Cartridge selection advice needed.

[408w]

Looking for help selecting which cartridge I should go with for a new gun. I have a 6.5 creedmoor I shoot now. Looking for something with more range.

Here is what I want:
1. Shooting steel up to 2000yrds
2. Supersonic as far out as I can get
3. Would want the gun to be in the 15lb range and run a brake on it.
4. Recoil so I can shoot 25-50 rounds comfortably.
5. 1200 to 1500 rounds from a barrel.
6. I reload myself

 

[lash]

.30-06.

But seriously, I recommend that you give this sticky thread a good read. It is one of many that addresses caliber choices. At the end of the very first post (a lo-o-o-ng post) is a pretty good summary of the .30-06 that explains why I mentioned it above.

https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/caliber-choices-comparison-and-applications.43340/

 

[b6graham]

short action or long action

magnum, 308, or 338 bolt face?

 

[308220]

7mm Rem Mag.

 

[W54/XM-388]

If you want 2000 yards in a 15 pound rifle, I'd look at that new .300 PRC that is just coming out, otherwise the 300 Norma

 

[jda2631]

300 win mag would be a solid choice. It's not new and shiny, but still effective. I have a 26" barrel and shoot 225 ELD-M's at 2860 fps. I haven't shot anywhere close to 2k, but ballistics calculator says that round at that speed should stay supersonic to 1800 yards.

No lapua brass, but I've had great luck with Norma, and 300WM brass is cheap and readily available. With a 15lb rifle and brake/can you can shoot it all day long. Should get at least 12-1500 rounds out of a barrel. Uses standard magnum bolt head, the 300 Norma uses the lapua bolt head which is a little less common to find. There are newer, faster/more efficient cartridges out but doesn't change the fact the 300WM is still a great cartridge.

 

[W54/XM-388]

300 win mag would be a solid choice. It's not new and shiny, but still effective. I have a 26" barrel and shoot 225 ELD-M's at 2860 fps. I haven't shot anywhere close to 2k, but ballistics calculator says that round at that speed should stay supersonic to 1800 yards.

300wm would be excellent if they don't actually want to shoot to 2000 yards, I'd just be concerned that if 2000 yards is an actual requirement, it's going to be hard to have good accuracy at 2000 yards with a 300wm especially with any adverse conditions.

 

[jda2631]

300wm would be excellent if they don't actually want to shoot to 2000 yards, I'd just be concerned that if 2000 yards is an actual requirement, it's going to be hard to have good accuracy at 2000 yards with a 300wm especially with any adverse conditions.

I haven't shot passed 1000 so I have no real world experience here, I am just going by ballistics tables for this. but the 300WM can push the 225 ELD-M to at least 2860, as this is my load and have verified it multiple times on a magneeto speed. That bullet goes subsonic at 1800, according to ballistics calculator. I don't have a 300 Norma, but the Hornady factory load pushes the 225 eld-m at 2850 (advertised velocity), I'm sure you could pick up 100-150 fps on that. So if the Norma will shoot that bullet at 3000 fps, it goes subsonic at 1900 yards. Gain an additional 100 yards of super sonic flight with it. Just to add, I know Hornady advertises the max BC for their bullets, to get those numbers I put in the 3 different values that Hornady lists for the different speeds of the bullet.

You may be able to improve on those ballistics a little with the 230 Berger, maybe not, I'm not sure. But the 2 cartridges aren't that dissimilar from each other ballistically, and the 300WM is much more economical.

But honestly to shoot that far you really should be going above 30 cal, at least a 338 magnum of some sort or larger.

 

[lash]

Or use some of the new solids that are out and proven for higher BCs and longer distances while still supersonic. The guys that are really shooting ELR are all using solids of some sort. There's a reason for it. Flatline and Edge are both solid solids choices. They will allow you to stretch out an .30-06, 300 WM or 300 NM if you truly have those distances available to you.

If you really have opportunity to reach out there on a regular basis, you will soon find yourself wanting something heavier and larger, like .338 LM AI, or even .375 CT or some variation of it. I'm not just saying this because it sounds good. I have been shooting my .338 LM out of a factory barrel using a Flatline projo and it is surely fun, but for 1800+ and consistent hits, .375 CT calls my name (I'm just trying to ignore it). This is in Florida very near sea level. Locales with much higher elevations will provide more fun using a bit less gun.

 

[408w]

Let’s say for the reason of brass alone. .300 win mag, 7/300 win mag or .338 lapua.