Best "Balanced" caliber for ELR

[DIBBS]

For someone that just shoots ELR for fun, currently shooting out to ~1500 yards with a 7mm RM/162 Amaxes, and a 300 WM with 210 grain bullets. I would like to extend the range to 2K or so, as that is the limit of my current rangefinder. Which cartridge has the best balance of component availability, barrel life, $/ round, and effective range. For my current needs and knowledge, it seems that the 300 WM fits the bill pretty well. I have noticed that I have more difficulty spotting impacts with 162's as the range increases. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[SIDS01]

I'm not sure about balanced, but either of those those calibers both work well to beyond 2k and have enough barrel life you can learn a thing or two.

I started ELR with a 300wm & 230 Hybrids. My favorite practice gun these days is a 7/300wsm shooting 180 ELDm blems. It'll go 2-3/5 on a 32x36" target at 2200 yards under middle of the road conditions. That 7 doesn't do anything the the 300wm won't.

They'll also be good to expand your horizons by experimenting with barrel twist and different bullets.

Not being able to spot every miss isn't the end of the world or a reason to spend $3 a shot. Developing strategies to deal with that is part of getting better at ELR.

 

[mpk1996]

it really depends on what you want to do and how much you shoot. longer strings of fire are going to be hard with something like a 28 nosler or 7 or 300 RUM, but those cals will do better at those long ranges more consistently. they also cost more in terms of brass ($2 per new) and powder.

a 7 saum or 7/300 WSM in a long action will do pretty good with 180s and even 195s to reach that distance. they will also have less recoil and not heat up as bad as the big 7s and 30s. but they will be more finicky in wind as they are going slower at those long ranges.

in the end it will come down to your own idea of what is "cheap" "bad barrel life" and "available". nothing in this game is cheap and easy. barrels wear out and powder/brass goes in and out of availability over the years

 

[bohem]

You can take either of the calibers you currently have and go further with just a bullet swap.

The 300WM is probably a 10 twist so I'd suggest the 180 Flatline and some RL23 to get started, IMR 7828ssc is another good bet. My 26" 300WM 10tw pushed those at 3350 comfortably and 3430 if I really leaned on it. The BC on that bullet is handily past the 210 you're currently shooting and will give you much increased performance just from a simple bullet change.

Yes, the flatlines are not cheap bullets. However the cost of a complete rebarrel, new caliber, new dies, new brass, etc etc. is a LOT higher than buying a couple boxes of "expensive" bullets to shoot 2000yd. And then when you don't feel the need to sling copper rockets downrange you can resort back to the 210's and keep things more tame in the cost department.


All that being said, the same applies to the 7mm RM if you have a 9tw then shoot the 151's...

And if for some lucky reason your 300WM is a 9tw or faster then the 198 Flatline is a no brainer... a 198 from a 300 WM going 3100+ is plenty of performance to hang past 2000yd. The first "Master" class awarded shooter for the URSA comps on the west coast won several matches with a 300WM shooting 198's at 3150-ish against 338s and 375's

 

[DIBBS]

Thank you for the feedback and recommendations. Very much appreciated. 300 WM has a 10 twist Broughton, and the 7mm RM is the factory 9 twist I believe.

 

[SIDS01]

You can take either of the calibers you currently have and go further with just a bullet swap.

The first "Master" class awarded shooter for the URSA comps on the west coast won several matches with a 300WM shooting 198's at 3150-ish against 338s and 375's

We should probably clean that up before Oscar has a fit. There is only 1 URSA shooter point with the 198s, so I'm going to assume you're talking about me. Back in the day, I was hounding you for more BC data on those 198s. Shooter points are earned with a score of 5 or better out of 10 in a URSA match. URSA matches start at 2050 yards and the target is 37" in diameter.

I earned the first shooter point in the URSA and won the first match against 338s and a 50. That was with a 1:10 300wm shooting 230 hybrids. I won another match against 4 50bmgs and several 338s with that same setup.

The last match I shot with them, I earned a shooter with the 198 FL shot from my second generation ELR rifle. It was a 32" 1:8 300wm using a pretty stiff load of R26. It required less elevation at 2050 yards than a buddys 50 bmg shooting 800 grain solids over 2900 fps.

There are actually more shooter points with the 256 Flatlines than the 198s. If you include the 361 Flatlines, as a group only the Berger Hybrids have more shooter points. The score is 8 for the hybrids and 6 for the Flatlines.

The point remains, the 300wm is an excellent ELR cartridge to experiment with. If you do move up to something more overbore, it'll be a great gun to keep as backup or for practice.

 

[jetmd]

SIS01, in regards to your 300wm using 230 hybrids what powder did you use?
I have a 300 and would like to give the 230 a try for a cost effective mid ELR round.
Any help you would like to share in regards to this combo would be greatly appreciated and I believe would
benefit the OP with his quest also.
Thank-you in advance,
Chet

 

[LastShot300]

That 7 doesn't do anything the the 300wm won't.
.

I absolutely agree! The .300Win or WSM is a fantastic cartridge if anybody is looking for a good balance between performance and cost.

 

[SIDS01]

A good set of baseline 300wm components is Norma Brass, 210M primers, H1000, and the 230 Hybrids. I ran that at 2860 fps out of a 30" barrel and cases went for 8-10 loadings. The reamer was the PTG TacMatch with a 97 thou lead. The 230s touched at 3.625" OAL.

That'll work with a 1:10 twist to below 1000 fps. It'll work better with a 1:8. Not just the BC itself, but how well it holds vertical at distance. On a calm day, watch for variations in poi that don't line up with velocity differences. That is, a low velocity and high impact, as well as the total vertical spread.

The first change I'd suggest from that setup, especially with a 1:10, would be going to the 215 hybrid. You pick up some stability factor, they pick up more velocity over the 230s than the weight difference suggests, and there isn't that much difference in the BCs at that twist. I've also had a lot of luck with the ELDm in my 7s, but I'm just starting with them in my 30s.

The monster 300wm setup is the switch to a 1:8 barrel, 198 Flatlines, and an aggressive load of R26. It won't hold vertical with the jacketed bullets, but they shoot extremely flat.

 

[Whiskeywater1]

Jumping in this conversation as I am curious about the exact same thing. If my 300 win mag is a 1:9 twist, should I give the 198 Flatlines a try? I've been using the 215 and 230 grain Berger Hybrids with good success. My barrel is 26" if that makes a difference for discussion. Thanks in advance!