Good long range hunting round?

D

Deja vu

New member
I am looking for a good cartridge to add to my collection. Currently every thing I have is 45-70Govt, 357 magnum, 12ga or 22lr.

Growing up in the Selway the short range guns where great but as I get older I see the value in a longer range cartridge. I have been hunting antelope with my brother in the deserts in Idaho and long shots are the norm.

What would you recommend? Cost is an issue. I dont want to spend $100.00 on a box of ammo.
 
You're going to get a lot of answers from the 7mm and 30 caliber family. Possibly even a few 6.5's

What's the largest animal you intend to shoot and say the longest range you want to shoot.
 
Largest animal may be elk but at closer range 100-200 yards But i could take my 45-70 for this.

Longest range would be antelope at 400-500 yards.
 
I consider long range 700 yards and out.

For medium ranges out to about 600 yards on deer and pronghorn, a good 6.5mm with a hunting bullet and and a lot of practice will be fine. If you are going past 600 yards, I think you need more horsepower. The 6.5s will hit past 1K, but they lack the energy for humane kills past 600 to 700 yards depending on bullet and MV.

.260 Rem, 6.5x55, 6.5CM are all excellent medium game medium range cartridges.
 
.243 Win if pronghorn is the only game, .270 Win if you want it to handle elk as well with it. That is if a commonly found cartridge is what you're after? If you want something a little different MarkCO offered up some excellent suggestions. .25-06, 7mm-08, and .280 would be good offerings, but don't forget the .308 and .30-06 will work wonderfully at those ranges as well.
 
With elk in the possible equation I would go 270, 308 or 30-06. One of the main reasons is unless you reload which I do.. everything but the common cases will cost more.

Here in Wisconsin around deer season and many other times of the year 30-30 and 30-06 are king being available everywhere for a low price from the big box stores to small town gas stations. My 30-40 Krag is now at about $40 a box and barely available.

My future long range gun will most likely be in 308 or 30-06 unless I find a good deal to reload for.
 
Another round to consider for antelope size game is the 25-06. It is a very flat shooting round and has plenty punch for medium size animals.
 
Many don't consider it but .50 or .338 for 700 yard plus shots (per MarCO's definition) is as good as you will get. Pricey compared to your .22, nothing else has the ballistic coefficient and wind resistance beyond 1/3 of a mile out to a mile.
Fewer rounds per box but most come with excellent muzzle breaks reduce the recoil to much better than a 7mm.
 
We do shoot Pronghorn with .243 more often than not. For Elk, I like .30-06 and .338-06, and those are the usuals for mule deer too.

You can always get a lighter (and longer with the solids) bullet and download it some if you want, but all cartridges have their ceilings. The only times I have heard people complain about too much gun is 7mm Mag on Pronghorns and .30-378 on whitetails.
 
With the cost and availability of factory loads considered along with game from pronghorn to elk 308, 30-06 or 270 are the only real options. There are plenty of cartridges that will do what you want and good arguments can be made that any of about 2 dozen others might offer some small advantage. But when you look at cost and what is actually on store shelves the advantages just aren't worth it. For a hand loader cost is about the same for any of them.

I think 30-06 offers the most versatility, but recoil is slightly more than the others.

A 308 will have the least recoil and can be had in smaller, more compact rifles if hunting in steep rugged terrain is a concern. It will be somewhat limited to shorter ranges than the others, but is still a viable 400 yard elk round, farther for smaller game.

On paper the 270 shoots flatter and with factory loads probably does. With the best loads it only beats 30-06 with about 2" less drop at 500 yards though. Hardly any real world advantage. With the better bullets it will take any game 30-06 will so I see the 2 as ballistic twins.
 
"...700 yards and out..." Which is way too far for any hunting shot with any cartridge.
"...they lack the energy for humane kills..." So do any of the .27 or .30 calibres. Even the much vaunted 7mm Rem Mag with a 150ish grain bullet only has about 1700ish ft/lbs. of energy remaining at 500. Drops like a brick past 300 too.
However, being able to hit a wee elk's heart/lungs area of about 6" or so diameter at 500 plus is an issue as well. Means you really have to know your rifle and its capabilities.
Average distance for elk in Idaho is about 200 yards with 400 possible.
And there's a great deal of UP. Get fit.
 
I live in the Southeast so I like the 270 or 30-06 when out west. Both are good long range calibers with enough energy to kill at long range. To be effective you need energy to be delivered. I have used a 375 Remington Ultra Mag but for most cases it is overkill.
 
With cost being an issue 30-06 would be my choice. I still find a box at Walmart under $20. Plus with the range of bullets for reloading you can literally go hunting squirrels to moose, or is it meese. Whatever the 308 shoots the ought six does it faster.
 
My choice is 270 Winchester, but the 30-'06 is just as good. Nothing else is quite in the same class. Price and availability of 308 and 243 makes those two also worthy of consideration for some folks.
 
T.O'Heir said:
]"...700 yards and out..." Which is way too far for any hunting shot with any cartridge.
"...they lack the energy for humane kills..." So do any of the .27 or .30 calibres. Even the much vaunted 7mm Rem Mag with a 150ish grain bullet only has about 1700ish ft/lbs. of energy remaining at 500. Drops like a brick past 300 too.
However, being able to hit a wee elk's heart/lungs area of about 6" or so diameter at 500 plus is an issue as well. Means you really have to know your rifle and its capabilities.
Average distance for elk in Idaho is about 200 yards with 400 possible.
And there's a great deal of UP. Get fit.
Click to expand...

1. 700 yards is a long shot on game, but it isn't way too far for some hunters.
2. There is no energy minimum needed to kill big game, if there was then muzzleloader and handgun hunting would be outlawed.
3. The only thing that "drops like a brick", is a brick!
4. An average sized kill zone for heart and lungs on a white tail is about 10" in diameter, an elk's heart lung area is much larger than 6".
5. The OP lives and hunts in Idaho. I imagine he knows what kind of physical condition he needs to be in, there's no need to tell him to get fit.
 
Lets face it, there are many good cartridges/rifle combos, that will do what you wish.

I would look at some ballistic charts, attempt to shoot a couple of different rifles in the calibers your looking at (I have often let someone else take a shot out of my rifles at the range).

All the opinions in the world, and all the ballistic chart comparisons just don't match actually shooting a cartridge.
 
Depends on where you reside. Plains, mountainous, swamps. Personally I think the 270 is the best caliber for my use of all I have available to me. But what works for me may not be appropriate for you. So seriously if I were to single out just one caliber out of all. A big game hunting caliber? >300 Winchester Mag.
Hand loading for it. 300 mag has a overwhelming rainbow of reloading possibilities quite unlike many of the others (including my venerable 270.) But its known the magnum cartridges have one disappointment. Its rifles tend to be heavy in weight which for me is why I prefer another non-magnum caliber.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top