Best Long Range Calibers for 2024 

OK, here I do have to admit that the 300 WM is one of my favorites for long range,... but I prefer the 30-06...

I still like the 30-06

You are still forgetting one of the best killers of all time, the 270win!

I'm sticking with my red rider, BB gun

7mm rem. Mag can't be beat!

7mm Rem Mag #1

Best all around do everything caliber is 7 mm magnum

LOVE MY 7 Mag. for almost 45 years. Never lost a white tail and most of them fell immediately.

I will stick with .308 Winchester as it's a good all around rifle cartridge for anything I would ever do with a rifle, which is mainly shooting steel and paper targets. If I want something with more reach, then it's either a .300 Win Mag or a .338 Lapua Magnum, which should be on this list as people have reached two miles with it.

I’ll take the 270 over the 6.5 cm

Definitely 7mm magnum, 28 Nosler, 270, 270 wsm, 300 wsm, 30-06 and 6.8 western. Pluss 7mm-08 is better than the 308.😁👍👍👍

Everybody seems to forget the 7 mm FTW

The .300 Win Mag or a .338 Lapua are the premier large range cartridges that are reasonably priced. I still shoot a 30-06 since ammo is so Freaking cheap. Here In Alaska the 30-06 is so pervasive it's actually used for currency! 2 rounds is worth a dollar in the outback and 3 rounds is worth a dollar in big Cities. At bars bullets are used to barter for booze.

I'll stick with the 25-06 and 7mm mag.. they have proven themselves time and time again over the years.

What about the winchester .270? It is a flat shooting round and is good for most North American animals.

What about the 270 Winchester? Greatest all around..... in my opinion 😊

I really have been impressed with the long range performance of my 270 Winchester Short Magnum with the advantage of a good range finder I have taken deer and elk out to a distance of 650 yards. But I also switch between the 270 WSM and my Remington 7mm that carries more energy to a longer range. I load the 270 with 140 grain bullets and the 7mm with 165 grain rounds. Both have a similar flight path but the 7mm carries more energy farther down range.

just returned from a guided pig hunt, my son and son-in-law both made kill shots at 540 yards and 600 yards with 7mag and 300 win mag. great guns especially the 7 mag.

Sounds to me like all these new cartridges that you are mentioning are paying you to promote them. The good old and proven .30-06, .270, .243, .308, is all you need, and the ammo is so much cheaper than the new stuff. I am glad that you put the .300 win mag in there as that is in my opinion the gun for everything! Cheaper ammo once again. Slso very pleased that you mention the .264 win mag.

Cool. I'm sticking with my 7mm Rem Mag. Out to 250 yards, I call it my Laser as I don't care if the animal is on the move or if the wind is blowing at 15 + it's there before there is any noticeable effect. My type of hunting doesn't put me that far away. Caribou is a good step out but you usually have time to make some adjustments a few bench sightings at 500 a few days early and your good to go. When it gets out there well it has plenty of energy left. Don't get me wrong I have had my day with the 300 Weatherby. I was started out on a Lee Enfield, then a 30 06 settled back to a 308 for over 15 years loved it. Shot the thing out in that time I dabbled with several calibers but nothing has put a smile on my face like my 300 Rem Mag 😊👍❤ on target at the range or out in the field. But I will not argue with anyone of these other cartridges that you have brought up today. When you're at the range splitting grains and experimenting with different powders. I have my sweet load and it hasn't let me down yet. At the top of the mountain, down in the valley or out on the Prairie. Be safe and have a blast😊👍❤

There is NOTHING the 6.5 Creedmoor does that the 25-06 won't just kick the shit out of it.

I will keep my 270 thanks !

I just keep my old Remington. 25-06, Winchester .30-30 and my .308 Savage. You can't go wrong. Anything on 2 and 4 legs are not a problem. Any questions??

For hog sized game up to about 500 yards I stick with my Mk.4 Lee Enfield in .303 British. Been in the family since before I was born and still works just fine.

These are not mine,you left off 30-06 , 7mm rem mag, 264 win mag

Strange to see people resting the barrel on their shooting sticks - almost guaranteed to change the P.O.I.

What about the 7mm mag

How about a 7mm rem mag?

What do you think of the 300 WSM?

6.8 Western

I have a 6.5 grendel and a 308. I don't plan on shooting anything over 400 yrds. I don't need anything else.

