Need your opinion

[frankidaho]

A friend asked me to recommend a long range caliber for him. He wants something 30 cal. or less and he does not reload. What would you guys suggest?

 

[Clayne B]

More info would help.... Game to be hunted... distance to be hunting game... paper punching...

With no info I would say a .308

 

[frankidaho]

Sorry about being so vague. He wants a rifle for long range hunting, whitetails and elk. Less than 1000 yards. There are so many good options out there until you factor in the fact that he doesn't reload. Now he will be dependant on factory ammo. I have reloaded for over 25 years and never buy factory ammo. I was thinking about the wsm's or a 7mm rem mag or 300 win mag. Is there quality ammo for these rounds specifically for long range hunting?

 

[pburton]

In my opinion a .300 win mag or 7mm rem mag would be good bets. There are a couple of companies that make decent factory ammo that is readily available for either cal.

 

[squirrelduster]

Pretty hard to beat the 300 win mag for an out of the box rifle.
There are tons of factory offerings from light to heavy and from cheap to custom. Accuracy is very good. Plenty of power for elk and doesn't destroy too much meat on a deer.
Ammo is easy to find even in remote areas.

 

[roninflag]

factory ammo is expensive. lot of choices for factory ammo with the 300 wm. the gun/make model is going to be even more important shooting factory ammo; to get the precision you need . a 700 sendero, 5-r or a 700 with a krieger barrel. it takes quite a bit of practice to get proficient at the longer ranges. $$ with factory ammo.

 

[4bycamper]

factory ammo is expensive. lot of choices for factory ammo with the 300 wm. the gun/make model is going to be even more important shooting factory ammo; to get the precision you need . a 700 sendero, 5-r or a 700 with a krieger barrel. it takes quite a bit of practice to get proficient at the longer ranges. $$ with factory ammo.

+1 300 win mag is very versatile. When I had only one rifle it was 300WM. With it I killed everything I shot. Not really sure that I have gained anything now that I have 6 rifles.

 

[emn83]

Give the criteria, I'd also say a 300WINMAG would be a great choice.

 

[bower4311]

Lee anniversary kits are $110 or so, dies, shell holders and a lee case cutter under 50 together. So say, $160 with an average savings of 40 cents that's 400 rounds with better accuracy. Sure some time, but come on.

 

[roninflag]

there is a non-fiction book written by Chris Kyle. He used the 300 wm with factory ammo very effectively. he considered himself an average marksman .

 

[Broz]

300 win hands down. Especially when elk and long range are on slate.

Jeff

 

[COBrad]

I'll cast a dissenting vote. I stopped using the .300's and went back to the 7 rem mag shooting 180 gr Berger VLD's. Less recoil. I can't see an appreciable difference in killing ability, but I am certainly not the most experienced long range guy here.
As for factory ammo, I would also suggest for serious long range shooting, reload. You really need to be able to tailor your handloads for best accuracy. That said, I know there are some custom manufacturers that guarantee half-moa, or less, with match grade .308 loads. Maybe they would similarly expect the same level of accuracy with similar .300 WM loads. There are outfits like Best of the West and Gunwerks that load matchgrade ammo, and I think will also work up a load in your rifle, then load for you. Just depends on how much $ you want to put into it. For the right price you can have your cake and eat it to.