Latest and greatest in the 1000 yard game

[Sam Salvati]

What’s the latest and greatest rifle caliber For the 1000 yard plus shooting world? Rifle being an off the shelf manufacturer.

 

[4g64loser]

PVA John Hancock rifle if you must stay in production division. Choice of chambering will highly depend on your shooting volume and intended purpose. I'd opt for a 6 if I was shooting mostly paper he's but the barrels go to crap FAST. A 6 or 6.5 would be fine for prs or other steel plate games. 308 will work with the right loads, probably not most factory ammo.

 

[gwchem]

Probably 6.5 prc.

 

[TrappedinMD]

What’s your intended use?

 

[steves1911]

By popularity probably 6.5prc but lots of new bullets out breathing new life into old cartridges. Im waiting on a 8 twist barell for a 25-06 im putting together to run the 133gr berger. G7 is .315.

 

[Pinecone]

Best, off the shelf? Probably Sako TRG-42 in .300 WinMag. Or .338 Lapua Mag if you want to reach out further.

And then there is .50.

 

[KRC]

https://internationalbenchrest.com/results/longrange

If you scroll down, some clubs show competitor equipment lists.
Seems to be a mix of .30 cal. 6.5 and 6mm variants for 1000 yards, with no clear "greatest". Mostly 6mm BR variants for 600 yards. The rifles will not be "off the shelf".

 

[AlBeight]

What’s the latest and greatest rifle caliber For the 1000 yard plus shooting world? Rifle being an off the shelf manufacturer.

6mm ARC is intriguing me as of late. Turns a gas gun into a bona fide 1,000 yard gun, allegedly. Reading a lot about it, seeing a lot of very complimentary video reviews. Picking up a stripped lower tomorrow and originally had the idea to put together a mid-tier 6mm ARC, to give the flavor of the month a try, for giggles. If it is everything it’s made out to be, I may dive in more seriously.

Otherwise, the 6.5 Creedmore is very popular at the long range shoots, as are the PRC’s (6.5 and .300 are very wind resistant). Most of the guys I’ve seen winning or challenging for the top spots have been a 6mm of some kind, Creedmore, Dasher, Bench Rest. You really can’t go wrong with any of these. Factory rifles and ammo will exclude the Dasher and some of the more exotic 6’s, but rifles and ammo are mostly available in the rest (except for the current ammo stock shortage of course - but they are at least in the manufacturer’s lineups).

 

[holesonpaper]

6mm ARC is intriguing me as of late. Turns a gas gun into a bona fide 1,000 yard gun, allegedly. Reading a lot about it, seeing a lot of very complimentary video reviews. Picking up a stripped lower tomorrow and originally had the idea to put together a mid-tier 6mm ARC, to give the flavor of the month a try, for giggles. If it is everything it’s made out to be, I may dive in more seriously.

Same here... 6mm ARC has caught my attention however there seems to be shortage of componentry for - primarily reloading dies and brass. I picked up specialized mags and a grendel bolt for so someday.

I know many many go the bolt way - but for me personally, I'm probably going to do in an AR. 6.5 grendel and 224 valk just never excited me.

As for the "latest and greatest" in the 1000 yard game - that answer is based upon who you ask and when. Factor in everything - BC, wind drift, splash, seeing the trail, availability, options, barrel life, velocity, recoil, etc - it's hard to argue against the 6.5 creed. The largest con in my book with the 6.5 creedmoor is factory ammo cost. The sexiness of the ARC, for me, is the platform and supposedly good barrel life.

 

[KRC]

If I didn't have a 224V, I'd build a 6mmARC-ish (one of the prior iterations of this "new" cartridge with better throating). But that would be a gas gun, not a bolt gun, and the OP didn't specify. I wouldn't start out for 1000 yards with a gas gun. And I don't think a 6mm would be optimal much past about 600 on most days. For 1000, I'd likely go at least a 6.5, so HEY the 6.5CM looks good (unless it's very calm, then stay with the 6mm).

4g64loser - I've not found the 6BR to be hard on barrels at all. Are some of the variants much different?

 

[Speed3]

Depends on the game you're playing. Steel or paper? Harder to see splash with the 6mms, easier with larger calibers.


I think that the 7mm will stay at the top of the 1k game for a long time. 7shehane or a straight .284 would be fine. Most stay around the the 2850 fps range for barrel life. Lots of wildcats in 7mm, 7suam isn't a bad one either.

6mm arc isn't the 1k yard ticket, I have one. It's good in an ar platform but for the 6mm to shine they have to be above 3k fps. You could run it in a bolt gun but you'd be better off with a 6 dasher on all accounts. 6x47L is what I'm shooting @ 1k this year, but its a 1:7 twist shooting 115gr hopefully at 3100 fps(load testing hasn't started yet).

6mmbr is a great round, I've shot probably 5k rounds through it. 600 yard and in, hard to beat. At 1k, wind blows it around a lot you can get away with 800 yards pretty easy though.

