I’d like to hear everyone’s experiences in long range marksmanship and what ammunition they prefer to reach 1000 yards and further. My personal preference is 6.5 Creedmoor with the purpose of just ringing the gong. Let’s discuss…
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Never fired long range past 200 yds. But I’m curious about this as well. When you’re using 6.5 at around 1,000yds is it a big gong or the size of a plate? The ability to shoot past 500yds just blows my mind. Adjustments for wind, altitude, and heart beats and breathing.
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@BubbaBear917 So generally at the 200 yard mark wind becomes a factor to take into account. Breath control and heartbeat should be though of at any range, honestly. Once you begin to reach past 500 wind becomes a bigger factor, naturally, then your environmental variables become a concern. I.E. temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure. Once you get close to the mile mark (1750yd) the rotation of the earth as well as spin drift become a factor. Theres other variables but these are often the ones that necessitate the most adjustment.
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300 savage 155 grain bullets
30-06 Springfield 150 grain bullets
7x57 Mauser 120 grain bullets
300 Winchester Magnum 125 grain bullets
These are a few of my favorite things.
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So you’re a big bore kind of guy! I’m curious, with a lot of those calibers being what my generation would refer to as “old school” what are your thoughts on .308 or even the newer rendition, .338 Lapua?
Only reason I respond with those is because that is what I have 1910, 300 savage, 1917 Remington 30-06, 1918 Spanish Mauser, so on so forth. I like the .308 and I have heard good things about the .338 Lapua. It like a good women, you just become involved with the one you like the most.
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Couldn’t have asked for a better answer! The downside with a lot of these new “fad” rounds like .224 Valkyrie or my beloved creedmoor is that while they will hit the mile marker, they dont have the ass behind them to be deadly. They wont penetrate armor or take a person down at 1000 so the military won’t take them. And for hunting they’re only effective 300-500 yards.
.308 would be a nice addition to my collection. With a good scope too.
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Absolutely. And you can’t beat the price point on a quality model 700.
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I thought SOCOM adopted 6.5 Creedmoor?
I didn’t hear that, I’ll have to check that out. I know their new sniper with interchangeable barrels includes 300 Norma Magnum and 338 Norma Mag.
I’ve been playing the long range game for a good number of years now. I guess I’m one of those “old school” guys. I shot National Match for the Navy Rifle team with an M1A/M-14 (308) until my last trip to camp Perry in 1994 and shot Any/Any with a 300WM on what is now known as a MK-13. A 308 at 1K is marginal but certainly can be done and on a good day 1100+ is possible with the right ammo. Personally I like a 178Amax to get there. On the 300WM platform I like a 220gr as it carries speed and mass to over a mile if you so choose but eats barrels because it’s overbore. I spent a lot of time at Crane IN on the 338LM after the Navy had Lapua create it but sniping was still a dirty topic not much discussed and the platforms at that time were beastly heavy. Marty Bordsen from Badger Ordnance modified 10 or 20 Rem 700 actions for the Navy to play with. He and I both agreed that they should have gone with a Model 70 action but the military is what it is. I also played with the 375, 408 and 416 “CheyTac” rounds which are just too much fun beyond 1K. The 50BMG was of course the first “Big Bore” long range rifle but in reality is not even a 1 mile gun with military ammo.
My personal go to gun for most things distance is a Win M-70 chambered in 30-06, I drive a 210 Berger or 208 Amax at 2800 fps and it goes subsonic ~20 yards short of a mile. It has much better tube life than a 300WM and doesn’t burn nearly as much powder. The 6.5 Creedmore is a neat little cartridge but in my mind falls into that cost vs benefit realm as it eats barrels just as fast as a 300WM but doesn’t give you the same level of down range performance. I’ve always wanted to play with a 7-08 as I think the 7mm boolit is where mass and BC cross at the happy place, it would be fun out to 1K+.
Cheers,
Craig6
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Let us know what you find out. I could be wrong. They never asked for my opinion. 
@Ouade5 There have been some news stories about it going to SOCOM but the boots on the ground guys haven’t seen them yet. I did some R&D / T&E back when SPECWAR was playing with the idea of going 338LM but they ended up going with a 220gr SMK in the 300WM. That said there WAS a 300 & 338 Norma Mag in the trials that were owned by a Marine GYSGT that were quite impressive. I think the MSR platform is still in DC land as there are too doggone many MK-13’s and too much 300WM ammo sitting in the bunkers. You will know when the military fully buys off on a new platform as the brass starts showing up in the Mil Recycle sales.
Cheers,
Craig6
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Look like you were right.
Maybe I got it confused with the search for a new SAW. I don’t know, I’m not part of this process. 