which round has the best range

[bigkahuna07]

I have been looking at some rifles and have been thinking "what round has the best range" and would like to know which it is I have always thought it was a 50 cal round but I might be wrong so I am asking some advice on this.

[Texas_Bryan]

If your looking for the best, regardless of price, I believe its the .416 Barrett.  Its a very expensive round though.  If your looking for realistic gun for ownership you may look at magnum rounds, 7mm and the such.

[sanjuancb]

I would say .408 Cheytac, but the same problem as above...

[alfsauve]

Part of the answer depends on how you balance accuracy, cost and terminal ballistics.   If I were in pursuit of some serious long range results, I might place accuracy over raw downrange energy.   In that case I'd look at sectional densities and ballistic coefficients.  I haven't looked at the larger calibers (.400-.500) but when I seem to recall that .32-.34 bullets and rounds produced some of the better results in the <.40caliber families.   I could be wrong....frequently am.

So I, and this is just me, would then balance downrange energy, cost, availability of ammo/components, cost/availability of firearms and recoil.  The choices would rangefrom the .338-06/.338-08 on the low end, to the .338 Magnum on the high end.  Or I could just wimp out with the .308 Win or the .300 Win Mag.  And there are RUMs and WSMs and WSSMs and other cartridges to choose from.

Now the Barrett class, (I call them super-magnums) are a whole 'nother ball game and out of my league.

[Big Frank]

I think the .416 Barrett has the longest practical range. Unless you include artillary.

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

I think the .416 Barrett has the longest practical range. Unless you include artillary.

.50 BMG and .416 Barret carry further than any Civil war cannon you could afford.

[m25operator]

I think in a shoulder fired rifle, the 416 Barret is the current best, and the .338 Lapua a good cousin, the .408 Cheytac is also built for long range, But as a rifleman, I must caution everyone, beyond 500 meters with any of these calibers, you MUST know how to read the wind, know your sighting system and how it works, read the conditions, and have accurate information about your ballistics of any caliber you chose. There is no magic bullet or caliber, at some point, you have to be able to read and adjust to the conditions, wind, mirage, and distance. A competent rifleman has studied, and practiced, kept a record book, and has a play book, to make decisions, as far as their personal rifle, in different conditions.

Maybe a different thread, but becoming a rifleman and or a pistol shot, begins with record keeping, if you will take the time to record your results, with a real record book, and then analyze the results, and make sight correction accordingly, you will shoot better, rifle or pistol. This is not 7 yard stuff, 25 yards and beyond for pistol, and 300 yards and beyond for rifle. 50 yards and beyond for .22 rimfire. The record book should include, sight adjustment settings, plotting your groups, angle of the sun and intensity, wind speed and direction, mirage evaluation, on a rifle, your sling adjustment, ( which notch is your sling adjusted to ), distance shooting is an art, not equipment, better equipment helps, but not beyond 500 meters with the best stuff, you need to know the rifle, and your ability to read the conditions and adjust. An accomplished rifleman  can make hits to 800 yards with an M1, a thousand yard takes much more, but with an accurate rifle and the ability to read the conditions, can make hits at the 1,000 yard mark, but believe me, it takes ability, everything comes into play, a thousand yards is the limit of a .30 caliber cartridge, even magnums, magnums will bu you a few extra yards, but not a few hundred.

[PegLeg45]

I think in a shoulder fired rifle, the 416 Barret is the current best, and the .338 Lapua a good cousin, the .408 Cheytac is also built for long range, But as a rifleman, I must caution everyone, beyond 500 meters with any of these calibers, you MUST know how to read the wind, know your sighting system and how it works, read the conditions, and have accurate information about your ballistics of any caliber you chose. There is no magic bullet or caliber, at some point, you have to be able to read and adjust to the conditions, wind, mirage, and distance. A competent rifleman has studied, and practiced, kept a record book, and has a play book, to make decisions, as far as their personal rifle, in different conditions.

Maybe a different thread, but becoming a rifleman and or a pistol shot, begins with record keeping, if you will take the time to record your results, with a real record book, and then analyze the results, and make sight correction accordingly, you will shoot better, rifle or pistol. This is not 7 yard stuff, 25 yards and beyond for pistol, and 300 yards and beyond for rifle. 50 yards and beyond for .22 rimfire. The record book should include, sight adjustment settings, plotting your groups, angle of the sun and intensity, wind speed and direction, mirage evaluation, on a rifle, your sling adjustment, ( which notch is your sling adjusted to ), distance shooting is an art, not equipment, better equipment helps, but not beyond 500 meters with the best stuff, you need to know the rifle, and your ability to read the conditions and adjust. An accomplished rifleman  can make hits to 800 yards with an M1, a thousand yard takes much more, but with an accurate rifle and the ability to read the conditions, can make hits at the 1,000 yard mark, but believe me, it takes ability, everything comes into play, a thousand yards is the limit of a .30 caliber cartridge, even magnums, magnums will bu you a few extra yards, but not a few hundred.

BANG.....m25operator just introduced the hammer to the head of the nail.   

 

[twyacht]

Question with a LOT of variables. 

Range for what?

Squirrels? Moose? Rhino? Cape Buffalo? Two-legged critters? My Ruger 10/22 is Bad A** on tiny varmints at 50-100yds. but I won't shoot it at a deer at all...

A .375 H+H will devastate just about anything, but at a large target at 500-750 yds.?

What is the target? What is the application? Elephants at 750yds.? ,, or squirrels at 50?

I like my 10/22 Ruger for the little critters, and my 30-30 Winchester for deer out to 100yds.

.308? .338 Lapua? 30-06 has a good rep... 7mm-08 rifles will drop a lot of stuff downrange, but so will a 22-250 on prairie dogs.
.458Weatherby Mag. past 750 yds? What is the objective?
I'm sorry,.. the question is too vague......

from m25operator:

A competent rifleman has studied, and practiced, kept a record book, and has a play book, to make decisions, as far as their personal rifle, in different conditions.


+1 Whether its a .22LR or a 50BMG.....