Long range shooter

T1jetmech

I hate that this is my first post on here but I was directed to this forum for this very question. I would like your opinions on a good long range rifle round. I am looking for a round that is capible of maintaining good energy (supersonic) to about 500 yds but won't make me quit shooting after 5 rounds and go get some ben-gay for my shoulder. I used to shoot a Browning A-Bolt in 22-250 and loved it...real pleasure to shoot. The only problem is 500 yds consistently was hard to obtain unless I shot on the calmest of days. I don't have alot of local knowledge to pull from on this issue. It is just a hand full of friends that enjoy long range shooting and none of us have any knowledge about the WSSM rounds other that what we read in the Mags. I joined this site to days ago and I have been reading alot of the posts...it would seem everyone hates hairy and he hates everyone...[:)] I have been leaning towards the 25-06 but I would like some input about the WSSM rounds from people that have shot them. Any opinion would be great. Thanks-Jonathan

Beer gut

I do not own one but my buddy has a 243 WSSM in a Browning A-BOLT Varmint model he really likes it and plans on taking it Varmint hunting at ranges of 200 to 400 yards. Only limitation not much out there as far as ammo. The 25 WSSM on the other hand is availible in more bullet types and weights about 20 grains heavier for those windy days while maintaining about the same velocity as the 243.
GOOD LUCK

Redtail

"Aint none ofem magic"But to be consistant at 500 yards you need to to toss a 150gr or heavier bullit.7mm rem.mag,7mmWSM will do in the right set-up.

Tailgunner1954

Staying supersonic at 500 isn't hard, learning to read wind and marage is IOW it's the driver, not the rifle/cartridge that needs work.
243Win/6mmRem, 6.5x55/260Rem, 7x57/7-08Rem, 308Win/30-06 will all do it (the 22's will remain supersonic, but the wind drift is higher).
Most of the ones I mentioned will remain supersonic well past 800yd, so their is no need to step up to the "magnum" class, yet.
Even the highest velocity rounds will drop and drift, just not as much, so again it comes down to training the driver. You might as well do that with a cartridge that isn't hard on the shoulder or wallet.

11b6r

While heavier bullet + higher velocity equals more recoil, the weight of the rifle AND stock design will also make a major contribution to PERCEIVED recoil. I have a light 308 that brings tears to my eyes without a recoil pad- and 8mm Mausers that are fun shooters. .243-30 cal will get you the ballistics to hold up well at 500. If you have any interest in the Milsurp rifles, the K-31 in 7.5 Swiss does quite well, as does the MN 91/30, the Mausers, 03 Springfields, and even the 303 Enfields. For civilian rifles, you could do a lot worse than the 25-06 or 243 family. But again, weight of rifle and stock design.

Colonel Plink

7mmSTW has a good long-range capabilities. In a Heavy-barrel config, it seems to produce more of a shove than a punch.
Not very common round, granted, but worth a look, ballistically.

JustC

Honestly,..for a non-magnum recoil level, my choices would be down to these:

243
6mm
25-06
260
6.5x55
270
7x57
7-08
280
308
30-06


the WSSM's seem to be lacking in available ammunition choices and needs (IMHO) a reloader to bring it up to it's best.

nononsense

T1jetmech,

You haven't stated what type of long range shooting you want to do.

Before jumping into the long range rifle buying arena, I would take some time and do some reading. There are lots of terrific books and articles written about starting to shoot long range. Sinclair International has several that are worth reading:

http://www.sinclairintl.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=BOVSOB&type=store

Page through the list and select the ones that cover the areas you are interested in learning about. You can also use a good search engine to locate articles on the internet that you can download and read at your leisure. These are just a couple that I found quickly:

http://www.lazzeroni.com/ct_lrs.htm

http://www.huntingmag.com/big_game/eternity_061405/index1.html

After doing some research and reading you should have a better handle on what type of cartridge you want to invest in. Don't forget, the scope and how to use it are two of the most important facets of any shooting. Do not scrimp on a scope or slack off from practicing.

Let us know some more information.

Best.

nards444

7mm

Tailgunner1954

quote:Originally posted by nards444
7mm

7mm-357Mag, 7mmPPC, 7mmBR, 7x39, 276Pederson, 7mm Waters, 7x57, 7-303Brit, 7x54R, 7mm-45/70, 7mm-06, 7mm-404J, or???????????

T1jetmech

Thank you all for the opinions. I know I have a great deal more reading and research before I buy a long range shooter. I also know I need to learn to "drive" out to those ranges. But there is a big difference in driving a pinto and driving, say a Toyota camry. I can learn to drive both, but the Camry is more fun and more reliable. So that's what i am trying to do here...weed out the "pinto" versions of rounds from the Camry's. I know there makes a difference by brands too, but brand loyality seems to get pretty heated on forums and i wanted to really discuss calibers. Several of you mentioned stock design. Never really occured to me. What characteristics of stock design dictate what results? I must admit I was lured by the "magic" of the WSSM hype. But I will be checking out the links nononsense put up. Living in Mississippi I don't get much prairie dog hunting but we do get Nutras that are very smart...when your watching a pond, it is nice to be able to take out a musk rat or beaver or nutra on the other side without skipping your round off the water. I know that takes pratice...and a round capible of reaching 450-500 and still kill the varmit. The 22-250 just wounded them. I didn't like just wounding them...didn't seem right. I would prefer a decisive kill. Does anyone have a link or article on stock designs and their impact on shooting?