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Most accurate caliber out to 2200 yards

I know this may be a loaded question, but I am looking for what calibers stand out as being the most accurate out to no farther than 2200 yards, PLUS have above average barrel life. I know an ELR caliber probably doesn't have 308 barrel life so I am not suggesting that. This will be for target shooting only.

thanks
 
I know this may be a loaded question, but I am looking for what calibers stand out as being the most accurate out to no farther than 2200 yards, PLUS have above average barrel life. I know an ELR caliber probably doesn't have 308 barrel life so I am not suggesting that. This will be for target shooting only.

thanks

Pretty controversial topic IMO - I'll say this, the 338 Lapua Improveds did well at E2k (2000 yards) in Montana where we shot for group & score.

Look at the match reports & equipment lists for ELR events and that may help answer that question.
 
Yea I want one good to 2200yds. 5000rd barrel life, low recoil so I can see my hits, some thing with the right twist and a micro smooth barrel so I can use cheap bullets. And the right expansion ratio so I can us cheap WC 872 powder. And be able to work with a savage axis action. Some thing I can shoot squirrels and elephants with.
 
Tubb just won a big event with it a few weeks as go. Beat out all the 375s

I was at the same event. I'm making sweeping generalizations based on what I saw.

He was shooting 37XC, not 33XC.

And I would chalk his win in the heavy class up to having more experience and bringing a team of guys with him; not necessarily the caliber. I don't think a lot of guys are pursuing ELR seriously to the extent where it's as competitive as F-Class. Guys are still figuring it out.

Blakely has small berms and it had rained the same morning, and conditions were crap. Spotting impacts was definitely not easy, and I'm sure having the giant Kowa binoculars and thermals helped.

I would also not be quick to judge the best caliber yet. I think the 37XC is cool if you want to use a Lapua bolt faced action. I think the trend has been to heavier calibers so that impacts can be spotted.

If I were to build a rifle, I would probably go with a .375 Cheytac or XC. I think 37 caliber is going to stay competitive in most situations.
 
Dwall,
I am very familiar with the setup that David and Shawn were using in Blakely. I coached Shawn.

DStone,
Yes, Kowa bigeyes are a NECESSITY as is a very sturdy tripod with a good fluid head. If you do not have a pair of quality bigeyes you are going backwards. ELR is a team event, unfortunately the spotter never gets any recognition only the shooter. I wish I had rigged my Kowa Prominars to be coin operated before going to Blakely. I would have made a fortune:):):)
EJ

I know how that goes. I got beat with my own gun by the guy who decided he wanted to shoot the match at 7pm on the Friday before the match. I didn't even bring a spotting scope so we were just borrowing whatever one we could steal at the time.

We didn't do well in the little gun side because 300WM is the most accurate caliber ever; we did well because we had really good data on the rifle we shot. I've pretty much shot the same ammo through the rifle since I got it to the point where I know it, and I know that the ballistic program works. The other half of it is that I have a good balance of experience split between the NRA and PRS competitions that a lot of the guys on my end of the line didn't have.

Guys are still learning things that have been self-evident in the Highpower world for the last century; like the worth of a good spotting scope and a good coach. The way me and Jeff shot is the same approach I would take at Camp Perry. Good coaching is an art form in itself, and the only venue I've seen where it can be perfected is in conventional shooting disciplines, so any of the guys transitioning over from the tactical or PRS worlds is already way behind the curve.

I think the discipline is still too new to determine what the "best caliber" is. I know that if I were to shoot heavy gun at Blakely I would be looking at bigger and heavier bullets just for the ability to spot my misses. With a 37XC, David got a total of 9 hits out of 25 possible. If you can't see where those bullets went, that's a ton of information that you are missing out on. Even doing exceptionally well on the light gun side, about half of our shots went into the dirt somewhere.
 
