I think that the perfect bullet weight for the 300 for long range is the 165 grain or the 168 grain. I get better results out of them than I do the 180's. I think that it may depend on what your particular gun may shoot better.

For a .300 win mag at 800 yards? A 165 and 168 is way too light. The lightest I'd go is 190, the best would be a 200+ grain bullet.

I shoot a custom .300 Win mag for long range. I use two main loads. I use a 190 Sierra Matchking load for plinking and target shooting and I shoot the 210 grain Berger VLD for hunting and 1000+ yard shooting. I've shot the 210 on paper out to 1328 yards and on steel to 1400 yards with great success. I've shot the 190 at steel out to 1200 and they do well but you get more wind deflection.

I'm currently working on load development for 215 and 230 grain Berger Hybrids. For long range shooting like you're talking, bigger bullets are better.

I've got pictures of my rifle and some groups shot at long ranges (528-1020) on my profile. I'd be more than happy to help you as much as I can on getting set up for long range shooting. I have a lot of passion for it and have quite a bit of experience with it. If you have any particular questions please feel free to ask.

What is your set up that you're planning on using for long range? Rifle, scope etc. ?

Even shooting paper heavier bullets are better. Bigger bullets typically have higher BC's and the BC is going to have the biggest affect on wind drift. Wind is the biggest factor and challenge in long range shooting. The only way to combat wind is shoot and practice in it, and select bullets that minimize the affects of wind. To active the latter, this means selecting a high BC bullet and typically means a heavier bullet.

Yeah you can choose a light bullet if you want, but you're just making it harder on yourself in my opinion. Why make it harder than you have to?

190 grain Berger

BC is going to have the biggest affect on wind drift?

True the higher the BC, the less drag a bullet has thus getting there faster than a bullet the same weight thus less drop.

BigBboy25

Shot any Palma Matches yet, might learn something from that group of International Shooters :)

190 would be the heaviest I'd go,got to keep that velocity up, been dar and dun dat!

Big gun with Extraterrestrial Scope gets whooped by M1A with open sights!

YA'BUDDY!

Hunting92,

a few tips I'd suggest is get your rifle set up correctly. Good trigger, free floating barrel, etc. Make sure you get the best possible equipment that you can afford. Optics are no different. Get the best scope you can. I use Leupold VXIII for my rifles.

800-1000 yards takes more than a big cartridge and high magnification scope. You're shooting at a half mile or further and any imperfection in you rifle, scope, position, trigger squeeze, load, bullet etc gets magnified exponentially. The first this you need to do is select a bullet and get it to shoot. For long range shooting of any kind, Berger is the top choice. As I said, I shoot the 210 grain VLD now and am working on a larger weight. You can go bigger or smaller it's up to you. But I suggest loading Berger's. Now work up a load that will shoot consistently and reputably out of your rifle. And if you're serious, you need your load to shoot consistently around a 1/2 inch at 100 yards and have a ES of a max of about 20-25 FPS, the lower you can get it though the better. A 1 MOA rifle isn't really going to cut it for precise long range shooting.

After you get a load worked up and choreographed you need to focus on your scope. There are several ways to compensate for bullet drop and wind drift, mil-dots, BDC reticules, dialing. . . I highly suggest dialing you scope. This has worked the best for me and makes the most sense in my mind. If you choose to dial your scope for each shot you need to check to see if your scope tracks correctly, meaning when you move it 3 MOA it actually moves 3 MOA and not 3.20 MOA. Scopes have a lot of things advertised but they aren't perfect. Don't take anything for granted. You also need to make sure that your scope has repeatable adjustments and doesn't shift Zero if you dial it for 800 yards and back to your zero range setting. These are just some starting things you need to do for your scope. There are several more that I could go into detail about later.

Next is you'll need a laser range finder. No doubt about that. You'll also need a good ballistics program. xbal, Shooter, and Bullet Flight are all extremely accurate. I use Bullet Flight. You'll also need to be meticulous about measuring altitude, barometric pressure, temperature, humidity, inclined angle, latitude and azimuth. After that you'll need to verify your ballistics output and search for flaws in your procedure or measurements.

Once you have that down you've got to practice. Wind reading is not easy and no one ever masters it in my opinion. You have to get out there and shoot in it.

There is a to that goes into a 800 yard shot. it takes time, money, patience, practice.... it goes on and on. It can be frustrating and expensive but rewarding.

I shoot a 210 Berger at 2,970 Feet per second. I have over 4,000 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle. My rifle weighs 15 lbs and I have a break, I know you're not a fan but I really don't care. It let's me spot my own shots and watch the trace of my bullet through the scope. My .300 kicks less than most people's .308's.

