best long range hunting rifle?

sakosam

I am looking to build a long range hunting rifle in 30-378, 300 ultra, or 7mm stw. I will be looking to shoot elk / deer at 500+ yards. what is your opinion of these caliber choices

dtknowles

I would think that anyone who has the skills and good judgement required to even consider shooting at live targets at 500 yards or greater would not be asking this question.

Tim

nononsense

sakosam,

We get asked questions like this frequently and on occasion, folks like to get a little touchy about the concept of long range hunting. Just chalk it up to the phase of the moon and keep reading other posts from the searches on this website.

The 30-378 is fairly expensive and you can get way beyond 500 yards with either the 7 STW or the 300 RUM. You can even consider something like the 300 Winchester Magnum, 338 Win. Mag. or such.

Best.

SCOUT5

In the last issue of F&S David Petzal wrote an article about different ammo and it's uses. His #1 pick for big game (including elk) at long range was the 300 wby mag. He says there are a lot of other 300 mags that will do the job he just picked wby because he got there first. The 300 RUM is the equal and can be had in a cheaper rifle, namely the remington 700.

A friend of mine and his brother just shot 8 antelope in 2 days in South Dakota (each had 4 tags) The last one he shot was his buck, distance: measured with laser range finder 429 yards, rifle: a remington 700 in 300 wby mag, ammo: wby fatory with 150 grain bullet (he did not mention what type of bullet).

If the only people who already knew how shot game at these ranges..............well how would anyone ever learn. I am trying to learn to shoot those distances myself and I just bought a 300 wsm. I choose that caliber because I wanted a shorter lighter rifle than is needed to take advantage of the longer cartridges like the 300 RUM or 300 WBY mag. I came real close to a 300 RUM myself.

Good luck, press on,

Scout

tsr1965

Anything in a 7MM or above, as the extra energy will be needed for the Elk. The 300 RUM is excellent, and is on the better side of being the equal of the 300 Weatherby Mag. It treads closely to the 30-378. If it were myself building the rifle for this purpose, it would most likely be a 300 RUM or 300 Winchester Mag(especially if I were rolling my own ammunition. The rifle itself would be either on a Sako, or Remington frame with a Shilen barrel. Actually I would most likely have the friends at Christenson Arms build it.

sandwarrior

sakosam,

First, I will say to take some earlier advice and listen to the good advice and don't get roped into an argument or shouting contest here. Not conducive to the way we like to keep this forum.

I will say look for the most ballisticly efficient bullet that will produce the energies you will need to obtain at the ranges at which you wish to shoot. Be ready to spend some money on a very good barrel and a very good action. You will also need to spend some money on a good gunsmith who understands what you are trying to do. Forgot, good stock that fits and spend the time, or money, to get it bedded it right.

dtknowles

I apologize for the tone of my firts response. It is just that there are so many more important issues related to long range shooting that asking about those caliber choices left me feeling that you just don't get it. Maybe you do get it and just wanted to chat about hot cartridges. Some other things to think about. Do you have a place where you can practice long range shooting? Man I wish I did, longest range I have reasonable access to is 250 yards. Do you have a rangefinder that is accurate at those ranges? Will you use a portable rest, shoot over the hood of your truck, etc. Do you have a balistics computer with windage as well as drop? Does this rifle need to be light enough to be carried around a bunch or is it just coming out for the long shots? What are you thinking about for a scope, got to think about this when figuring what you can afford unless $$$ are not an issue.

Tim

Beer gut

sakosam I have a 300 Wthby, 30-378 Wthby, and a 300WSM any of which can shoot 500 + yards it just depends on what you want to spend on the rifle, ammo, and padding for your sholder. Remember to learn to shoot that far accuaratly you will need to shoot often the bigger the bullet the more punishing it will be

good luck

1KYDSTR

Heavy, ballistically efficient bullets fired at anywhere from 1040 to 3200 fps will do, as it all depends on how you want to get there. The 500 Whisper launched at 1040 fps. with a 900 gr VLD will produce 1/2 MOA accuracy at 600 meters and still knock an elk * over teakettle with the retained energy. Hit that same animal in the chest with a 300 RUM 180 Barnes-X at the same range with an IMV of 3250 fps and guess what?...he will likely go down appearing to have been struck by lightning as well.

My advice, while a touch arcane, is to get something that launches a heavy, efficient but proven expansion hunting bullet between 6.5 and 7.62mm (with a thin jacket) to moderate speeds and has a twist rate that will get those long ogee VLD's up to speed. The 6.5-284, aforementioned 7mmSTW or Weatherby7mm...about the same thing , ot perhaps the 300 RUM would fill the bill. My take is that the ballistically efficient 6.5's in the 140 grain weight or 160 VLD's coupled with the 6.5-284's reputation on the 1000 meter circuit might make it the ideal round to make the transfer from bench to field. Does Barnes make a 140 grain copper solid? If they do, it must look like a javelin and would be fun to play with in a tight twist. Good luck..your gonna get a hundred opinions here. Keep firmly in mind mine and all others are just that...opinoins.

JustC

the 300RUM is faster than the 300wthby[8] The Heavy pills make the 300RUM shine, (where it was DESIGNED to work). The 200+ grain offerings make it a hard hitting, long range, 30cal rivaling the 30-378 velocities at a fraction of a cost.

heliman

I bought a Remington 700 SPS in 300 RUM with a 3x9 Rifleman Leupold scope and don't have more than $650 invested. That is a lot of down range performance for a reasonable amount of money![:)]