What is long-range shooting?
Honestly, it’s relative to the shooter.
Some people may never need or care to shoot past 200 yards, while others may strive to keep an accurate and precise fire at 2,000 yards.
In this article, I aim to help you decide which cartridge may be best for you, your wallet, and what you may be able to expect out of these long-range capable cartridges.
Let’s look at some of the popular calibers.
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Best Long-Range Cartridges
1. .223 Remington/5.56 NATO – Old Faithful
While this may not be the first cartridge that comes to mind for long-range shooting, with an appropriate bullet, the compact .223 Remington or 5.56 NATO is more than capable of shooting over 500 yards with accuracy.
With the popularity of this cartridge due to America’s favorite rifle, the AR15, more and more people are stretching out its legs.
If you choose to shoot long-range with a .223 Remington, I highly suggest shooting longer, heavier bullets with a 1:7 rifle twist. To explain the nuances of rifle twist rates, you can read my previous article about AR-15 Twist Rates!
An added benefit with the .223 Remington is cheap, readily available ammo.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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While precision match loads can be pricey, you can always run cheaper alternatives. I recommend a longer 20-inch barrel to gain as much velocity as possible for extended range. Some of the best loads I have shot through various .223 Wylde/5.56 NATO chambers have been:
- Federal Premium 69-grain Sierra Match King
- Hornady 73-grain ELD
- Fiocchi 77-grain Sierra Match Kings
- Barnes 85-grain Premier Match
2. .224 Valkyrie – The New Kid on the Block
The .224 Valkyrie was developed with long-range shooting in mind from its inception. It is hard to believe that a .224-inch caliber bullet with a C.O.A.L. (cartridge overall length) that fits inside an AR15 magazine well can be capable of 1,000+ yards.
I had my own doubts because I am a bit of a cynic.
After reaching out to 1,250 yards on a trip to the amazing High Bar Homestead in Gillette, WY, I am now a firm believer in the .224 Valkyrie. It is a screamer, and with increased velocity comes increased range. When coupled with bullets that have a high ballistic coefficient, the results are impressive.
It also has less wind drift and less bullet drop than the .223 Remington or the 6.5 Grendel. Ammo prices are a bit steeper than the previously mentioned cartridges, but the American Eagle 75-grain TMJs are relatively easy on the wallet.
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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While I was in Wyoming, I was able to test and evaluate the .224 Valkyrie with a rifle from Palmetto State Armory. It happened to shoot the Federal Premium 90-grain Sierra Match Kings very well and hitting a steel torso was fairly regular between myself and my shooting buddy, Kat Ainsworth.
3. 6.5 Grendel – The AR-15 Long-Range Savior
I’ll be honest; I may be a huge Grendel fanboy.
I am no expert, but scholars believe that the 6.5 Grendel was ordained during an ancient ritual in Bill Alexander’s secret Temple of Ballistics. I can not confirm this, but it seems completely legitimate.
All kidding aside, the 6.5 Grendel is an amazing cartridge. Originally established in 2003 for the AR15 platform, it is now available in bolt-action rifles as well.
While other cartridges have emerged and gained popularity, the 6.5 Grendel still has a permanent place in the conversation when talking about long-range shooting. Prices can be high for match-grade ammo, but Wolf offers extremely affordable plinking ammo with their 100-grain FMJ steel-case loads.
With a growing choice of ammo from 90-130 grain projectiles and the benefit of a great ballistic coefficient with the 6.5mm bullet, 500+ yard shooting can be almost boring. While at the High Bar Homestead with PSA, I was able to stretch their 6.5 Grendel out to 1,000 yards with Federal Premium 130 grain Bergers.
Once dialed in, I was able to put rounds on a steel silhouette with ease.
Of course, if you want to know a LOT more about the 6.5 Grendel – you need to read the 6.5 Grendel Shootout!
4. 6mm Creedmoor – The Speed Demon
The 6mm Creedmoor has gained a lot of traction with competitive shooters over the last couple of years.
Its parent case, the 6.5 Creedmoor, has an amazing pedigree for long-range shooting.
High ballistic coefficient bullets around 100 grains give this round excellent performance out to 1,000 yards.
Ammunition choices have increased lately, and Hornady has ammunition with the 87-grain VMAX and 103-grain ELD-X for long-range hunting. Barnes and Remington also have loads for hunting and long-range precision shooting.
