by Chronos » 21 Feb 2014, 3:43 pm
first you must understand you don't need a magnum caliber for long range accuracy, in fact throwing more powder and heavier bullets is a great way to cause other problems that will reduce accuracy like flinch, magnum cartridges and low recoil don't belong in the same sentence IMHO
second what do you call long range? 400m, 800m?
a target cartridge like 6BR or its improved derivatives the 6BRX and Dasher hold most of the world records at 600m, shooting just a 105gr bullet they develop not much more recoil than a .223, or for that matter a .243 shooting 105gr VLD will slaughter a .308 for balistics
as far as my rifles go i have avoided the magnums, my largest cartridge, a .284winchester shoots a 7mm 180gr bullet at 2760fps, a bit slower than a 7mm rem mag but using almost half the powder (50gr) and twice the barrel life
developing the skill to shoot accurately at longer ranges is another thing, take your .22lr rifle out to 200m and try shooting some groups, if it shoots 25mm groups at 50m you want to get it shooting 4"-5" at 200m
Chronos