If I'm going bigger than a .260.... it's straight into the loving belt of the 7 Rem Mag. Any of the midsize 7s (SAUM,WSM, .280AI, Mash, Bee, x64, etc) are still the best big game rifles I can think of.... and the "160/.600/3k" box score is still where 'Long Range Hunting' rounds start for me.
.264 Win/SAUM/whatever can come close.... but it seems an aweful lot of fuss for 15-20% less payload downrange than the 162/168/180 7mm's.
To the OPs question....
Consistent 1-2 MOA 500 yard guns grow on trees, and rarely does caliber/head stamp have anything to do with hitting stuff at that range. I had a ball watching my mom and her friends beat steel out to 500 with my 20" .260 just last Saturday. Properly set-up, light recoiling rifles.... with good dope and reliable optics... will do a lot of work out to about 600.
On a long action... I'd probably go 23" 6.5/06, focus on the 123 Scenar/130 VLD in the 3050-3150 range. It'd recoil and kill like a .270 (which ain't a bad place to be).... but offer flatter trajectory and less drift across the board... though not a lot.
For a 1000 yard steel rig/700 yard hunting rifle.... I'd go 24" 7 Rem... or any of the above mentioned smaller/bigger brothers.
Good post right there! Absolutely spot on!!
X-VERMINATOR
