Want to stretch your lethal range? Try these five factory loads.
Judging by precision hunting rifle, optic and ammo sales, a vast demographic of hunters—particularly those in the West, where increased range has a direct correlation to higher success rates—want more range. Whether your ethics agree with it or not, long-range hunting is a thing.
An outstanding side effect of this trend is the quantum leap that has recently been made in bullet and ammunition development. Projectiles are more accurate than ever, and feature better terminal performance characteristics. And factory ammunition is more consistent, both in terms of group size and in tighter velocity standard deviations—a major consideration at extended distances.
As a result, there are now several top-shelf, match-accurate factory loads engineered specifically for use on big game. In alphabetical order, here’s a look at the best of them. (Ballistic coefficients are listed in G1 form.)
Barnes VOR-TX LR
Barnes VOR-TX LR
Right up front, the all-copper LRX (Long Range X) bullets loaded in this ammunition does not have the extremely high ballistic coefficient (BC) that the others featured here have. But they’re high enough—much higher than traditional big game bullets—and have the advantage of pairing extreme accuracy with best-in-class toughness. Many rifles shoot this factory ammo into less than one-half MOA, and you can take any ethical shot presentation because the LRX expands reliably but sheds almost no weight, resulting in massive trauma coupled with deep, deep penetration. In terms of accuracy and terminal performance, VOR-TX is impossible to beat. Cartridge cases are nickel plated to prevent corrosion in wet-n-wild climates. Available in the following cartridges:
6mm Creedmoor, 95-grain LRX, BC TBD (new)
6.5 Creedmoor, 127-grain LRX, BC .468
.270 Winchester, 129-grain LRX, BC .463
7mm Rem.
