What are you shooting

[AKMarty]

What cartridge are you shooting at 1 mile +\-? Pondering a build to make consistent hits at a mile. 6.5CM just doesn’t seem quite enough.

Two categories (randomly divided):

Less than 45 gr powder…
More than 45 gr powder.

 

[rustyinbend]

300-PRC ... but my 300-WM has hit 1-mile as well.
Both obviously more than 45 gr of powder.

 

[b2lee]

300 PRC 75gr

Have shot a mile with 308 and other small cartridges....but basically you are slinging lead with hopes and prayers...

 

[Shoots 700's]

I would say the safe bet it over 45 grains. Use the right tool for the best results

 

[AKMarty]

I’ve hit a mile w 6.5cm. Not much wind, not very consistent.

 

[Rocketmandb]

Considering I probably have 300+ posts related to the 300 PRC, I might be a little biased, but... 300 PRC.

The only other ones I'd consider:

More Common Rounds:
- 7 SAUM
- 300 Norma
- 300 WSSM

Less Common Rounds:
- 300 Sherman Mag (for a little extra over the 300 PRC)
- 7 or 300 Sherman Short or Sherman Max
- The newer "Mega" line from Sherman looks interesting

As for more common vs. less common rounds, you will find a lot more help from people who have shot the more common (obviously), more commonly available components (obviously), and you won't need to either rent or buy a reamer for your smith - not as obvious.

Of the more common rounds, 7 SAUM would be my #1 choice. 300 Norma is a big round and the components are more expensive (brass, and powder per shot) - and it's a little overkill for a mile. 300 WSSM is interesting and will easily get the job done at a mile, but what do you really get over a 7 SAUM?

Still, with all that said, 300 PRC

 

[GIXXER2000]

300wm
300nm ( when ever the barrel shows up)
338lm
375ct.
I have shot my .243,6cm and 6.5 cm out to and passed a mile but splash is hard to see and wind is a huge factor as you would expect.

 

[m1ajunkie]

I've taken 300PRC And 338LM to 1 mile and beyond..... 300PRC gets my vote no question. Lower recoil, flatter shooting, more cost effective are the main reasons I say this.

I'm actually putting together a youtube channel comparing my experience with these 2 calibers. Hoping to use it to get a little channel of my own off the ground.

 

[kthomas]

I've taken 6.5 Creedmoor successfully to ~2,200 yards, but its not ideal.

My thumper is a .300NM, but since moving to AZ it hasn't gotten much love.

 

[Taylorbok]

less than 45gr does not go with ELR, Ya sure it can be done.
I shoot my 300 RUM for this type of stuff. Next chambering is going to be a 375 (looking to stretch to 2 miles) we'll see how I like that.
What I would recommend doing is spending some quality time with your ballistic calculator.
Pick your distance. (keep in mind this is very addicting and you always want farther)
Look at the heavy bullets for your calibers in consideration. (7mm ,30cal, 338)
Consider the velocity you can run said bullet, (I like 3k but this can involve some wildcat's or more exotic chambering)
Punch that in and analyze the data and see what you want to deal with.

30 cal misses aren't to bad to spot at a mile depending on the ground but definitely get tougher farther out.
I would recommend 338 as best all around for a mile-2500 yards, 375 is going to be expensive to feed

 

[Bhobbs]

I picked up a Remington 700 Long Range in .30-06.

Quality brass available
High BC bullets available
Factory barrel stabilizes high BC bullets
Reasonable barrel life

I haven’t pushed it yet. Took it to the range for the first time and had my scope cap come loose. Just ordered 250 cases from Starline and have 215 Bergers and 208 A Maxes to try. Grabbed 1 lb of Re22 and want to try a few other powders.

 

[acudaowner]

I am excited to try shooting 1 mile it sounds great now whether I hit anything or not I just want the experience to say I got to try it and get some dope for my next trip. Even if I miss everything I would not be dejected by those results . Just me and my creedmoor and a box or two of my reloaded ammo .