Also, I never said you need a magnum. I compared your 190 suggestion to a 210 to show the benefits of a higher BC.

You can shoot long range with any cartridge, a .223, .243, 6mm BR, 6.5 BR, 6.5 Grendal, 6.5x284, .30-06, .308, .300 win mag, .300 weatherby, .338 lapua, .338 edge, .408 cheetah, .50 cal. . . anything will really work. The biggest caliber I own is a .300, that's a very common caliber for hunting out west, is it really a howitzer? I'd say the .338 win mag is more howitzer class. I don't really know where I said you need a howitzer for long range.

Also, flinch can be a problem, yes. That's an issue I don't have with my equipment. Lot's of guys buy .300 Ultras and such for long range and it's too much gun. They also shoot those .300 Ultra's with 180 grain bullets and don't fully exploit the potential of that fast shooting magnum. You have to know your limits on recoil and not exceed them.

My rifle doesn't exceed my recoil limits, and I am not making up for skill with equipment, I'm maximizing the potential of the equipment. We could go rounds of this, I post my thoughts and opinions and have explained my reasons for what I think. You've made a lot of claims without much justification for why. I'm sure you have your reasons but it'd be nice if you shared them.

It's not when it's the Leupold on my rifle that I'm watching the trace through ;)

Wow! I'm chiming in on this quite late. I see two perspecives being aired. I have respect for Clay using relatively primitive equipment to perform exceedingly well at the 1000 yard range and being one of the really outstanding shooters who know how to do the things a human has to do in the long range equation.

Then I see BB25 enjoying the science of long range shooting and researching the best combination of equipment available today to push the envelope in hunting technology. He is working at it hard and is interested in the challenge of mastering long range hunting much the same way some enjoy the challenge of taking a deer or an elk with a simple bow and arrow.

I'm have pretty much the same in perspective as BB25 although I respect Clay's persepctive to. I enjoy the challenge of succeeding ethically with long range hunting. As many know, I have been at it a few years now and am still not ready for my first 1000 yard shot but I am slowly progressing.

I also recommend the Berger 210 for ranges beyond 800 yards. It has been the most accurate and most predictable bullet for me. It shoots around 2" groups at 600 yards and stays right around that consistenly. In addition to best accuracy (which is king for long range) I like the big bullets for all the reasons BB25 stated. If you want less expensive bullets, the Hornady Amax 208 is a good bullet for long range practice and targets. It was not as consistent as the Berger 210 for me but it occassionally shot my best groups at 600-1000 yards. If you weigh the bullets for consistency, they will perform quite well.

Clay is correct that the recoil associated with these big fast bullets is an issue. I have certainly found that accuracy (and shoulder health) tails off as speeds of the 210 increase. You either have to slow them down (I currently shoot mine at 2850 fps in a 12 pound rifle) or get a muzzle brake (like BB25 did). I know that flinch is a BIG consideration too. It grows n direct proportion to recoil. I might still add a muzzle brake and kick up the velocity because in my .300 Dakota, I think I will find a harmonic velocity around 3150 or so and I hate to waste available horsepower (perhaps testosterone induced Clay, if I still have any of that). Like BB25, I will be testing the new Berger 230 just in case it is more accurate in my rifle.

Hunting92, the core things you need to succeed:
1. Outstanding barrel with chamber perfectly aligned
2. Outstanding scope with no parallax.
3. Light crisp trigger.
4. Reloading setup and lots of Berger bullets and powder (I've been happy with IMR 4831 so far).
5. Chronograph

PS Clay, I respect your opinion but regarding the thrill and achievement in the equipment... beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I am willing to accept that. We can all pursue different desires at different points in our life. That's OK with me. I think Thumper is beautiful too but I'd still like give your M1A a spin on the 1000 yard range.

Best regards to all and good luck with your long range endeavors Hunting92. Let me know if I can help.

BB25,
I might not know much, but I know that I ain't shooting any game animal @ 800-1000 yards. I'm not a fantastic hunter but I can get close enough for an ethical, killing shot under most circumstances. Pursuit of game animals is called hunting for a reason.

Now you guys got me wanting to build one of those laser guns

Never thought I'd ever own a I-Phone, but now I got one and starting to like the damn annoying thing.

DM

Shooting annoying critters at that range might be interesting. If I do take on a project like this, it will be either 338 or 416 cal, probably 338, case to use, I'll wait. Every time I look something is new out and we pretty much ran out of case designs, but the new propellants sure changes the subject for what is best?!