What is the most accurate rifle caliber?

Question

What is the most powerful center fire rifle caliber.........

What is the most accurate center fire rifle caliber?

Answer 1

Bound's hubby here:

Power (energy) is secondary to accuracy. Hit your target right, you don't need mega-tons of power to knock it down.

What is the most accurate rifle caliber depends on where you stand. In the US, is would be the .308 Winchester firing the Sierra 168 grain International MatchKing HPBT (which I can speak to). In Europe, it would be the 6.5x5mm Swedish Mauser, with which I have no personal experience.

The .308 loaded withthe 168 Sierra Match bullet and 41.5 grains of Accurate Arms .25-20 is typically the standard load of match shooters at Camp Perry. PALMA shooters shoot the same cartridge using a 155 grain Sierra MatchKing HPBT.

More to follow when I get home from work.

Answer 2

Most Accurate Rifle Caliber

Answer 3

Most folks have their experience with common and even not-so-common hunting and military calibers, but to really answer the question you need look to the extremely competitive worldwide sport of bench rest rifle shooting. The finest shooters from most countries in the world participate in this sport and they are without doubt the cream of the cream in the accuracy shooting world.

These guys have made a science out of this sport and some of the finest minds in the firearm world compete to get the most accuracy out of the equipment.

What's the predominant caliber of the most accurate shooters in the world? 6mm PPC. Hands down.

Trust that IF there were a more accurate caliber that existed, the most accurate shooters in the world would use it. They almost all use 6mm PPC.

I hope that settles any argument anyone may have about the most accurate rifle caliber. Anything more accurate just has not been developed yet.

As to the most powerful: The common correct answer is .50 caliber, but that incorrect because even though rifles are MADE in .50 they are actually small cannon and not true rifles.
The .50 calibre round was developed for carriage mounted machine guns, not hand held rifles.
A rifle must be able to be carried and shot by a man standing offhand with a degree of accuracy and the .50 calibre rifles are too big for this.

So my position is the .700 Nitro Express is the answer because it is actually a rifle round developed for actual rifles that a man can shoot.

Answer 4

Simple question people, no need to give info that you really have no clue about.

Answers:

Most accurate rifle caliber, 22-250rem The determining factor is not the round but the gun its fired from. Typical firearms will hold a tighter group than you are able to shoot in. The 22-250 round fired from the same rifle along side a .308 or any other caliber will hold a tighter pattern than any out there. Note that this is also determined by the bullet specs. Companies like Steller & Bellot make bullets with a closer tollerance than that of the ones you buy over the typical counter. Bounds Hubby normally has really good info, we just disagree on the caliber here.

Most Powerful :

.700NE or Nitro Express. Power does not mean speed or distance, simply hitting power. Therefore nothing hits harder than the .700 Nitro. The claiber was designed to stop a charging elephant in its tracks. The NE has the most PSI of knock down power in a caliber able to be fired from a man opperated rifle or gun.

Happy Shooting.

Answer 5

This is a very broad question. All rifles are not equal in size or power but all were designed usually with certain game in mind. Some have features to help the accuracy without caliber being a factor. Like a lot of things in life it isnt the equipment. Its the person who is operating it that determines the outcome. A rifle must certainly be in in good working order with sighting that has been adjusted properly, the barrel needs to be in good shape, and proper fit of a gun never hurts. To say that one rifle caliber is more accurate than another ; I do not think that you can.

Answer 6

Billy, your questions are:

#1: What is the most accurate rifle caliber? Answer: My most accurate, out-of-the-box rifle is still my old Remington 700 ADL in .25-06 Remington caliber.

#2: What is the most powerful, center fire rifle caliber? Answer: Practically, the .700 Nitro Express dangerous game rifle. Of course, there is a .50 Caliber rifle chambered for the .50 Caliber Browning Machine gun bullet, but it is kinda hard and impractical to lug around with you when you hunt.

#3: What is the most accurate center fire rifle? Answer: This is a redundancy. For your first question you should have stipulated 'other-than-center-fire' which would limit it to rimfire or ball-n-cap, flintlock, etc. My most accurate center fire rifle is still my old .25-06. My most accurate rimfire rifle would have to be my old Winchester bolt-action single-shot .22 Long rifle.