280 could be the best 'round calibre. Lot of 7mm bullets. Handloaded (in 30-06 brass) I came to 7mm Mag velocity. It takes more powder than 30-06

The 9,3 x 64 Brenneke. You can use the 225 gr for long range or the 293 grain for big game, when you stay with factory loads. For hand loading the range is from 154 to 324 gr. As a sniper round it is used in the Dragunov sniper rifle with a 256 gr bullet and 2520 ft/s muzzle velocity, before that in the Los. It has a very high accuracy. Perhaps you should also have a look at the 7 x 64. The favourite in Nordic countries for competition shouting is still the good old 6,5 x 55 today to SKAN specification.

how about the 300 WSM, which is a shorter, flatter shooting 300 Win Mag.

The cartridge that has the most retained downrange energy and velocity is always best. Unless shooting very big game, the best long range hunting cartridge for game is 338 Lapua, 338 ultra mag(edge) 338-378 shooting 180 Nosler Accubond. At 3600fps it drops less than anything and has tremendous downrange remaining energy. Not just a paper puncher.. This combination is capable of less than 1/2" grpup with a quality barrel. I also have a 338 Lapua improved which allows the availability and use of the best brass, Lapua

6.5 creed makes no sense. Unless you NEED a short action (roll eyes) the 6.5 Swede has been doing the same thing (same ballistics with same bullet) for more than 130 YEARS! Most swede shooters would say the creedmoor is no more accurate. In fact the 6.5x55 is STILL used in national matches. Plus the swede handles bigger bullets, and has been used for moose literally for a century. Its actually got a bigger case capacity, and if shooting a modern rifle and loading your own, its amazing. Cheers.

I have owned and hunted with many various cartridges from Michigan whitetails and black bear to Colorado elk and mule deer to Wyoming antelope to Texas javelina . I’ve used everything from 300 WM / 300 WSM , 7mm REM Mag, .30-06. .308 , .280 Remington, .270 Winchester, .243 Winchester and they ALL are very effective and have their place . My favorite was the .280 Remington, it just does everything really well and the recoil is manageable. However , I’ve recently been shooting a new rifle in my collection ( Tikka T3X Hunter ) chambered in 7mm-08 Remington and I have to say it holds the edge over the .308 Winchester due to its high BC’s and SD’s , less recoil , wind drift , flatter trajectory and better retained down range energy . It actually started life as a wildcat cartridge and was used specifically FOR long range silhouette shooting south of the border in Mexico for many years long before it ever became a commercialized cartridge , and it was favored for good reason due to the above mentioned characteristics. So I would say for the sake of the title in this video “ best long range cartridges “ , I would give honorable mentions to the tried and true venerable 7mm-08 Remington. And the most surprising ones that weren’t mentioned here for modern day cartridges competing in the long range shooting and hunting community are the 6.8 Western and the .280 Remington AI .

A cartridge I’m very interested in is 300PRC. If you haven’t seen anything on it hornady has a couple videos on this round. It’s a more modernized and “efficient” 300 win mag. As far as I can see it’s a much better all around cartridge.

I find it amusing, it’s impossible to please everyone when you make these types of lists. Myself I am a huge fan of the 280ai, in my opinion it’s the best for most applications. You get similar knock down power to the 7mm rem mag but with less recoil.

07:14 yup precise shot no dought with the barrel on the stand

Hard to beat a 300wm with a 180ttsx

Disappointed that you overlooked the .338 Lapua Mag. Saw stats that blew away the 5.6CM at 1000+ targets.

I take 308 over 6.5cm when both are 140gr I take 30-06 over 270 when both are 150gr. Always compare them in same grain weight

Had me untik you said .308 was a better hunter than 30-06

25-06

30.378 wea.hands down,no more discussion

6.5-300 Weatherby for deer and 30-378 for elk. Flattest production cartridge and fastest .30 cal.

I will stick with the 308 and 300 win mag. You can push a 110 grain bullet for the 300 win mag at 3,600 fps. And out performs a lot of othe cartridges.

