Leaving out .308 and 6.5 Creedmore as obvious candidates.

That’s a loaded question
I only load 3 calibers 308 300blk and precision .223. If you want to save money and be as accurate as possible you have to customize any loading to the gun. Save money be more accurate and expand your ballistics knowledge.

Nobody can accurately predict pricing and availability. But guessing...

308 Win and 6.5 Creedmoor should be around for some time.
223 Remy, of course. And I do mean 223 and not 5.56, for they're not in the same accuracy league.

In an AR15 platform, 6 ARC is likely the accuracy leader. However, the cartridge was introduced during the wrong part of the COVID curve, and doesn't have extensive use in the field. 6.5 Grendel is a good cartridge, although the case is a little short on boiler room to push its 123 grain high-BC bullets. 224 Valkyrie is a long shot, as it seems to perform better in bolt actions than ARs. From what I hear, 224 Valkyrie performs best for the handloaders who are willing to experiment with loads.

Continuing with AR15...
6.8 SPC and 300 blackout really aren't precision chamberings. 22 Nosler hasn't lived up to expectations. Larger bores aren't precision cartridges.

If a company ever produces reasonably priced match ammo on one of the 6BR-based cartridges, then jump on this like white on rice.

There are good chamberings based on the 308 case, or ones of similar powder capacity.
- If an ammo company other than Lapua would have jumped on 6.5x47 or 6x47 ammo, then Hornady's Creedmoor likely would have been a short-lived flop.
- 260 Remy is a possibility, especially with a faster-twist barrel and a good chamber.
- 6 Creedmoor has a strong chance of being around for a long time. 243 Win might have had a chance, but Creedmoor has a better chamber and barrel for precision bullets.
- 7mm-08 isn't precision chambering. Nor are the larger bore cartridges based on the 308 case.

There are definitely calibers more energetic than 308 that are precision calibers. But magnums are generally pretty expensive.
- 6.5 PRC might be an option, but it needs better bullets than what Hornady offers.
- 300 PRC is definitely a precision long distance cartridge. Don't expect reasonable prices.
- 300 WM can be a long-ish distance sorta-precision cartridge. Probably not reasonably priced.
- Too bad Hornady didn't back 7 SAUM. As with 6BR, backed by the right ammo company, this could be a great long-ish distance cartridge.

Factory ammo requirements definitely limit the chambering options. Start with a great barrel, a solid action, and the right chamber -- with a little testing across loads, factory ammo can be very accurate. Not national-record bench rest accurate, but accurate enough for all but the most demanding shooters. I'm fortunate enough to have some very accurate rifles, all of which strut their stuff with factory ammo. I've shown what a few of these rifles can over the years in the "Long Range Rifle Discussion" thread.

Thanks, guys!

I'm thinking .223 Rem in a decent bolt action would be prudent for many reasons.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: RichardC,

quote:

Originally posted by RichardC:
I'm thinking .223 Rem in a decent bolt action would be prudent for many reasons.

I like mine. Defiance action, Proof carbon-wrapped barrel, Grayboe stock & bottom metal, Trigger Tech trigger, Accurate Mags. See how it did on page 136 of the Long Range thread.

223 bolt action

With a nice barrel and a properly cut chamber, I definitely have options for accurate factory ammo.

Thanks, fritz, I had gotten through page 128, searching for it.

My 22-250 shoots better than my.308 or my 6.5 Creed. And they both shoot very well. 22-250 seems to be available, more so than good ammo for dedicated "precision" ammo.

My Tikka .223 was very accurate, but not as accurate than my 22-250 and lacked the ass as well.

You don't run across many 22-250's that won't shoot

quote:

Originally posted by RichardC:
I'm thinking .223 Rem in a decent bolt action would be prudent for many reasons.

A good choice. Look for at least a 20" barrel, with a match chamber. You'll gain some muzzle velocity with barrels up to 24", however overall rifle balance can become muzzle heavy unless the stock is heavy. Twist rate of 1:8 is fine, 1:7.7 might be better. Ixnay 1:9, but 1:7 will work.

Use heavier match bullets. This is not only for long distance work, but to reduce bullet wind drift. Lighter bullets can be very accurate in any .22 bore rifle, but they just don't have the legs for distant targets and they get tossed in the wind. G1 BCs for common .22 bore quality bullets:
- 52 HPBT .229
- 55 Vmax .255
- 50 Vmax .244
- 53 Vmax .290
- 55 HP .255
- 69 SMK .317
- 73 Berger .365
- 73 Hornady ELD .398
- 75 Hornady HPBT .395
- 77 SMK .362
The tipped Match King bullets have nice BCs, but it's hard to find a chamber that shoots them well.

Pretty much any respectable barrel will shoot 69 SMK bullets well. FGMM 69 just flat out works as a factory load. But a number of factory 69 SMK loads shoot well.

Hornady ammo is generally very accurate with match bullets. Same for Federal and Black Hills.

I've shot my longer barrel .223 rifles out to 800 yards with tight vertical dispersion. Accurate wind calls are the key to horizontal dispersion -- .223 bullets don't buck wind compared to high-BC 6mm, 6.5mm, and 7mm bullets.

Thanks!

Most of my shooting will be at 100 and 200 yards.
Occasionally, up to 600.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: RichardC,

At 100 yards and with tolerable winds, even light bullets work. It's my understanding that the bench rest competitors prefer flat-base bullets at close range. Of all the 50-55 grain bullets I listed above, only the 53 grain Vmax is a boat tail. The others are flat base.

At 200 yards I suspect it's a dead heat on accuracy for light and heavy bullets -- at least in calm conditions. With winds of 10+ mph, the 69-77 grain pills work better for me.

I've shot a few really good groups at 300-ish yards with 53 and 55 grain Vmax ammo, but the results just aren't consistent. From 300 to 600 yards the heavier bullets are just fly more consistently, even in minimal breezes.

Here are lateral wind drift figures for 10 mph crosswind for various loads in my 16" AR15, 600 yards, at 8000' Density Altitude. Probably close to what a 20" rifle might see near sea level.
7.5 MOA -- Black Hills 52 BTHP match
7.3 MOA -- Aussie Outback 55 Sierra Blitzking
6.7 MOA -- Hornady 55 Vmax
5.6 MOA -- Federal 53 Vmax
5.6 MOA -- Federal GMM 69
5.1 MOA -- Hornady 75 HPBT Black
5.2 MOA -- Federal GMM 77
4.8 MOA -- Hornady ELDM 73
4.7 MOA -- Federal 69 TMK

Lots of wind drift at 600 yards with 223 ammo. But the 1-2 MOA advantage of heavier bullets is noticeable.

Why are you omitting .308 and 6.5 Creedmor?

But, yeah, after those, .223 Remington.

I take it for granted that those two are so well established and capable, that they'll still be available and price competitive in the near future.

I'd say .243 Winchester for precision target and medium game and 7mm Rem Mag for larger game. There are newer 6mm's but don't overlook the .243 Winchester. I think ammo and bullet availability will continue for these for quite awhile.