However, none of these choices are necessarily easy on the pocketbook, with most loads over $1/round. But the velocity with a lighter grain bullet and the case capacity makes for a tremendous long-range round. Another downside is that the 6mm Creedmoor does not buck the wind as well as its bigger brother, the 6.5 Creedmoor.
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Prices accurate at time of writing
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Availability is not the best either, so online buying or reloading may be the best option for this cartridge.
5. 6.5 Creedmoor – The Hipster Round
Developed in 2007 by Hornady, the 6.5 Creedmoor has a parent case with the .30 TC, which was originally based on the .308 Winchester.
Where the .308 Winchester comes up short, the 6.5 Creedmoor turns on the afterburners primarily because of the 6.5mm bullet’s excellent sectional density and ballistic coefficient. For many, this is a round that you hate to love.
I understand why some hate the round, and it’s largely the .308 Winchester fanboys.
It honestly feels like cheating when you are behind a quality 6.5 Creedmoor. The 6.5 CM is superior to the .308 Win in just about any practical sense of the matter with better range, less effect with wind, and less bullet drop.
While they are relatively close within 500 yards, at 1,000 yards, the .308 Winchester has 4 feet more drop when you compare a 6.5 CM 140-grain ELD vs. a .308 Win 168-grain ELD.
This is mainly because the .308 Winchester is a heavier, slower bullet. Even with kinetic energy factored in, after 500 yards, the 6.5 CM pulls away as the leader due to its retained velocity.
Ammo availability has become extensive for the 6.5 Creedmoor. You can even pick it up at your local neighborhood Wal-Mart.
While there isn’t much of a cheap alternative for 6.5 CM ammunition, Lucky Gunner lists S&B 140-grain FMJs for $0.78/round. A personal favorite of mine is the Federal Premium 130-grain Bergers, which at the time of this writing costs $1.50/round.
What’s your take on the 6.5 Creedmoor? Rate it below.
Honorable Mentions
.308 Winchester has been around for almost 70 years and has served militaries and police forces around the world as faithfully as it has served competition shooters.
While there are newer cartridges around, many of them are derived from the .308, and all are measured against it.
.416 Barrett, while a very new cartridge compared to most, is currently the ultimate boss king of extreme long-range shooting. Not long ago, Team Global Precision Group used the .416 Barrett to ring steel at a mind-blowing 6,012 yards (3.4 miles, 5497 meters, 18,036 feet). If you took the Statue of Liberty and laid it down, that’s almost 20 Statues of Liberty long. That’s a lot of freedom.
.300 Winchester Magnum is a favorite of hunters worldwide for big game at long range. Need to drop an Elk at 500 yards? .300 Win Mag is your ticket. While still a great long-range precision shooting cartridge, it is starting to lose ground to newer, softer shooting cartridges.
Final Thoughts
Like Alice in Wonderland, you can go down a very deep rabbit hole of different calibers and cartridges for long-range shooting.
Cartridges like the .338 Lapua Magnum, .375 Cheytac, and .50 BMG have shown incredible performance down range, but they can be prohibitively expensive. Prices vary greatly for rifles, but feeding them is a whole different story — even if you reload. If you take a left turn, you can go through an endless list of wildcat cartridges as well.
Covering all of them would practically be a novel, so I am going to stop short here. The sky is the limit depending on your budget and what kind of rifle you want.
What are some of your favorite long-range cartridges? Let us know in the comments below! And to reach out that far…you’ll need some quality glass, so check out our article on the Best Long Range Scopes.
69 Leave a Reply
300Win an honorable mention? There's no world where any of those rounds out preform 300win
Worth mentioning: 7mm-08 has flight ballistics comparable to 6.5 Creedmoor with better terminal ballistics, all with relatively mild recoil (less than .308). The 25-06 is also a screamer. Of course, Hornday's PRC developments as well as Nosler's cartridges are worth a look if you like long range and don't mind spending the money.
Interesting that the 338 RUM was not mentioned. It is expensive to buy and reload but effective to reach out there where the few are not afraid to go. Great long range cartridge for just about anything that breathes.
The 300 win mag should be listed too :)
no mention of 338 lapua? not a fave I take it
guess you didnt read the whole article.
Curious what your thoughts are about the Win 300 WSM
Need to recheck your math when you were talking about the .416 Barrett clinking at 5497m.
That's about 55 Statues of Liberty (305'), not 20.
Accuracy matters.
