Easiest Long Range Hunting Caliber To Reload For

300 Norma is easily the easiest, most forgiving long range cartridge I've ever loaded for . I tried 3 different bullets, and 3 different powders, seated everything .020" off the lands and pounded everything into sub 1/3 MOA groups. Many measured much less , the man that owns that rifle now has it shooting better than most would believe. One hole groups are normal and expected.

Starting with a quality rifle, I can't say I've noticed significant issues getting to accurate loads with any bottleneck rifle round. 20 Practical, 223, 243, 243AI, 6X45, 30-06, 300WM, 338 Edge, 358 Grant. OCW, ladder test, it's pretty straightforward. Typically start with known powders for that round/bullet and it's no issue, get a good charge weight, optimize seating depth, done.

Rounds I have struggled with are 45-70 in a BFR pistol and a 458 SOCOM. Both of those were very finicky.

Ya I'm not sure what the op is really after. I've rarely "struggled" to find a load but I can assure you there are reasons certain cartridges dominate long range benrest. Of those I would consider adequate for long range hunting would be the SAUM and the WSM.

there is a fella with a long range muzzle loader.....its probably the easiest..

barleydog said:

there is a fella with a long range muzzle loader.....its probably the easiest..

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Jeff Hankins?

I also have had incredibly good luck with almost every rifle I've had chambered for the 308 cartridge. Load development made me an instant hero and expert. LOL

The same is true with 223 but we're talking about long range here so I'll say that the short magnums have been super easy for me including 300WSM, 300SAUM and 7mmSAUM.

Some of the not so easy to load for have my every 243 I've ever owned, a couple of 22-250's, a 25-06, a 30-378 and the list goes on...

Quite simply I now avoid those cartridges other than the 243's. I just can't stop using them for everything from prairie dogs to whitetails and I just spend a lot of time tuning loads and putting up with them being finicky.

If I have a 223, 243, 308 and 7mmSAUM I consider myself prepared for any hunting situation other than dangerous game and I have a couple of dangerous game rifles that may never be used again but they are great to take out of the safe and fondle every once in awhile...

Smokepoles said:

6.5 saums have been easiest and most consistently the same for me with h1000 and vld.

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I've been wanting to try a 6.5 SAUM. I have had three 6.5 Remington Magnums (still have 2, shot out the first and sold the action). All easily push 140gr VLDs up to and over 3200 fps with less than 60gr of powder. Very easy to load for and tune. I have found multiple load recipes with all of them that are sub 1/2 MOA and a few sub 1/4 MOA. All groups stay together with ladder tests as well. Very forgiving round. The issue is brass....Getting very difficult to find and the quality is very lacking with Remington as the only option. Takes a lot of prepping and sorting to get good cases from it. That is why I am now contemplating the 6.5 SAUM.

My last 6.5 Rem Mag group at 600 yards.
Bipod and bag.

smaller big game and targets, .308. 7mmRm /300 winny for large game and tragets. Tons of load data for the 308win out there as well for the 7mm/300win
big fan of H1000 in the 7's and 300's....

The easiest ones for me have always been the ones that are chambered in a quality rifle. Yes i am being slightly sarcastic, but the truth is that any cartridge chambered correctly is easy to load for. I had a 7-300 win built last year on a Defiance action, Bartlein barrel and McMillan A-5 that I ended going with a load strictly by the chronograph numbers because it never shot a group larger than .5 moa. Almost everything that i put in it would print groups with all of the shots touching. Beyond a good rifle you need to figure out what you need and want from a 'long range' rifle. It all depends on what you will be shooting with it and what your desires for the rifle are. Do you want a big magnum? Do you want a smaller caliber with less recoil? Lots of viable options out there that will work really well at long range that should be fairly easy to load for if chambered in a quality built rifle.

My 284 fell in quickly. I think you start with a quality barrel it probably wont matter

adam32 said:

Probably a .300 winny or 7 rem mag.

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Between the two I'd say go for the WM. I've had five now and none of them were at all picky.

In truth though it all depends on the rifle and how well made it is. The best of them will eat just about anything and still shoot like my Gen2 milspec .260 which will shoot cheap factory ammo in the .2's all day.

It does however seem difficult for even the average smith to screw up a wm very bad if it shoots at all.

My 28 Nosler was plug and play! I chose a bullet, chose a powder, chose a primer and found some data to do an easy load for barrel break in. Shooting .3 out of the gate.
But normally the smaller calibers have been the easiest for me. Only ever had two rifles that were hard. I had a 300 RUM and a 270 Win that gave me fits. Both guns had factory barrels so maybe I will blame that lol.

fatjake said:

As the title states, im not looking for the magic recipe and I have a generally good grasp at working up a load for a rifle. But some cartridges are just a breeze to load for. Ive had many 6.5x47s, 6.5creedmoors, and 223s. They just seem to shoot really well relatively quickly without searching and searching for a load

Is there a Long range hunting cartridge the same way? What magnum cartridge do you guys find really easy to load for

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There have been MANY people on here and other long range forums that have found the combo of 300 win mag, Berger 215 Hybrid, & H1000 SUPER easy to develop a load for .010 - .030 off the lands.

From my experience with 28 Nolsers, N570 or Retumbo, 180ELDM or 195 EOL berger, Fed 215. Always can find something with these components fairly easy.