 

[jasent]

300wm 28” 1:8 shooting 205gr badlands

 

[Onewolf42]

300 PRC

 

[Dogtown]

26" Vanilla .338LM is good to a mile, but 18" has trouble.
.338LM Improved 40 is a piece of cake at a mile
.300NM is by far my favorite getting to a mile - very, very pleasant to shoot, plenty of good bullet options.

 

[shoot4fun]

I have a 300WM that I have no doubt can get to a mile or more but my two (what I consider) ELR rifles are a 300 NM 35˚ Improved and a 338LM. I really shouldn't need to say it but these are both double that 45 grains and then some.
Your ASL has a lot to do with ELR shooting and especially so with the lighter calibers. Higher elevations are always an aid to ELR shooting IMO.
Maybe it's because I am anchored at around 450ASL.

 

[forthehunt]

7RM 26inch 8 twist. Currently shooting factory 175grain. Still breaking in the barrel. Good results but will be looking at 183gr handload when I run out this brick.

Shooting 1km so a little over 1000yards. Consistent (about 80% and still improving) first shot hit on 24 inch plate.

I would have gone 300prc but decided that this is going to be a multipurpose gun so went 7RM so I can get factory ammo when I travel (international). Shipping ammo is a shitload more hassle.

 

[aamity]

300 WM with 220gr SMK over 76.7gr of Ramshot Magnum. 2860 fps -or- 208gr ELDMs over 67gr of H100V at 2900 fps. Rifle is a Ruger Hawkeye LR with 26” 1:9 5R factory barrel Crimson Trace 3-24x56 glass.

 

[8pointer]

Buddy has 300NM and 338 as well....think he prefers the 300 over 338 a smidge. Was spotting for him at 2k the other day and the sand looked like moon craters on misses easy spottin

 

[Taylorbok]

Was spotting for him at 2k the other day and the sand looked like moon craters on misses easy spottin

Can't always be so lucky to be shooting into dry sand, nice moist dirt just eats bullets.

 

[DoorKicker]

Anything past 750 almost requires a spotter if you're shooting precision. You're either mag'd up to see/hit a portion of the plate or backed out to just hit the plate. The former, you'll be lucky to see vapor trail, the latter, you can see but won't be precise on plate

 

[Rocketmandb]

Anything past 750 almost requires a spotter if you're shooting precision. You're either mag'd up to see/hit a portion of the plate or backed out to just hit the plate. The former, you'll be lucky to see vapor trail, the latter, you can see but won't be precise on plate

For larger calibers, I actually find the 1k to a mile realm to be the easier to self-spot because of the time the bullet is in flight - it gives you the time to recover from recoil and get set for seeing the impact/miss. Obviously if the target is in front of foliage and/or the ground is wet, it gets tougher as you go out farther.

Inside 1k, even though it's tougher to get back on target quickly enough, the bullet energy is still enough that spotting has never been an issue with decent weight bullets - as long as your recoil management skills are up to par.

Outside a mile, it starts to get difficult to spot both hits and misses - even with a spotter. A couple weeks ago, I was out in the hills, and we had a target set at 1900. I was shooting my 300 PRC, my shooting buddy was shooting a 408 Cheytac. In my 300 PRC, I was shooting Berger 230s. The 408 was shooting 390 Cutting Edge solids. Which was easier to spot for? You'd be surprised.

With the Bergers, when they impact, they basically disintegrate. You see the black spot on the target through the spotting scope fairly easily, but you also see fragments of the bullet causing splash at the base of the target as well - very easy to know you got a hit. With the solids, they didn't really move the target much more (the target is heavy) and they don't explode or leave as much of a mark on the target. We also found that they would ricochet off the target (again, with minimal mark) and impact the ground in front of the target, causing me to call a low miss - we found several nearly intact bullets in the dirt. I'd experienced this with the Bergers before, but only rarely. It was happening with essentially every hit with the solids. In short, it was easier to spot the jacketed 230gr Bergers vs. the much heavier solids.