Please excuse me for showing my butt earlier. It just always gets me when someone wants to something with a rifle that is on the edge of impossible, yet they want to do it on the cheap. The two don't even need to be in the same sentence when talking about shooting accurately to over 2000yds.
 
Please excuse me for showing my butt earlier. It just always gets me when someone wants to something with a rifle that is on the edge of impossible, yet they want to do it on the cheap. The two don't even need to be in the same sentence when talking about shooting accurately to over 2000yds.
Are you talking about my original post? I don't remember saying anything about doing it on the cheap. All I meant was doing it with something that I would prefer to have at least 1000 rounds of precision barrel life. I mean I own an axmc. Also just bought an impact action for a new build. Also just bought an AMP annealer. Now are we still talking cheap?
 
The barrel is the cheapest thing in the package. My 338 I have more money in the brass than I do in the barrel. Good luck in your quest!!!
I'm not worried about the price of the barrel. It's more of the fact of liking to have a load worked up that I can use for at least 1000rounds without having to start the process all over again with a new barrel. Which I know that's just part of it but I hate to work up load development every 500 rounds because the barrel is burned out. Hope that clears things up.
 
Well it does and you are right. My second RUM the barrels life was so short cause of a gumsmithing screw up when it was replaced I sent 2 blanks to the new smith. If you do cutting edge it costs.
 
Isn't it always the case that we get beat by our own gun when we lend it out:) It never fails.

There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with a 300WM for shooting these type of matches. Lots of people are looking for the most ballistic superior cartridge/bullet combination and often do not spend enough time focusing on wind reading.

Coaching is fun and frustrating at the same time. Shooter/coach dynamics come into play and some shooters do not obey the coach because they think they know better and are not on the big eyes. Even with big eyes it was very difficult to see impacts at Blakely this last match given the ground was so wet. Usually mud will fly up, however this was not the case this time.

Yes, the jury is still out on which caliber is best at 2000 yards but the big 338's get my nod. Precision first then accuracy...… I always test with multiple ten shot groups at 1000 yards and lead core jacketed bullets have always come out ahead. Yes, I do shoot solids but only in calibers where lead core bullets are not an option. The length limitation to a good lead core jacketed bullet seems to be about 1.700-1.800" long. It is very difficult to draw a concentric jacket much longer given the stroke length of the machinery currently being used to make jackets. I know of one company that is working towards creating good (long) jacketed bullets in larger calibers .375 and up, however we are a long ways away from seeing any finished product. Sierra makes great bullets and the 300gr 338 shoots fantastic as well as their 350gr .375 Matchking. The 350gr Matchking at 3200fps is a great 2000 round setup. One big advantage of lead core bullets is being able to see the impact on target. The impact signature of a lead bullet is very visible where solids are very difficult to see unless the target is clean and the lighting is just right.
EJ


Oh trust me I have no complaints with my 300WM. I was poking fun more at people that get lost in the little minutia of what makes one 30 cal magnum better than the next. To me I just day that they all do "30 caliber magnum things."

I'm a more experienced wind reader than my spotter was, but I told him straight up that he is the pilot of this plane as it goes in for a crash landing. The only input I had was in the initial wind call before I lie down.

I agree on the caliber. Some form of 338 seems to be the most versatile of the larger calibers. I spotted for Mike Encinas the previous week, and his 338 Lapua is a laser, but Blakey isn't really conducive to spotting impacts when its soaking wet.
 
Yea I want one good to 2200yds. 5000rd barrel life, low recoil so I can see my hits, some thing with the right twist and a micro smooth barrel so I can use cheap bullets. And the right expansion ratio so I can us cheap WC 872 powder. And be able to work with a savage axis action. Some thing I can shoot squirrels and elephants with.

Sounds like you need a 338 Creed-much-moor
 
The barrel is the cheapest thing in the package. My 338 I have more money in the brass than I do in the barrel. Good luck in your quest!!!
By the time you go thru enough brass and bullets to burn out a barrel, you could have bought 4 barrels for that 338.
 

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