Wanting to get a Long Range Rifle

[JakeGraves]

Look into the 28 Nosler or 7LRM if you reload. You won't get better BC than this until you go to a .338 300gr bullet.
I am getting to 1,000yds with only 19.75 MOA out of my LRM. That is not even one full revolution on elevation turret.

[elkaholic9292]

Look into the 28 Nosler or 7LRM if you reload. You won't get better BC than this until you go to a .338 300gr bullet.
I am getting to 1,000yds with only 19.75 MOA out of my LRM. That is not even one full revolution on elevation turret.

I haven't shot one yet (28 Nosler), but I agree, the BC is great. My only issue is its such a hotrod, you get 1,000 rounds, maybe less, before its toast. My opinion is you better be a long range guy well before getting this one, because by the time you could actually feel comfortable with the shot, you're starting over with the barrel.

[Smell the Glove]

Rip that 7mm off it's stock. Get it in a good stock and scope and you are good to go.

[canny]

Our of the 2 I would choose the 300. If you wanted just a fun gun to shoot long range out to 1k then the 308 would be fine. However it looses alot of energy which makes it less than ideal for ethical kills at long range compared to the 300. If the 300 has a good break then the recoil shouldn't be much more compared to the 308. I am an advocate for applying the money you would spend on a new gun and have a gunsmith accurize your 7mm. I am in the process if rebarreling my 7mm, I am keeping the 7mm caliber but installing a 26" Bartlein barrel that will allow me to begin the transition into a long range platform. Don't forget optics. To truly get into long range shooting you need some optics with either target turrets or some form of ballistic reticle. Turrets need to be reliable and dependable for repeated dialing.

[WyoBull]

As others have asked, what do you consider long range? All of the guys you see on the long range hunting shows like Best of the West etc. were all shooting long range with the 7mm Magnum long before a lot of these other long range calibers came about.
I shoot a 7mm RUM, it is my "go to" big game rifle and I will shoot it up close or long range. Long range to me for my purposes is inside of 800 yards. I don't shoot steel gongs from a bench, my rifle is in the field in hunting situations.
If your 7mm is a quality rifle, unless you just want to spend the money on a new toy that is what I would recommend sticking with. Put good Leupold glass with a CDS dial on it and go have fun.
The rifle in my Avatar is my 7mm RUM.

[Jethro]

IMO the first thing you need to do is decide exactly what you want the rifle to do. What purpose, and how far.

If you really want a LR hunting rifle then put the right stock and scope on that 7 mag and hunt it. You don't have to have (or need) a heavy barrel, DBM, and all that jazz. If it isn't up to snuff accuracy-wise, then have it trued and re-barreled by a good smith. The 7RM is a dang good LR hunting round.

On the other hand, if you are wanting a rifle to mostly bang steel with, then I personally would buy the 308 hands down. Loaded right with either 155's or 175's it will make a grand no problem for that kind of shooting. And most of all if you are new to the game you are going to be needing to put a bunch of rounds downrange learning to shoot wind, judge range, that kind of thing. For that the 308 is much cheaper to shoot and you can shoot more rounds a day without getting fatigued from recoil. And the barrel is going to last longer.

Now if the goal is going to be big critters out far, say 800-1000+, then the 300 mag is much better in the downrange energy dept, and probably what you need. But honestly, you probably don't have any business shooting at live game that far without a whole bunch of experience first.

[Lungbustr]

Why not go with something ballisticly superior to .308 that will recoil less and factory match ammo is 3 to 4 dollars a box cheaper? 6.5 creedmoor.

[Slick8]

IMO the first thing you need to do is decide exactly what you want the rifle to do. What purpose, and how far.

If you really want a LR hunting rifle then put the right stock and scope on that 7 mag and hunt it. You don't have to have (or need) a heavy barrel, DBM, and all that jazz. If it isn't up to snuff accuracy-wise, then have it trued and re-barreled by a good smith. The 7RM is a dang good LR hunting round.

On the other hand, if you are wanting a rifle to mostly bang steel with, then I personally would buy the 308 hands down. Loaded right with either 155's or 175's it will make a grand no problem for that kind of shooting. And most of all if you are new to the game you are going to be needing to put a bunch of rounds downrange learning to shoot wind, judge range, that kind of thing. For that the 308 is much cheaper to shoot and you can shoot more rounds a day without getting fatigued from recoil. And the barrel is going to last longer.

Now if the goal is going to be big critters out far, say 800-1000+, then the 300 mag is much better in the downrange energy dept, and probably what you need. But honestly, you probably don't have any business shooting at live game that far without a whole bunch of experience first.

Agreed.

To take it another step all mentioned above are good choices but if you plan to choot an animal at truly long range you need a fast gun...Why, because most bullet manufactures have a stated minimum velocity of about 1800 FPS. Run any simple ballistic program and you'll see where you run out of steam.

And for those who say many a sniper used a .308 and before that the 30-06, they diddn't have to make quick humane kills. To them, a hit is as good or better than a kill.

[canny]

Agreed.

To take it another step all mentioned above are good choices but if you plan to choot an animal at truly long range you need a fast gun...Why, because most bullet manufactures have a stated minimum velocity of about 1800 FPS. Run any simple ballistic program and you'll see where you run out of steam.

And for those who say many a sniper used a .308 and before that the 30-06, they diddn't have to make quick humane kills. To them, a hit is as good or better than a kill.

Great advise! Just throwing it out there but the new Accubond LR has a 1300 FPS rating per Nosler.

[Slick8]

Great advise! Just throwing it out there but the new Accubond LR has a 1300 FPS rating per Nosler.

Yes it does and while that makes me nervous about splash up close in a fast rifle, I tried them with no success. Like many others, no success or consistency.

They're an awesome looking bullet but very very finicky. There's some outright hate about them on Long Ranger Hunter.

I tried the 150's, 168 and 175; with the 175's doing the best. I was running them over 7828 and getting 3100 FPS. I may play with them again in the spring.

[Mike D]

Look into the 28 Nosler or 7LRM if you reload. You won't get better BC than this until you go to a .338 300gr bullet.
I am getting to 1,000yds with only 19.75 MOA out of my LRM. That is not even one full revolution on elevation turret.

My 6.5-284 does the same with a LOT less powder & recoil.

[Mike D]

Yes it does and while that makes me nervous about splash up close in a fast rifle, I tried them with no success. Like many others, no success or consistency.



They're an awesome looking bullet but very very finicky. There's some outright hate about them on Long Ranger Hunter.



I tried the 150's, 168 and 175; with the 175's doing the best. I was running them over 7828 and getting 3100 FPS. I may play with them again in the spring.

My experience was the same. Not consistent at all. To get a bullet to perform at velocities the low, something has to give.

[smithnwesson]

I love my 5r 300 wm! And that's a steal, I paid $1300 for mine without bases!

[Mike D]

I have a 5R 300 Win Mag and some 190 Bergers loaded up but I still haven't shot it yet.

But i expect good results based on my experience with my 5R 308 & .223.

[Ruark]

That 3 mag sounds nice, especially with the heavy barrel. But it's a personal thing. Some people develop a flinch from the recoil, others can shoot it all day. I remember when I broke out my 3 mag at the range, the other shooters would leave. After a couple dozen shots, I'd have purple bruises on my shoulder and would be flinching like there was no tomorrow. Of course, it kicks much harder when you fire it sitting down (i.e. at a bench). I finally started using a shoulder pad, which worked wonders and solved the problem.

Again, though, it's all an individual thing.