 

[Taylorbok]

@Rocketmandb I have to agree self spotting out to a mile is pretty easy if the ground conditions allow to see misses. I never thought about the solids leaving less of a mark on the target, I have heard that they don't toss as much splash when they hit the ground.

I plan on shooting A-tips in my 375 build but I couldn't help my self and grabbed a few different solids to test out as well.

 

[Rocketmandb]

I have heard that they don't toss as much splash when they hit the ground

Makes sense too - the solids won't expand as much, so will move less dirt. I have to say that finding nearly intact 408 bullets was a surprise. And it wasn't just a couple. We probably found 4 or 5.

 

[37L1]

Did it with 6.5 PRC. The 300's make it easier.

 

[QS-1911]

Did it with 6.5 PRC. The 300's make it easier.

Did the same last Sunday with a 6.5 PRC

 

[Dobbs02si]

180r hybrids from a 7/300wsm and 300 rdf's from a 338rum. Splash can be a bit lacking in the mid south with damp soil 9 months out of the year...

 

[Ronws]

300wm
300nm ( when ever the barrel shows up)
338lm
375ct.
I have shot my .243,6cm and 6.5 cm out to and passed a mile but splash is hard to see and wind is a huge factor as you would expect.

Yeah, .338 Lapua Mag would be my best bet. However, I have.308 rifles and would consider my MVP LR308 with 180 grain.

 

[Foots250xc]

I hit 1 mile with a 224 Valkyrie but obviously the splash can be difficult to see. If the soil conditions are good with the minimal recoil and 4 1/2 second flight time spotting is possible. The 224 is not the “norm” choice but it is challenging and possible. My combo was a budget build I wanted to try. It is simple but works for me. I had an AR A2 solid stock lower with a Timney 2 stage trigger, 24” barrel with 1/7 twist upper. The Hornady Match grade 88gr ELD factory ammo is consistent in my combo.

 

[FimRire RongLifle]

I am using 6.5 PRC currently, furthest attempt and confirmation was 1910yards so far conditions were near perfect and repeated exercise with a steyr 460.

 

[FimRire RongLifle]

I hit 1 mile with a 224 Valkyrie but obviously the splash can be difficult to see. If the soil conditions are good with the minimal recoil and 4 1/2 second flight time spotting is possible. The 224 is not the “norm” choice but it is challenging and possible. My combo was a budget build I wanted to try. It is simple but works for me. I had an AR A2 solid stock lower with a Timney 2 stage trigger, 24” barrel with 1/7 twist upper. The Hornady Match grade 88gr ELD factory ammo is consistent in my combo.

always wondered how it compares to say 22 creedmoor at ranges like that. Cool you did that!

 

[ACK]

338 Lapua Magnum. Made it out to 2000 with an ~40% rate. These are just for fun shots on calm days.

 

[KhaymKhaym]

300 PRC is a great caliber for 1 mile work and even 2000 yard work. It's consistent and 250 A Tips have insane high BCs. But for something that you want to shoot out further than that, say 2 miles, then I'd recommend a 375 Cheytec, 416 Barret, or 50 BMG, maybe even a 408 Cheytec

 

[Shoots 700's]

I made it to 1589 with a 6 creedmoor today

 

[JBarton]

I started out with a 300WM with a 26" 9T bartlein. Great results out to a mile.
Jumped into a 300PRC and then a 30 Sherman Magnum. I'm pushing 230gr A-Tips @ 3080fps. I was out today shooting to 2006 yards with under 16mil of elevation, it didn't hurt my DA was 8400ft. It depends on your bullet selection also. I have a 220gr scenars load to fire form lapua 300PRC brass that was tricky at best
Honestly a 300PRC checks all of the boxes to get you out to 1 mile consistently with the right bullet/powder combo. If you want to go a little further without breaking the bank I say a 30 Sherman Magnum. I am a little bias though.
.

