Long range affordable rifle caliber?

[farmerj]

For out to 750 yards, I would easily go with .308, .243, .280, .30-06 and the .25-06. All but the .280 really a common cartridge. And the .280 kind of. (For me, the .280 lets me into the 7mm class). You could even consider the 7mm-08 or .270.

No reason IMO to go to a magnum unless you are getting into dangerous alaska big game.

But I DO know from experience, anything past 300 (and even 250 yards) takes practice. A lot of it. Reading wind, mirage, slope etc. It also takes building experience enough to know how to dope your rifle.

Rip does some wonderful things from what I see teaching a CMP rifle clinic and the Appleseed what I know of it is right there with it. Either of those would do you wonders if you want to get into medium to long range hunting.

Myself, I have .243, .308, .30-06 and .223's If I can't do what I want with one of those calibers, I don't know what will do it.

[MaryB]

To far for me to drive up there from out here in SW MN so the classes are out. I have done long range shooting but not heavier calibers. Mainly 223 at 500 yards. Prairie dogs several times a year in South Dakota. We bet on the long shot of the year and I won again. My nephew has it setup where I can go in mostly on ATV being disabled but he said that will bring in longer range shots than his normal 200 yards or less.

[cobb]

To far for me to drive up there from out here in SW MN so the classes are out.

Where in SW MN?

There are Appleseed Clinics held in several areas of Minnesota. Alexandria has them, if I remember right Fairmont does them and I assume there are more hosted by local gun clubs, just need to research a bit.

[farmerj]

check out the IA and SD clinics too...

http://appleseedinfo.org/search-states- ... =Minnesota


There is one in Blue Earth county next weekend in Wells MN
http://appleseedinfo.org/search-states- ... ationid=69

[cobb]

check out the IA and SD clinics too...

http://appleseedinfo.org/search-states- ... =Minnesota

Those would be current listed class for 2013, so Fairmont is done this year and not listed. Point is, check the site that farmerj provided several times a year, new classes will probably be listed every few months and one might be pretty close to you.

[2in2out]

Wells always has 1 or 2 Appleseeds a year. Looks like the schedule is winding down for this year, and will fill up again in 2014:

http://appleseedinfo.org/search-states-display.php?qstate=MN&statename=Minnesota

I don't know much about long range shooting, but it seems like .308 or .30-06 might be the way to go. How does .243 stack up against the .30 calibers?

[farmerj]

Wells always has 1 or 2 Appleseeds a year. Looks like the schedule is winding down for this year, and will fill up again in 2014:

http://appleseedinfo.org/search-states-display.php?qstate=MN&statename=Minnesota

I don't know much about long range shooting, but it seems like .308 or .30-06 might be the way to go. How does .243 stack up against the .30 calibers?

less recoil.....

but it's a barrel burner compared to the .308.

I would not hesitate to use my .243 on an elk at all. Loads would be 100 or 105gr.

[grousemaster]

308 WIn or 30-06 are more than enough for any big game in North America short of big bears. Both can be shot accurately out to 1000 yards, every ammo manufacture has loadings to hunt just about anything, you can find ammo for them in any drug store out in the toolies and the recoil won't beat the snot out of you..

I tend to favor 308 because it can run toe to toe with the 06 up to 180gr bullets in a smaller package.

This ^

[yuppiejr]

308 WIn or 30-06 are more than enough for any big game in North America short of big bears. Both can be shot accurately out to 1000 yards, every ammo manufacture has loadings to hunt just about anything, you can find ammo for them in any drug store out in the toolies and the recoil won't beat the snot out of you..

I tend to favor 308 because it can run toe to toe with the 06 up to 180gr bullets in a smaller package.

This ^

.. Yep, with good ammo and a skilled shooter there's no reason the .308, 30-06 and 7mm Remington magnum could not do the job out to 400 yards on a Moose, Elk, Bear or large deer.

For whatever reason I felt like the recoil impulse of the 7mm was milder than either a .308 or 30-06 (and I shoot all 3 semi regularly) in similar weight rifles. The 162 grain Hornady SuperPerformance ammo is a great pairing and retains 2000 ft/pounds of energy at 400 yards out of a typical 26" tube.