Excellent video. One little correction though. "The `308 can produce groups of 2 moa at 200 yards"... I've personally shot a 308 that produced barely ONE inch groups at 400 yards off the bench with a Silhouette rifle. It all depends on the set up the shooter is using. I was using a Sako 24 inch tapered bull barrel, a McMillan stock, Canjar trigger (no longer in business) and a Leupold fixed 15 power scope. Shot after shot the 308 produced amazing results with 35 years old target bullets which were 168 grains boatail Hornady hollopoints and at 400 yards and beyond a Sierra 190 grains boatail hollopoint. Although with a 1/12.... rate of twist one would think that the 190 grains bullet would be too long, Sierra makes target bullets that have a bearing surface of less than 35%, thus allowing these longer for twist bullets to stabilize perfectly. My point is that the 308 is capable of exceptional accuracy. A "2 inch group at 200 yards" or better is common fare for most if not all modern cartridges and calibers and isn't a spectacular group. Ask more informed contemporary long distance shooters who know far more than I do. To be exact my little experiment was more than 35 years ago, it took place in 1985, 39 years ago. A good round never goes out of style. You say that the 300 Win Mag gave a flatter trajectory than the 300 Weatherby magnum...That is completely false and is the other way around. The 300 Weatherby has a 100 to 200 fps edge over the Win Mag, easily shooting 180 grains projectiles at well over 3200 fps, close to 3300 for that matter; and accurately so. The 300 Win Mag when with good ammunition or good reloads will slightly exceed 3100 fps, however with older loads, it barely was shooting over 2900 fps while the Weatherby achieved close to the same speeds mentioned above over 30 years ago. With the advent of the availability of range finders, a comparatively extremely flat trajectory is no longer as essential as it used to be but the fact remains, you were giving the 300 Win Mag false credit. I shoot both and enjoy both and I'm extremely familiar with both and have owned over the years three 300 Win Mag rifles and four 300 Weatherby rifles. I started shooting these centerfire cartriges in the late 1970s and am well informed on the subject.

Eric Cortina said it best when he called it the 6.5 Needsmoore

For mule deer 300 WSM works pretty damn good I wouldn't recommend shooting stuff up close if you're using anything bigger than 190 grain bullet and it works on about everything and you can shoot about any long range you want

No Mention whatsoever of the 300 PRC 😢

I have started using a 270WSM It is a flat shooting rifle.

I agree that the .308 WIN and the .300 WIN Magnum are terrific long-range calibers. People quickly forget that numerous military snipers used .308 WIN rifles for many years. But what about the new 6.8 Western? It appears to be an upgraded. 270 WIN that can handle heavier bullets--and the the .270 WIN is no slouch, especially at long ranges with 130-150 gr. bullets. And I wouldn't dismiss the .30-06 Springfield nor the .243 WIN as long-range alternatives. We won two world wars with mainly rifles chambered for .30-06 Springfield rounds. And plenty of small deer and antelope and long-range varmint hunters know the effectiveness of the .243 WIN.

Thought I heard him say that the 300 win mag was better than the 300 weatherby which is not true. I have owned both and I believe that weatherby has a better case and has a higher velocity I have won more matches with the 300 weatherby than anything else.

The 6.5 Creedmore for 2000lb African antelope. Get real, if you limit the 6.5 CM to deer sized game you’ll be ok. You’d do much better hunting with the 6.5 PRC.

HI, nice report; pretty many US cartridges, yet, over here in EU, we still have old cartridges doing very well for the past 100/120 years... 6,5 swede, 7x57and 7x64 Mauser, etc..

3006 got a bit more than the 308

What's your verdict on the 7mm Rem Mag??

The .270 win is neck & neck in all aspects compared to 6.5 PRC Same with the 6.8 Western vs 7mm WSM, 6.5-284 runs along side the 6.5 PRC, the deer and elk don’t have a degree of dead 1% =100%

.308

The 30-06 you can go from 55 grain to 220 grain try that with any other caliber. 7mm rem mag is my long range rifle. So there

7mm Rem Mag is a beast to not make the list. It's a bit much for white tail but everything up from there and serious ballistic numbers.

Sometimes people should understand that if you hunting big game you not worry about Recoil and get a decent caliber for the Job at hand. Understand smaller Calibers do not transfer the knockdown or shock or blood trail of a larger caliber

I have a 338 lapua with a ATN x4 HD 5x20x70 with a 1500 ABL, long range can’t get any easier than that.

The 6.5 credmoor was designed specifically to replace the .260 remington in ar-10 pattern rifles. The .260 rem was dominating several target competitions . Many people like the semi auto ar-10 platform for rapid fire segments. The issue was the .260 rem with long match bullets does not fit in the magazines length limitations. The 6.5 creedmoor was invented to deal with that circumstance. So it is a shorter and fatter case, with long case neck to grip 142 grain match bullets evenly without intruding on powder space. The limitations of the 6.5 creedmoor also come from its design intent. It has somewhat less velicity vs. the .260 rem and considerably less than the .260rem ackley improved. So for bolt action rifles the .260 may be a better choice , for ar10 platforms ir guns that use ar-10 magazines ,the creedmoor is the better chocie . The .243 winchester should be on the list. It can take game frok varmints to big deer, is accurate enough for most competition shooting and with modern vld type 105-108 grain bullets , it can reach 1000 yards. If your rifle is good quality and accurate you can really grow your shooting skills with the .243 win. Recoil is mild.

