Low Recoil, Long Range

[EmptyMags]

TIME FOR ANOTHER CALIBER THREAD!

I'm looking to get my first bolt gun, and long range shooting.

What caliber is a smart choice for low recoil (under 17 lbs.?) yet still capable of ringing a gong at 1000 yards?
I should also probably consider the availability of factory ammo and brass/bullets.

So far I've been considering heavier .243's, .260 Remington, 6.5 Creedmoor, and 7mm-08.
What other calibers might meet my requirements? Should I download a long action cartridge like 6.5x.248 or 7mm mag or stick with the short action choices? Maybe I'll warm up to the extra ommf or just get a heavy rifle with a muzzle brake?

[MR_X]

IMO get the most popular round and make sure you get the correct rifle. Recoil isn't dependent on just the round. I have shot bolt actions in 308 that kick a hell lot more than a 270 Mag....(still got the bruise from Saturday)

[anthem]

Not sure if this is helpful or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longest_recorded_sniper_kills

[tiller]

Go .243... During the craze that's the only bullets I could find... They were abundant!

[CSACANNONEER]

My 50BMGs have less felt recoil than a little 30-30. It's all about the efficiency of a muzzle brake.

[tiller]

My 50BMGs have less felt recoil than a little 30-30. It's all about the efficiency of a muzzle brake.

This^^^

[Dark Mod]

im surprised you arent looking into .22-250, barely any recoil on that bad boy

[ducky_0811]

.22-250!!! A fast twist barrel on a .22-250 can sling the heavier .22's very accurately at very long ranges with minimal recoil.

[NorCalFocus]

Creedmore. Its a true long distance caliber that has factory match grade ammo.

[Mike402]

I'm looking to get my first bolt gun, and long range shooting.

.308(yawn)

Now that right there is some funny s#!t
How did we ever get by without the internet before? :-)

[EmptyMags]

Thank you all for the input.

I've overlooked 22-250 because I see it as a barrel burner that might not stand up to wind well. The BC also doesn't look as good compared to the 107 grain SMK's in .243 and .264. That's all from comparing things on paper though, like I said I'm a long range noob.

.243 Seems like the best compromise between availability and moderately light low-drag boolits, but 95 and 107 grain SMK's are recommended to use 1:9 and 1:8 twists. Savage Arms's .243 sports a 1:9.25" twist rate. I dunno it would probably stabilize fine?

The 6.5mm's all stabilize fine in a common factory 1:8" twist as far as I know, and there are 107, 123, and 140 grain HIGH SPEED LOW DRAG options.
It seems like 6.5 Creedmore has better long range target ammo options in loaded ammo but .260 is more available overall.

I know .308 is an excellent choice because of versatility and availability but
1) I'm obviously too cool for such practicality
2) Its sleek VLD bullets are 160 grains or more, leading to more recoil and less potential velocity. Same with 7mm-08 here
3) If I'm gonna reload anyways there's a little less incentive for the common cartridges.
4) Why am I not going for the one that could eat available AP projectiles?

I know I could still choose something hotter and more capable, and use weight, muzzle brakes, recoil pads and clothing to mitigate recoil. I'm leaning towards the smaller options because they'd be more economical to reload, have less blast and be handier. Really it's just because I can't afford a .50

tl;dr Probably gonna go with a .243 or 6.5 Creedmoor

[h.charlie]

whats your thought of long range 1000 yards? 500 yards? I like using my .270 win to shoot between 700 and 1000 yards less windage issues then a .308 and a flatter trajectory, but with store bought ammo your grouping will fall apart at at 600 to 700 yards, if you like to just plink stuff at 200 to 300 yards you can use minimal loads on a 130 grain bullets and shoot dimes all day with hardly any recoil, 140 grain with minimal loads are great for 400 to 500 and even then the recoil is pretty small as well. As of now Im trying to build data for 115grain bullet to see if my gf can handle the kick... she didnt like the recoil on a cartridge with 53 grains A 4350 capped by a 140 grain A Bond loaded in a model 70 with a steel butt plate. ha that was a fun day

[mark501w]

The Holy Grail.

[Dutch Henry]

Buy a .308 and a PAST Recoil Shield.

[EmptyMags]

^500 is a long ways but the goal is 1000 eventually.

I think I've decided but here's some more info just because.

The approximate recoil energy for common loads in an 8lb rifle.

.223 3-4 lbs recoil
7.62x39 6-7
.243 7-11
.260 10-13
7mm-08 12-16
.308 15-18


Can anyone with a .243 chip in on 105grn AMAX or 107 SMK's stabilizing in a 1:9.25" barrel?