59.1344262 Statues
I was going to ask about the 7mm’s as well. Also the 300 Win? A 180 grain bullet traveling over 2300fps at 500 yards?
7mm Magnum is what I use out here on Guam, USA
Are going to forget about 6.5 rem mag again?
I hate to be so critical here but when you start a list of "best long range cartridges" with the 5.56 you have immediately started off by being disingenuous. What were your extra parameters here? Cost, ease of part acquirement, availability, things you can run in an AR platform, or a perceived "coolness" factor?
You must adequately define these currently nebulous extra parameters that lead you to make these statements and pass them off as informative. Everything on this list at the face value of the descriptor "long range" can be beaten out by better rounds, all of them. Don't need to be a super-awesome-Operator or competitive shooter to know this.
That he us army has recorded kills with a 5.56 using black hills 77 grain ammo at 1800 yards?
Write your own article.
Define your own parameters.
Change your name to Karen.
Best comment
I'm looking for some 303 ammo
My go to for long range hunting are the 7mm STW and 6.5-300 weatherby. Both are far more exceptional than the 5 you chose.
7 mm. rem. mag. the flattest cartridge I can find. we started testing in VIET-NAM, they were great, even at LONG range.
john cooperi have 7mm browning a bollt what is the best over the counter round you can buy
No doubt!
Out here on Guam, I use a Browning BAR 7mm Magnum and has NEVER let me down...
25-06...nobody ever talks about it. First deer rifle ever since I was 13 and I keep going back to it (37 now). It shoots flat and just drops the deer.. Doesnt quite pack the punch needed for long range elk hunting though.
I have a 2506 killed a deer at 840 yards one shot !! Used 85 grain Winchester preamumbalistic tip
No one ever mentions the .270 Win. It out performs the 6.5 Creedmore and the .308
So true. Shoots flatter than a 243- wheich already kicks a 6.5 cm was. Barrel life is longer, packs more energy at all distances too!!!
when it comes to long range hunting I have to stick to my 7mm mag custom made bolt action, an extremely flat trajectory and shots at over 1000 yards are very common. I also like my 6.5 CM I is a very good 1000 yrd gun but when it comes to big game 7mm mag is the way to go, when you are hunting two legged 200 lb game the 6.5 Creefmore is my choice I used to own a .338 win mag and a 300 win mag but got tired of the beating my shoulder was taking from them.
I fully AGREE. tried in NAM late in the conflict, but great results.
I wish we had as much long range shooting locations as they do out west. In the East it is rather limited. There are not many places you can shoot 500 yards. And that requires lengthy driving and an annual membership fee to a club. They usually start at around $300. Some much more. Throw in the extra expense of spotting scopes, expensive scopes and precision rifle builds, time for reloading sub MOA cartridges, etc., and one can see a lot of time, money and devotion are required. Not to mention lugging all the equipment and having spotters. But lack of convenience is certainly the Big Kahuna. All the other factors combined still don’t add up to that one huge deterrent. I’m drawn to this new interest in long range. Prior this I’ve been an old school kinda guy, shooting offhand and making sure I can hit what I aim at out to 300 yards. In the old way of thinking that was good because I could achieve that consistently. But this long range is a whole different ball game. The adjustment to supported shooting won’t be so involved, but the light triggers may ironically take some work. The technique of holding the butt rather than the fore end - not too difficult,
but the whole free recoil thing and light grip will require some attention also. I’m curious and find myself being sucked in- LOL
Honestly I love my 7mm win mag 1000 yard shots, I have a Thompson center venture 7mag with a vortex viper 6.5-24x50 scope and have dropped coyotes at 800 yards. Love the caliber. Been shooting this particular caliber since I bought my first legal rifle at the old age of 18 lol. 30 years later still shooting this caliber even though I do have the 6.5 CM too. Both are great game droppers. Just took me a 600+ pound cow elk 1 shot with my creedmore 200 yards away. Anyway be safe shoot str8 and God bless
If this is a discussion on long range rifles rounds and the rifles that shoot them, then the .308 shouldn’t be in the discussion. It drops almost 400 inches at 1000 yards and drifts 100 inches at the same with a 10 MPH full value wind. The same thing with the 556mm. To me, those are akin to lobbing footballs at something. For long rang range hunting my list would go .257 Weatherby Magnum, the flattest shooting hunting cartridge period, Next the 6.5-.300 Weatherby Magnum, it outperforms any other 6.5 period, The .30-378 Weatherby holds 120 grains of water and outperforms any other .30 caliber cartridge and has the longest point blank range of any .30, including the Lazzeroni’s. Those are the hunting rifles, see a pattern? In reference to the gentleman saying a hunter shouldn’t take a long range shot, what he mean’t was He shouldn’t take a long range shot. It is the responsibility of any hunter to put down game as quickly and humanely as possible with a single shot. If that is 100 yards for him fine, it might 1200 yards for me given my skills , equipment, training, & practice.. Some people take their rifle out two weeks before the season and fire a dozen shots, these people probably fall into the 50 or 100 yard category.
