther and farther away, the math becomes more and more critical. You can fine-tune your load for your gun. It was developed in WWI by John Moses Browning and was accepted in 1921. However, it is very cost-prohibitive for many shooters and specialized long distance shooting ranges are required to really train with the round. Ideally, you should want a cold-forged hammered steel barrel, which will give you excellent rifling, which translates into reliable accuracy. With just a few exceptions, most long-range rifle styles are bolt action with longer bull barrels. Development of the 338 Lapua Mag began in 1983 by US-based company, Research Armament Industries (RAI). Most of the 408 CheyTac rifles on the market will be custom-built bolt-actions that can offer shooters 0.5 MOA accuracy or better. First on our list is this Remington 700 XCR Long-range Tactical Bolt-Action Rifle. Berger Match Target Bullets .224 /22 Caliber 82 grain Long Range BT using the highest quality copper and lead. It has been so popular that it has been on backorder for almost a year, but as of January 20, 2023, they got in a new shipment, and theyve been selling like hotcakes. Initially the 416 Barrett was only available in the single-shot bolt action Barrett Model 99. Now the 300 Winchester Magnum can hold off mortar crews and small unit snipers to ranges beyond 1500 yards all day long in the mountain of Afghanistan. The four most versatile calibers for American hunters are probably, left to right, 6.5mm, .270, 7mm and .30, shown with a selection of bullets and the current most popular cartridges in each caliber: 6.5mm Creedmoor, .270 Win., 7mm Rem. Factoring in recoil is very important here. The .260 Remington was once the dominant 6.5mm cartridge in competition circles. Savage Model 10/110 FCP HS Precision 11. Ammo availability is a real issue for the 300 PRC, as Hornady is the only manufacturer currently producing factory loads for the cartridge at the time of writing. Learn to reload your ammo. The Best Sniper Rifle for Civilians: Reviews & Buying Guide Browning's latest delivers top-notch long-range hunting performance at an attainable price, as the company was able to shave costs by making the new stock in-house. Outstanding long-range match bullets such as Sierra's 142-grain MatchKing (SMK) and Hornady 's 147-grain ELD Match may be comfortably handloaded to 2,700 feet per second (fps) or more. Best Long Range Caliber: Top 8 Options To Try - Best Rifle Scope ), the 300 Win Mag has relatively mild recoil especially when tamed with a muzzle brake or suppressor.