.223 long distance shooting question?

[Redcell]

Shooting a 55grs fmj boat tail out of a 20 inch rifle how far out can you accurately shoot a man sized target consistently? Is a 1000 yards to high of hopes to aim for? I am trying to get all my info so I can make the right choice for my next rifle in .556/.223 or 308.

[cevulirn]

AFAIK, most shooters who use .223/5.56 at longer ranges go with a 1-7 or 1-8 twist barrel and a heavier bullet.

[old Grump]

I concur, 1/7 twist and a 75 or 80 gr HPBT match bullet.

[Schuetzenman]

.223 / 5.56 is not a 1000 yard cartridge IMO. You will need 80 gr. Sierra BTHP Match King bullets and Vita Vouri 500 series powder to get the most speed and distance out of this round. The N540 is probably the one you'll need if my memory is working correctly this morning. Even so 800 is about the max limit IMO for the itty bitty .224" bullet. Oh and one more detail, the 80 gr. Sierra is too long to be magazine fed. You have to load these in one round at a time through the ejector port. The 80 gr. Sierra is a golden standard for 600 yard Service Rifle and High Power Rifle competition.

The Sierra 77 gr. is the heaviest magazine feedable bullet / cartridge combo. It does a respectable job out to and including 600 yards.

Next I have to say or ask, have you ever shot on a 1000 yard course of fire? If you haven't you're in for a hell of a shock. A target that is 6 feed wide at 1000 yards looks like the dot of ink from the tip of a fine point pen if you have good eyes. Bullet drop is in the 10s of feet and windage can be equally large.

You mention .308, that round is marginal as well for 1000 yards. If you don't shoot 175 gr. Sierra BTHP MK bullet class projectiles you aren't getting a super sonic bullet to the target. FYI that's 1080 fps at sea level. The bullet is going to have energy less than that of a 9 mm 124 gr. up close and personal at that distance. I use to think 168 gr. would do the job, it doesn't, not at 1K yards it doesn't. Once again it's fine to about 800 yards.

My 2 cents is a 6.5 Creedmore or .260 Rem class rounds. If you just think you need to stick with a small AR15 sized weapon then the 6.5 Grendel will get the job done as far as putting a bullet down range at 1000 yards and staying Super Sonic. That said serious 1000 yard folks often shoot the 6.5x284 case. They take the .284 Win and neck it down to 6.5 mm. With that cartridge they can pick the heaviest 6.5 bullets to shoot and pull it off. Down side is the barrel life is only about 1,000 rounds. Speed kills and in this case it kills the throat and rifling in the barrels.

The AR15 AR10 type weapons do offer relatively quick barrel change that a DIY person can do at home on a work bench with minimal tools. That way when your barrel looses the accuracy level required to hit at 1000 yards you can easily replace it without pay ing a gunsmith big bucks to change your barrel out. Now the barrels that you want that will be good enough to do 1000 yards, that's another subject.

You can forget chrome lined IMO, you'll need to go Stainless Steel match grade. IMO Kreiger barrels would be THE one for the gas guns (AR15). Anyone else and you're gambling on results. I've got a Kreiger SS .223 barrel on my match AR. When it was brand new I could put 10 rounds in one group that would measure slightly less than 3/8ths inch center to center. It's still sub 1/2 inch after several thousand rounds.

Anyway that's the way it is as far as I see it.

[abpt1]

450yds is about max imo for the 55gr fmj

I say you should buy your self a 300win mag .

[Mark Ducati]

I thought the .223/5.56 was 300-600 yard weapon at best...

Personally, the longest shot I've ever taken is 300 yards... that's a loooong way away, 3 football fields... in all honestly, I figure if I need to engage targets at 1000 yards I'm either A) in the wrong place at the wrong time or B) purposely sniping targets and if using a .223 for option B)... that's the wrong tool for the job.

Either .308, .338, or 50BMG would be the right tool for option B.

[5.56NATO]

The 5.56NATO round was specified as a 55g proj being supersonic out to 500m from a 20in tube, so I suspect that 500m is about as far as a 55g should be relied upon, from a 20in tube. Longer tubes would give a few more fps but not much. 5.56 is a great combat round if you place your shots, but for sniping beyond 500m I would much prefer 7.62x51.

[Redcell]

Thank you guys great info.

[Redcell]

Thank you guys great info. No I have not shot on a 1000 yard range and probally never will. Everyone makes great points. Thanks again.

[O.S.O.K.]

The 5.56x45 is a 600 yard cartridge from a 20" HBAR with 1:7 twist and 80 grain VLD bullets. That is what is used routinely at Camp Perry. Beyond 600 yards this cartridge just doesn't cut it.

If you want a good 1000 yard cartridge, go with a 300 Laupua Mag with 250 VLD bullets - in as far as something to shoot from a regular long-action bolt gun...

If you want to stick with the standard AR then I agree with Schutz - go with the 6.5 Grendel.