[grousemaster]

308 WIn or 30-06 are more than enough for any big game in North America short of big bears. Both can be shot accurately out to 1000 yards, every ammo manufacture has loadings to hunt just about anything, you can find ammo for them in any drug store out in the toolies and the recoil won't beat the snot out of you..

I tend to favor 308 because it can run toe to toe with the 06 up to 180gr bullets in a smaller package.

This ^

.. Yep, with good ammo and a skilled shooter there's no reason the .308, 30-06 and 7mm Remington magnum could not do the job out to 400 yards on a Moose, Elk, Bear or large deer.

For whatever reason I felt like the recoil impulse of the 7mm was milder than either a .308 or 30-06 (and I shoot all 3 semi regularly) in similar weight rifles. The 162 grain Hornady SuperPerformance ammo is a great pairing and retains 2000 ft/pounds of energy at 400 yards out of a typical 26" tube.

That's very odd, to me the 7mm has a much more pronounced recoil....shows on all the recoil charts on the interwebz also

[xd ED]

If one is considering overall economy/ affordability of a rifle/ cartridge, should barrel life be a variable in the equation? As I understand it, the .243(and maybe some others ) has a reputation of being a barrel burner.

[Rip Van Winkle]

If one is considering overall economy/ affordability of a rifle/ cartridge, should barrel life be a variable in the equation? As I understand it, the .243(and maybe some others ) has a reputation of being a barrel burner.

It kind of depends what your looking at getting out of the rifle. The average hunter probably only fires 1000 rounds through his/her rifle in their lifetime. Whereas guys like me shoot twice that much throughout a single Highpower season.

[Slayer_MN1]

I've got a 243AI with a brux barrel that has maintained sub MOA accuracy throughout 2400+/- rounds, this is being pushed harder than a standard 243 win.

Yep its a barrel burner compared to a 308 but it'll get me out to 1000yds with just over 20 minutes of elevation (approx 200 inches of drop) comparing that to the 308's near 40 min (400 inches) it, to me is a more practical hunting caliber due to the extra speed and much more efficient bullets. The 7mm-08 in my eyes is a much better option for what you're looking to do with it. More efficient (higher B.C.) bullet at a greater velocity = more forgiveness in wind and more retained energy downrange.

Also, I don't know if you reload or not but you mentioned you were looking for a caliber for the shots BEYOND 500yds so you'll probably want to start if you're serious about shooting big game at these distances. Factory ammo that performs well at long range can be quite expensive, limited in its offerings, and is still not as good as a quality handload that was tailor made for your rifle.

Just an opinion.

Steve

[grousemaster]

I've got a 243AI with a brux barrel that has maintained sub MOA accuracy throughout 2400+/- rounds, this is being pushed harder than a standard 243 win.

Yep its a barrel burner compared to a 308 but it'll get me out to 1000yds with just over 20 minutes of elevation (approx 200 inches of drop) comparing that to the 308's near 40 min (400 inches) it, to me is a more practical hunting caliber due to the extra speed and much more efficient bullets. The 7mm-08 in my eyes is a much better option for what you're looking to do with it. More efficient (higher B.C.) bullet at a greater velocity = more forgiveness in wind and more retained energy downrange.

Also, I don't know if you reload or not but you mentioned you were looking for a caliber for the shots BEYOND 500yds so you'll probably want to start if you're serious about shooting big game at these distances. Factory ammo that performs well at long range can be quite expensive, limited in its offerings, and is still not as good as a quality handload that was tailor made for your rifle.

Just an opinion.

Steve

How does it do with crosswind vs. a .308? ; ) Energy loss?

[kowalzekc]

The .243 is a very flat shooting round but does get tossed by the wine due to light bullets (110 grain is the largest I have see). The .243 won't beat the snot out of you on a long range day either. I shot 40+ one day and didnt pay the price on my shoulder.

The .308 will have more recoil but will not loose energy as fast and will be effective further out. The .308 will not be tossed by the wind as easy with a heavier bullet.