 

[AlBeight]

Depends on the game you're playing. Steel or paper? Harder to see splash with the 6mms, easier with larger calibers.


I think that the 7mm will stay at the top of the 1k game for a long time. 7shehane or a straight .284 would be fine. Most stay around the the 2850 fps range for barrel life. Lots of wildcats in 7mm, 7suam isn't a bad one either.

6mm arc isn't the 1k yard ticket, I have one. It's good in an ar platform but for the 6mm to shine they have to be above 3k fps. You could run it in a bolt gun but you'd be better off with a 6 dasher on all accounts. 6x47L is what I'm shooting @ 1k this year, but its a 1:7 twist shooting 115gr hopefully at 3100 fps(load testing hasn't started yet).

6mmbr is a great round, I've shot probably 5k rounds through it. 600 yard and in, hard to beat. At 1k, wind blows it around a lot you can get away with 800 yards pretty easy though.

Nice offerings listed, but the Op is looking for “off the shelf rifles”. Other than the 6.5 CM, I’m not sure any that you list are available in that fashion, not to mention ammunition for same.

 

[Speed3]

Nice offerings listed, but the Op is looking for “off the shelf rifles”. Other than the 6.5 CM, I’m not sure any that you list are available in that fashion, not to mention ammunition for same.

I totally missed that part, clearly!

6.5CM get my vote then

 

[teratos]

I am happy with my .260 Remington.

 

[steves1911]

Savage has a couple target/benchrest models available in 6.5x284. Christiansen has the mesa lr in 6.5prc and 300prc. Sako has the trg. I know your looking for off the shelf but look into a defiance tenacity action. They run $885 you could pair one with a criterion bbl and the stock and trigger of your choice and have a hell of a rig for around $2k or less depending on stock choice. Can be put together easier than an ar15.

 

[holesonpaper]

I am happy with my .260 Remington.

Never shot the 260 but it's just another example of a great round.

I see the "best/better" argument a little silly. There's a number of great cartridges that will get you to 1000 and beyond. The last time I was at 1000, my buddy ran a 6BR and me a 308 win. Overall he had had the superior setup yet in the end, I had (considerably - but that makes me sound like a d) more hits on target. The devil is in the details.

Where I'm a bit against, is some of these cartridges which burn up your barrel rather quickly. This is a hobby.. I enjoy putting hits on target. It takes me 100-200rds to really get a feel for a new rifle and with some like 6mm creed, thats ~25% of the barrel life... Fine for some, not for me.

 

[Biggfoot44]

What everybody is saying . There is no single * Best * , too many ancillary parameters .

 

[teratos]

Never shot the 260 but it's just another example of a great round.

I see the "best/better" argument a little silly. There's a number of great cartridges that will get you to 1000 and beyond. The last time I was at 1000, my buddy ran a 6BR and me a 308 win. Overall he had had the superior setup yet in the end, I had (considerably - but that makes me sound like a d) more hits on target. The devil is in the details.

Where I'm a bit against, is some of these cartridges which burn up your barrel rather quickly. This is a hobby.. I enjoy putting hits on target. It takes me 100-200rds to really get a feel for a new rifle and with some like 6mm creed, thats ~25% of the barrel life... Fine for some, not for me.

What everybody is saying . There is no single * Best * , too many ancillary parameters .

There are numerous correct answers.

 

[4g64loser]

I am happy with my .260 Remington.

I like .260 but that's because I am already tooled for loading it and I spec chambers to allow me to keep the bullets I like in mag length. The .260 allows a slight speed advantage over 6.5 creed (more advantage seen with lighter bullets) but due to limited factory ammo offerings, the creed gets my vote for a "factory" rifle with a SAAMI reamer since most factories tend to let lawyers design their reamers.

With reasonable care, the 6.5 creed will give tube life of 2000-2800 rounds. A lot depends on how hit you get it and how snotty you load it. For a first gun I'd avoid the hotrod sixes unless you know the precision game is for you (and you are after prs or paper match scoring podium standing). Barrel life sucks. I'd also stay away from cases with large powder bottles like the PRCs or other magnums. Shorter bbl life and you will get less shooting in a day due to increased ammo cost and barrel heating.

This said, with factory ammo as a requirement, I'd say 6.5 creed or 308 win. If you are comfortable with mid-level to advanced handloading, a 6br is very hard to beat. Not as slick at a grand as a creed but I have few problems in most conditions. Add in the smaller powder capacity (less bbl heat per shot) and the absolutely incredible precision I have seen out of my own bbls and those belonging to others, it's a winner. Sadly only lapua and norma sell loaded ammo and the round is very finicky to run in a repeater action (unless you have a CRF type action and a modded magazine, but that's a topic of its own) so for most it's a no-go. I still love it and reach over many of my other rifles to take it to the range often.

 

[calicojack]

7mm08 on paper is not too bad. Although I own one, have not shot that far, nor even at 500yards!