The long range military rifles on my list would start with the .338 Lapua, .375 Cheytec, .408 Cheytac, the .416 Barrett and finally the .50 Bmg. That is just my opinion. I competed in many 1000 yard and 1500 meter competitions. I’ve not done the King of 2 mile thing but if I were younger it would have appealed to me. Bill Poor recently claimed to hit a target at 5280 yards/4837 meters or 3 miles. I wasn’t there to see it actually happen, but I don’t doubt that it could have. At that range everything comes into play, Spin drift of the bullet, altitude, relative humidity, the 9-11 second flight time of the bullet, the Coriolis Effect ( spin of the earth ) etc. All of those things and more must be perfect. Even then you’re talking about a 1/4 MOA Shot.
I can only second what Rick says about the .257 Weatherby magnum. It's disconcerting to me that this cartridge always gets left out of the conversation. I've often read gun writers saying something like [As a kind of afterthought], "...the unmatched reach and accuracy of the 6.5 Creedmoor, and the heavy-hitter quality of the .50 BMG or the Lapua, etc. ( The Weatherby 257 is also greatly favored by Western hunters...)." That's it. One afternoon, after shooting a nice antelope at about 500 yards, I was walking back to the truck with the guide, and we were discussing quarter-bores, with the guide extolling his 25-06, the best of the lot. That's a fine caliber, I said. "Of course, he said quietly, it can't reach out and flatten antelope like your Weatherby, but..." Can't tell you how many times I've gone back to the ballistic tables to make sure I'm not going crazy. Yup, the .257 beats everybody in speed and long-range accuracy, at least out to 500-600 yards (except the .22 Swift, and it drops off after a couple of hundred yards) . When I first got my Weatherby, I went to zero my scope. I zeroed it at about 2 inches high at 200 yards. I then went about correcting it for the 300-yard target. Still, 2 inches high was all it needed. Then the 400 yard. No real adjustment necessary. I sincerely am ready to listen to reason: Why is the .257 Weatherby ignored in these discussions? It just my rifle? Is it under a spell? It sure isn't my spectacular marksmanship.
I would love if you had any info on a ar-10 or 15 barrel in bolt replacement that would fit in my palmetto guns for the 6.5 prc ????
What about 22-250? I really love my Sturm Ruger M77, and couldn't believe a 34 gr bullet could achieve 4000+ FPS muzzle velocity! I would like to see how other people have loaded that round for various purposes
The 22-250 has never been considered a long range cartridges because the cartridges have very light bullets and rifles offered have always had slow twist rates. If you handloaded the same heavy bullets used in the 224V and had a custom rifle built with a faster twist rate (1:8), it would either match or slightly beat the 224V. (I looked into it once but can't remember exactly.. I think it slightly beats the 224V)
I'm from Italy. Your words is like a Bible. I have many rifle, 6,5 x 57 R 6,5 x 68, 7 x 64 30- 06, 7 RM but the very big satisfaction is shoot. At 100 yards with black powder 50 kaliber
I kinda thought 7mil rem mag would be there somewhere. I use it long range and it does just fine. So who is going to tell me how bad it is. I know someone will. Hoping to hear some good things about it too.
Nothing wrong whatsoever with the 7mmRM. Newer cartridges do offer better ballistics, but at the expense of more recoil, shooter barrel life and less off-the-shelf cartridge selection. Caliber selection is all about figuring what trade-offs make the most sense for what you want to accomplish.