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Answer 7

Most Accurate Caliber

Answer 8

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your basic lack of understanding is causing some issues. First off you can't clump all 7.62 calibers together 7.62 x 39 (the AK round) is entirely different than 7.62 x 67 (the 300 winmag, currently used in the M-24 sniper rifle to reach out to the neighborhood of 1200 meters). The 'stopping power' between these two rounds are also significantly different. As far as 'accurate out to distance x' you again misunderstand the concept. What is actually going on is a combination of retained energy, wind drift, drop from an idealized zero, and many other factors are giving an 'optimal mission maximum' that has NOTHING to do with accuracy. You may have an EXTREMELY ACCURATE at long range cartridge, but if it is delivering just a tiny prick at 1000 meters, or if you have to put in more clicks of adjustment than the standard scope can mechanically accommodation, then it is a poor tool for the job. Now, you are correct that the standard military weight 5.56 NATO (M885 62 grain) cartridge really suffers in capability when pushed beyond 500 meters, AND you are corret that rounds like the 6.8 SPC add 100 to 200 meters to the long end of this...but by switching to a 77 grain projectile the 5.56 NATO round 'catches up' to the 6.8 SPC. and some of the very specialized rounds like the 103 grain tungsten core 5.56 projectiles will push even further. Of course you need the correct rifling twist or the round won't stabilize, which will lead to accuracy issues. And the twist needed for a bullet weight that is great for long range shooting of the 5.56 NATO is a different rate than what works good for light weight combat rounds...but again, this doesn't make the ROUND more or less accurate, that accuracy or lack their of rests in the tool being used. And finally, just as the tool being used can limit the accuracy of the round, the BY FAR BIGGEST FACTOR IS THE SKILL (OR LACK THEIR OF) OF THE SHOOTER. UNLESS YOU ARE AN ACTIVE COMPETITION SHOOTER YOU AND ONLY YOU ARE THE BIGGEST LIMITING FACTOR ON THE ACCURACY SO STOP WORRYING ABOUT WHAT FING ROUND TO GET AND GET YOURSELF A 5.56 AND GET YOUR BUTT TO THE RANGE EVERY WEEK AS THAT WILL HAVE 1000 FOLD BIGGER IMPACT ON THE 'ABILITY' TO ENGAGE LONG RANGE TARGETS THAN WORRYING ABOUT THE PERFECT FING ROUND FOR YOUR RIFLE.

Answer 9

The most accurate caliber would be the 308 it is also the most common. From there you go to the 30-06 then the magnum rounds.
You have to understand that a round is by no means accurate. It's the combination of round and firearm.
Accuracy comes from the bullet shape and the rifled barrel. The third part would be the sights and or scope and most importantly the man behind the gun.
Let's start with that old Lee Enfield 303.The 303 British. That round was built for that rifle. The rifle was built with a rear flip peep sight or an adjustable peep sight. The front site had a trident design. Any man that got behind that rifle would quickly learn to sight, fire and hit. The gun was built to kill and made so effectively that almost anyone could hit a target. Those that could not hit with it had problems with their eye sight. The M1 Garand was built the same way. Built so that anyone could hit a target.

The most Powerful center fire rifle would be the 458 winchester magnum or something in the 45 magnum rifle range. That big round may not travel as far as the 7.62. but if you hit someone in the elbow it will rip an arm off. A shoulder shot is a kill shot.

The most accurate center fire Rifle would be a toss up between the 303 Enfield and the M1Garand. the proof of this statement is that we are not goose stepping and saying hial hitler in german.

Answer 10

Your question is misleading and impossible to answer as phrased.

If you wanted to ask about accuracy, you would have to ask "what round is most accurate in a specific range?" You can't pick one "most accurate" round out of all rifles over all. It's an impossible question.

For small cal rifles (.17-.25 etc) out to 50 yards or so, there are quite a few that will put their bullets through one hole in the target. Perfect accuracy. In that given range, you can't pick one best because all the qualified rounds are perfect in terms of accuracy. They won't, however, be perfect if you move the target out to 100 yards.

At 100 yards, there are quite a few rifles/rounds than can also be put into one hole in the target. Perfect accuracy. Again, you can't pick a best because all the qualified rounds are after all perfect. Are they more accurate than the .17HMR back at 50 yards, though?

You can keep stretching that out as far as you want. The .50BMG will hit a target at the farthest range, but is it more "accurate" than a .308 at say 300 yards?

Accuracy and range have to go together. If they don't, your question is impossible to answer.

In reply to MRS, ummm, no. Perhaps it's you who should avoid topics you know nothing about.

The .700NE puts out approx 9,000 foot pounds of smack at the muzzle where the .50BMG can top 11,000ftlbs with factory-loaded ammo.

Safari rifles firing the .585 Nyati round can top 10,000ftlbs at the muzzle and are designed to be fired from the shoulder.

Purely military rounds? Another topic entirely.

So no, it's not a simple question.

I won't even get into the .22-250 and the dozen or so rounds that are more accurate in the given range. *Cough* .220 Swift *cough*

Stay in school, bud. You'll get there.