With the development of smaller high BC projectiles- are larger magnums obsolete for ELR shooting?

[kthomas]

Shooting short action cartridges very long distances is very satisfying. I've successfully shot my 6.5 Creedmoor to 2,200 yards. Problem is, those smaller bullets definitely get pushed around by the wind, and splash/signature at that distance is almost next to impossible to spot.

The bigger, heavier, higher BC bullets traveling at an appropriate speed will always win out. Even with the awesome .30 Cal cartridges and projectiles coming out these days, for true ELR work, the .375's, .408's etc. are king. Good luck trying to spot any signatures at 3,000-4,000 yards with a .30 cal projectile.

If you can't spot your misses (or impacts), you're really just wasting your time and money each time you pull the trigger. I've seen 6mm, 6.5mm, .30 cal and .375 all shot in the same environment at long ranges, and as fun as it is to really lob those small projectiles out there, they will not replace the .375/.408's for the really long ranges.

 

[Bellatrix]

Spotting your misses really is one of the more important aspects. In calm, stable conditions there might not be a huge difference in the accuracy between smaller and larger calibers, even at ELR. But who cares about a good group that no one could see 5 ft left of the target? Hits on target is what matters. But one can be creative in regards to this. I have shot my 6.5 over a lake on a calm morning. Even at distances WAY past 2k yards, spotting was easy with the use of water, even through my 10x scope. Shooting into a rock face, forget it even with my Swaro spotter.