 

[Wildfire1550]

338 lm

 

[ToKeepAndBear]

I recently shot at a mile for the first time with a TRG 42 338 LM I bought a couple months ago. It shoots the 300gr A-tips very well. Like you my best long range rifle up to this point has been a 6.5 class rifle (260 Rem). After shooting the 338, I was very impressed with it's performance at a mile. The 338 was shot in the mountains which are always more variable conditions and for me more difficult to judge the wind. Two buddies shot 6.5s and we just could not see any hits or misses at a mile with the mirage and lack of easy to spot trace that day. The 338 LM was easy to see hits and we saw almost all of the misses to allow corrections. It is a game changer at these distances.

I have also found components easily for the 338. Brass, bullets, and US 869 powder have all been easily obtainable. I think the popularity of 300 class cartridges has taken some pressure off the 338 components. It has also not been as expensive to reload for as I had imagined.

With a good brake I have also found it reasonable to shoot 338 LM for up to 80 rounds without discomfort. I shot a buddy's Accuracy International 50 cal the same day and can honestly say that is too much rifle for me. It is also much heavier to move around.

 

[Ronws]

I am reminded of an episode of "NCIS." Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jethro Gibbs was formerly a marine scout sniper and shot a .338 Lapua in service. He was reminiscing during an investigation into a sniper and they recovered a similar rifle.

Yeah, I am geek for trivia.

 

[Tberg]

338 Edge 300gr OTM. Only one go at 1812 yards, 10 hits on 18 shots. Then fire restrictions kicked in. Got a 300wm I'm itching to stretch the legs on too.

 

[NotBotvinnik]

I’ve seen few people mention 6.5 PRC in this thread so I thought I’d chime in with a couple of questions. I have a nicely dialed in 6.5 PRC but I don’t have any long distance available near me. I totally understand it’s less than ideal for a mile but…. in good conditions can it make a good showing?

28” Krieger pushing 153 hybrids and 156 EOLs over 3000 FPS seems like a mile should be good to go. Even the 144 hybrids at 3050 seem to me like they would good at that distance. The rifle shoots lasers and my ES and SD are both very low…… but like I said I’ve never got the chance to take a crack at a mile. Is it that misses (splash) is too hard to see with the smaller lighter bullets?

I really want to get into to ELR but for now the rig I’ve got is what I’ve got. Sometime this year I’ll put together something bigger but for now…… it’s the 6.5

Any input is greatly appreciate.

Cheers-

 

[QS-1911]

I’ve seen few people mention 6.5 PRC in this thread so I thought I’d chime in with a couple of questions. I have a nicely dialed in 6.5 PRC but I don’t have any long distance available near me. I totally understand it’s less than ideal for a mile but…. in good conditions can it make a good showing?

28” Krieger pushing 153 hybrids and 156 EOLs over 3000 FPS seems like a mile should be good to go. Even the 144 hybrids at 3050 seem to me like they would good at that distance. The rifle shoots lasers and my ES and SD are both very low…… but like I said I’ve never got the chance to take a crack at a mile. Is it that misses (splash) is too hard to see with the smaller lighter bullets?

I really want to get into to ELR but for now the rig I’ve got is what I’ve got. Sometime this year I’ll put together something bigger but for now…… it’s the 6.5

Any input is greatly appreciate.

Cheers-

I was able to hit the one-mile mark and one-mile 1 MOA challenge with 147gr factory loads. You shouldn't have a problem with the loads you posted as long as you are doing your part. Is it easier with a higher caliber? Sure. But it can be done with minimal effort with a 6.5 PRC.

 

[phantomskittles]

I have shot 1 mile with a 223, 6xc, 6.5x47 and 338 Lapua. Accuracy wise they all shot reasonably well, however, splash is much easier to see with the 338 and wind changes are much less of an issue with it. A 6.5 PRC with 144, 153 or 156 should easily be able to make it to 1 mile. You will have a harder time spotting splash though than you would with a 30 or 338 caliber magnum.