Looks like another article telling us it's ok to shoot at an elk from 500 yards away. I have news for you, it's not ok! I don't care if you have a Win Mag or a Creedmoor and can hit steel from a mile away with it. I know plenty of people who can actually do that and even they won't shoot at game beyond 300 or 400 yards, depending on the wind. Why? There is too much to go wrong and game animals aren't targets or enemies. The problem with articles like this is that it gives younger readers (whose experience likely includes playing call of duty or watching American sniper) the false impression that any of these rounds will simply do the trick without a great deal of training and practice. Those folks who actually do have that great deal of training and practice, once again, know better than to take outrageously long shots on our valuable big game animals.
I may be wrong, and its ok for me to be wrong. But where in the article does he even mention big game hunting. For me a guy who likes hitting steel at long range this article was extremely helpful. The article is "7 Best Long-Range Cartridges: Hit Stuff Really Far Away". He didn't say Elk or Deer or Hogs or Trolls. He said stuff. You are not wrong in your thoughts. I just think this article was not specifically a hunting article. There are many of us who have rifles to attempt to master the art of long range steel shooting. Just my 2 cents plus change.
Where? Right here: ".300 Winchester Magnum is a favorite of hunters around the world for big game at long range. Need to drop an Elk at 500 yards? .300 Win Mag is your ticket. While still a great long-range precision shooting cartridge, it is starting to lose ground to newer and softer shooting cartridges."
Chief, I certainly respect your opinion, but having hunted out west I'd like to make a counter argument for you and others to consider. I don't expect to change your mind, but think respectful conversation is a good thing. I don't know if you're from the east, but that argument is typically made from someone who lives in the east and hunts woods. My first successful hunt with a rifle was an antelope (ie, very small kill zone compared to an elk) shot at 330 yards. In the open plains, 300 yards in 15 mph winds is the starting place. Maybe 250 if the stars align. Don't even come play if you can't consistently make that shot. If you've only shot 150 yards in the woods, that shot may seem really tough. If you have a laser range finder and know the exact distance, its not. In my opinion, 300-600-ish isn't an unethical shot for those who are genuinely skilled enough to make the shot because people are consistently successful all the time at those distances. I mention 600 fairly arbitrarily because we owe it to the animal to try to get as close as we can. When you are really far away (let's say 800), it's almost always possible to close the distance without spooking the animal. (The main exception would be shooting canyon to canyon - you may not be able to get closer) I personally won't take shots that have a time of flight of about .5, .6 seconds so time of flight becomes an issue also. Bottom line, I agree its in our best interest and the animals' best interest to get as close as we can. I don't judge those who take longer shots, but encourage people to know their limits. I also encourage others to understand that their limits legitimately aren't limits for other people sometimes. Quick story.. I've been teaching my dad how to shoot. He had never shot beyond 200 yards (and only shot very little at 200). He recently got a new rifle and scope so I took him to my shooting club. He sighted in his rifle and we immediately dialed to 400 yards. His first 5 shots were all hits. That's not really far, but it goes to show you that having the right gear and understanding the science behind it all makes it possible to shoot very far with a very high degree of consistency. Happy Hunting!
Nathan, I got to say I really appreciate that defense. I grew up in Montana,hunting both in the mountains in the West and in high school out in the flats in the East part of the state. The difference between hunting in the forested mountains and chasing deer out where the deer regularly start running away 400 yards out if they see you creates a whole different experience. At the end of the day, your skill and time on a rifle is a much larger factor on how ethical a shot is.
Speak for yourself only. There's plenty of people that are just fine a 500 yds. That's mid-range, not even long-range, by many people's standards. There's plenty of setups out there where 500 yd shots are simple things.
thanks and what of the 6.5cm PRC you have a picture of it but dont mention it. Is it the 6.5 CM on steriodes but with out the kick of the 300 win mag? wanting to hunt with it as wells a compete win PRC Im thinking it is all that Ineed and a little more. more... do I really need more ??? what are your thoughts ??
It's basically 6.5cm on roides, yes. We haven't gotten any trigger time with it yet, but I'm hoping to do some testing soon. Right now options are really slim and ammo prices are really high.
Ditto for the .300 PRC, which fixes every shortcoming of the .300 Win Mag and as the name implies (PRC - "Precision Rifle Cartridge") was made for accuracy at extreme long distance.
I always favored the .264 Win Mag. A great flat shooter. I guess because it was my dad's and the first long distance rifle I was taught with. It's a pre-64 and well it's not used much now. It will be passed down to my son and so forth. Although it will always be there and ready if the need arises. Oh, I also on a 300 Win Mag too, just in case I get lucky enough to go elk hunting.