what calibre would you reccommend for 1000 yard shooting? advice?

sean12345

Well-Known Member
i have recently been offered to start shooting out to 1000 yards, i was woundering what calibre people think is best,

I have always been tempted towards the .308 but im sure there is better choices.

i currently use a custom .233 and just not sure if this is up to the job.
 
i have recently been offered to start shooting out to 1000 yards, i was woundering what calibre people think is best,

I have always been tempted towards the .308 but im sure there is better choices.

i currently use a custom .233 and just not sure if this is up to the job.

Sean, I don't know where in North Wales you are but might pay you to pop into Glyn's hairdressers in Old Colwyn as he is a ballistics nut and shoots out to 1500 mtrs with custom loads. I have a feeling that his current load is similar to your .233 and goes out at over 4,000 fps but he'd give you very good advice. He has been featured on You Tube popping balloons at those sort of ranges.
 
if this is just fun shooting (not f class ) them i would say 7mm rem mag or 7wsm with 175 or 180 gr bullets or .300win mag all with 190gr plus bullet
i use a .284 win for 1000yrd bench rest it would also be a good chosice the other i have mentioned have advantage of factory csae and gun's
 
Hi,
.308 win will get out there but the bullet will need to be a 150-155 grn bullet leaving your barrel at as close to 3,000 fps as Possible which will mean if you have a 26inch barrel that you need to load far in excess of max published loads to achieve close to 3,000 fps. If you have a rifle with a 30inch barrel no Problem.

I use a .308 with a 26 inch barrel for my target work approx 46grains of vhit drives a 155 scenar to around 2800fps wouldn't want to go higher due to pressure.

6.5mm (6.5x55, .260rem, 6.5x284) is another good choice. The 140grn bullets are slipy and have good BC so less lIky to be effected by the wind at range.

.233 can get out to 1000 I think there is a guy using .223 on the f class circuit uses a 90 grain bullet but the barrel twist needs to be 1in 7 or 6 in order to stabilise the bullet as its long and thin but super slippy and seams to buck the wind well.

7mm wsm is another one to look at but be prepared to change Barrels every thousand rounds or so.

Jase
 
a 7mm of some sort depends if its a custom rifle or a factory rifle
i shoot 7 mm saum ,7-270wsm and a 284 shehane i still think the 284 of some sort is the most accurate and gives great barrel life and is the best for either stalking and long range target work or vermin
 
i had a 300 ultra mag with a 30 inch barrel built and that is one of a hell of a thousand yarder.


regards
chris
 
.308 win will get out there but the bullet will need to be a 150-155 grn bullet leaving your barrel at as close to 3,000 fps as Possible which will mean if you have a 26inch barrel that you need to load far in excess of max published loads to achieve close to 3,000 fps.

This is exactly why those who wish to shoot their P-H T4's, L39's or L42's have to have them abused by the proof house to magnum proof (20 Tons when the .270 Win is only 19 Tons) because dumbass LR target shooters were overloading the 7.62x51 to keep bullets super sonic at 100 and 1200 yards.

Thanks to them many of these fine old rifle have been irrepairably damaged :mad: due to excessive pressure.
 
hi sean-you can contact Glen via uk varminting-ballistic hamster.he uses a 22BR with 75 grain heads at something like 3,300.IN FACT THAT SHOOTING WEB SITE IS A MINE OF INFO ON LONG RANGE SHOOTING GENERALLY.a.t.b richard.
 
I would have thought anything that can launch a 150gn+ projectile at 3000fps would do the job wouldnt it?
so long as it is a decent range of high BC projectiles and they are still doing well into supersonic speeds when they arrive does most of it not come down to the bloke behind the rifle?
 
I know two guys in the U.S. that are using the .300wsm for 1000yd's and its getting more popular every year.
 
there are restrictions on what size calibers you can use at certain venues,worth finding out before you waste your money,personly i would use 300 wm or 338 lapua,is expensive option though,308 best alround option,i use a 30-06 because i had one
 
This is exactly why those who wish to shoot their P-H T4's, L39's or L42's have to have them abused by the proof house to magnum proof (20 Tons when the .270 Win is only 19 Tons) because dumbass LR target shooters were overloading the 7.62x51 to keep bullets super sonic at 100 and 1200 yards.

Thanks to them many of these fine old rifle have been irrepairably damaged :mad: due to excessive pressure.

Got to agree that you don't need to stoke the the .308 up. I use a Steyr Scout (with the tiny fluted barrel) with the T8 mod still stuck on the end with 147gr bullets loaded within Sierras recommended limits and they happily make holes at 1000m.

I must admit that the scope adjustment needs cranking all the way up to the limit and then I have to add another Mil dot when aiming but it does the job. Last time I shot it was p!ssing it down so I had my coat over my head and the scope and I was still hitting the target so I reckon you don't need anything fancy unless you are doing serious competion shooting.

Mel
 
I shoot 7-08 and have tried it at 1000yds. I shoot 140gn VLDs at around 2800fps. I have to be honest and think that unless you use a hot (ish) load then its on the ragged edge. the 7-08 managed a 20 shot 25'' group at 1000yds. This rifle groups consistently 0.5MOA and less on my good days out to 600yds. I reckon that the 2.5MOA group at 1000yds is due to the round being in the transonic range of speed.

I tried shooting the 168gn VLDs through my 1:10 barrel but didnt get anything like the accuracy that i do with 140s (obviously...) The only advantage in the 168s in my situation would be windage because due to the lower MV, it gets to the target at a very similar speed as the 140gn.

Im also looking for a calibre which i can use like my 7-08 for both long range targets as well as deer. Im not too fussed about being competitive in the f-class world but would like to be able to be competitive.

So regarding a pseudo f-class/stalking rig, ive come up with two calibres, 7mm SAUM or .284 win. Good brass availability, proven track record and not many problems regarding bullet feeding in a stalking envirionment.

PS: I like the 7mm for windage reasons..
 
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