270 weatherby with 129 grain barnes at 3300 fps, kind of tempting.

.300 RUM, so strong you're not only guaranteed to kill what you're shooting at, you also are guaranteed to kill your shoulder.

338 Lapua no 1

.300 PRC, for its takedown power on big game at distances beyond 500 yards

The best long range "middle caliber" - from the power/recoil/range point of view.. usually "big game" cartridge is 375 Chey Tac./9.5 mm/. The "small" 410 Chey Tac brother , and smaller than 50 cal.too , but in the same time with "softer" recoil that both of them and theoretically over 6000 yards/ 5 kilometers range. Real "practical " range is between 500 and 2500 meters - its well over 338, 410 chey tac and 50 BMG. - and I'm not talking about rare cases that some professionals "have reached" 5000m boundary And in the same this cartridge is time - more accurate and powerful. Its not a surprise that the russian SOF have modernized it for their own purposes.

7 PRC Basically a 7 MM Rem Mag without the belt making bras last longer.

.300 PRC Uses a higher bc projectile than the 300 win mag, with a heavier for Caliber bullet enabling the 300 PRC to effectively hit targets at farther ranges.

You missed a whole category: beyond a mile shooting target. For factory ammo 300PRC works well. For handloading there are a wide variety, but the most popular at KOTM is 375 CheyTac where 377gr solid bullets are pushed to 3150fps.

Pretty funny the was they show an Impala while talking about an Eland

I love my 3006AI c it’s an 06 with 300 win mag a 06 ai can do it all out to 1 mile

Yea I'm less than 6 months in and if you fail to mention the 224 valkerie and the 7mmprc please review your choices and make another video proving choices over these. 1.23 for factory match .82 reload and 1500 yards with 1200 custom AR. 7mmprc 2200 yards of unbelievable accurate. So new factory ammo a little hard to find but do able especially on line around 2.00 a round. Less than a 1000 fully rigged even with 600.00 scope.

I might suggest one should try multiple cartridges/rifle combinations to see how they perform for yourself. My brother and I grew up practicing this and learned many lessons together. One which stands out to this day is the powerful. 338 Rem Ultramag. OUCH!

I would like to hear more about the 7mmPRC thanks

I like my 7mm rem mag in my Remington 40x. Can load from 100gr hp for long range woodchuck to 178gr boat tail for large game. A 120gr spire point can deliver a point blank range out to 520 yds no more then 5” above or below bore sight

Suprised the new 7 prc wasn't on there. Basically 300 win mag ballistics in a 7mm bullet for lower recoil. And if you can handle the recoil of a 300 win mag, why not just go to the 300 prc as its more accurate than the win mag. The prc's are changing the game.

I have been getting the exact opposite in regards to reports of the 6.5 creedmore lethality…lots of reports of hunters losing animals while hunting with this cartridge and it’s popularity is starting to wane somewhat…I like the old cartridges myself…it’s pretty hard to beat a 243 for all around shooting…

7x57 or 6.5x55 will and has taken EVERY GAME ANIMAL ON THE PLANET

What’s the name of the soft guard wrapped around the barrel and stock and the 9:35min mark

Also the Marlin 308 express

300wsm by far best imo for overall lower recoil almost same balistics and short action jus amazing

you forgot the 243 which is supremely under rated

7prc is king until the 6.8 shoots the same bullets and comes off the black list.

I’m a hunter not into target shooting

MY 6.5X55 , AN OLYMPIC LONG DISTANCE SHOOTING ROUND SINCE THE START OF THE MODERN OLYMPICS, 120 YEARS AND COUNTING...

6.5- 300 wetherby magnum

I love my 6.5 PRC. Its sub moa at 1000 yards. And only have about $10.000 invested in it.

Every one is forgetting .22 for big game😮‍💨

Thanks chathpt!

It all comes down to what we can afford and how much we like certain rifles and revolvers, that calibers we have had great success with is all that matters? Retired army sgt.

The 270 winchrster

Everything i pointed my 25-06 at died. Too light for elk, but i thinks its a great whitetail round! For Larger stuff the 6.8 western really looks like its got a ton of promise!

Amen . Ill stick with the 30:06.

You forgot the 7mm 08 and 25 06

6.8 Western followed with the 6.5 PRC.