best long range caliber?

[Skyvalhunter]

Thats pretty good for open sights!!

[sako223]

Many guns & calibers to accomplish what you are stating.
300 yards is a common shot range in open country, '06 will do it.
After many years shooting .30-06 I stepped up to the .300 win mag. It shoots flatter with a little more recoil. More energy and inherently accurate. works great on deer and I much prefer it for elk.
One important factor about recoil- a well designed stock will help reduce effects of felt recoil. This also translates into more money. There are many factory rifles with good stocks.

Calibers above this perform great but tend to punish you physically & financially.

[HUNT]

Thought I better chime in and give my 

I started shooting a 7mm RUM this year.  This is a very flat shooting rifle. 

3600 fps at muzzle with 150 gr barnes ttsx

sighted in 3" high at 100.  4.5" high at 200.  2 inches high  at 300.  2 inches low at 400.  14 inches low at 500. 

Recoil is very manageable, less than my 300 win mag. 

[fishermanjoe]

Just get a .30-378 Weatherby and call it good.

[whacker1]

I shoot a .270 and .300RUM and won't shoot one farther than the other, because I don't have enough faith in the .300RUM yet.  

I have been working on some loads that will hopefully group better, but haven't had a chance to shoot them.  Project for winter and next spring.

But to answer the question at hand.  The .300RUM carries the energy and trajectory you are looking for, without the added cost of the Weatherby.

If I were lookingfor a similar caliber to the .270, I would replace it with a .25-06, because again it is a fairly common caliber with several different bullet options without the added cost of the Weatherby equivalent.  

Your .30-06 can be loaded to get better balistics, but I think that practice is the key to long range shooting.  I play with balistics software and when I have the chronoed load of choice I match that up with the balistics software for all of the elements involved in shooting, muzzle velocity, balistic coefficient, weight of the bullet, etc.  and then print out the key benchmarks for that load: 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 or longer if need be.  I then practice those shots with repetition.  I haven't practiced past 300 with my .300 RUM so, I would likely not exceed 300 by more than 50 yards until I know more about my own ability to shoot that load.  However, I would likely shoot the .270 out to 500, because I am practiced, comfortable, and know that distance fairly well.  

One of the most accomplished elk hunters I know still tapes the trajectory benchmarks on his stock, so he knows the trajectory at 50 yard intervals from 200-500. He shoots a 7mm Mag..... Rangefinder, check trajectory, acquire target, boom...  I only know of one shot he has taken over 300 yards in the last 15 animals.  I am trying to practice what he does, by getting closer.

[carpsniperg2]

here goes my  
i have alot of guns like most just because the gun can shoot and kill animals well past 300 yards does not mean that just beacuse it can that. gives people the right to start lobbing bullets out there. we as sportman need to follow a code of ethics. i see alot of people shoot there gun at 100yards and look at tradjectory tables see there gun is so many inches low at 500 yards, and never even shoot it past 100. print the tradjectory stick it on the gun and go hunting. also i see guys buy the gun works system shoot there shells and shoot at a hundred and not shoot one shell past that see a deer at 800 yards and start shooting. we should respect the animals we hunt alot more than that and alot of hunters do, but alot don't as well. if you are planning on shooting alot, and spending the time and $ to practice and become very ethical there is alot of great long range guns like the 30-378 325wsm 300 ultra and so on it gets spendy putting in alot of time on the range to know your gun i shoot one gun out to 1000yards its not a standard gun by anymeans and my premium shells handloaded are about 5.00-6.00 a shot i have not hunted with this gun yet because i can't see giving up my muzzleloader which i love to hunt with but if i had to pick one it is the 30-378 weatherby the shells are about 120.00 a box good luck to you and your choice there are alot of great guns out there to pick from  

[Bigbuckhunter_1996]

in my opinion you should get a 7mm because i shot my deer with it at 500 yrds. and my cuzin shot his bull moose with it at 425 yards

[Chopaka81]

Ditto's regarding sticking with the 30-06. I used to load for a friend's 30-06, he shot the Nosler 180 gr Balistice Tip bullet @ 2700 fps in his rifle and he took several bucks down at 400 to 500 yds. Set your rifle 4" high at 100 yds, aim low (but on hair) out to 250 yds, then begin to adjust your hold for bullet drop.

Buy a ballistics program and get very familar with the ballistics of your rifle and you will be fine.

This year I took my buck down at 472 yds using simple kentucky windage for hold over and it was a one shot - one kill take down.

BTW a laser range finder is a very helpful item. I recomend the Nikon 1200 Monarch, it will get the job done out to 750yds if you can hold it steady enough.

 

[C-Money]

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in my opinion you should get a 7mm because i shot my deer with it at 500 yrds. and my

Wounder how many people that post kills at 500 yards really know what 500 yards looks like. Guess most folks have range finders now these days. I am sure people can do it, but man that is a long way! I was looking at a nice buck with my daughter and FF4607 Saturday. We used a Leupold laser range finder and the rise the deer was on came back at 544 yards. We never would have even thought about shooting that far! FF4607 stalked into 160 yards and the big ole buck was a clean 2x2. Back to the topic, if I wanted a real long range canyon buster, I'd go for a .30-378.

[KimberRich]

maybe you should stick with your -06. it will do for you what you are looking for with the right ammo.

For sure.  Your 06 will do what you want.  No need to go out and buy something else.  Never heard of a 30-06 that wasn't effective over 300 yards?  There's a reason it's the most hunted with caliber ever.

[Bofire]

 :)A 16inch off of the USS Missouri, 2000 Lb shell 22 miles!
Carl

[Bob33]

I started shooting a 7mm RUM this year.  This is a very flat shooting rifle. 

3600 fps at muzzle with 150 gr barnes ttsx
[/quote]

Wow - how are you getting 3600?  The factory 150 is rated at 3325 ft/second.

[elk311]

:)A 16inch off of the USS Missouri, 2000 Lb shell 22 miles!
Carl

Now there's a gun that should have never retired !!! 

[HUNT]

I started shooting a 7mm RUM this year.  This is a very flat shooting rifle. 

3600 fps at muzzle with 150 gr barnes ttsx

Wow - how are you getting 3600?  The factory 150 is rated at 3325 ft/second.
[/quote]

I handload my shells.  I worked with several different powders and bullets and this is my max load for my rifle.  Its just starting to show pressure signs.  Just happens that this load is also the most accurate load out of my rifle. 

[whacker1]

I started shooting a 7mm RUM this year.  This is a very flat shooting rifle. 

3600 fps at muzzle with 150 gr barnes ttsx


Wow - how are you getting 3600?  The factory 150 is rated at 3325 ft/second.

I handload my shells.  I worked with several different powders and bullets and this is my max load for my rifle.  Its just starting to show pressure signs.  Just happens that this load is also the most accurate load out of my rifle. 

[/quote]

Which powder?