The 10 Best Rifle Bullets for Long-Range Shooting

We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more

Getting consistent hits at extreme distances requires specialized rifles and optics, like 1,000-yard scopes. It also demands purpose-built bullets. All long-range bullets have several things in common: They’re long and slender with high ballistic coefficients, and they’re built to stringent specifications with a high level of quality control. Some of the best long-range bullets come in loaded ammunition, but depending on your rifle cartridge, you may need to handload if you want the best performance possible at distance. Here are 10 of the best, whether you’re shooting at an animal, paper, or steel.

Long-Range Hunting Bullets

In addition to being able to fly flat and seemingly defy wind, long-range hunting bullets must also be able to upset at the low impact velocities that bullets have at extreme distances. Otherwise, they are just punching caliber-size holes in the game you’re shooting at, and that’s not a recipe for success.

Barnes LRX

Available Calibers: 0.224, 0.243, 0.264,0.284, 0.308, 0.277, 0.338, 0.375

Pros

• High weight retention
• Deep penetration

Cons

• Narrower wound cavities than lead core bullets
• Higher velocity expansion threshold

Some hunters prefer a lead-free, solid copper, or solid gilding metal bullet. In addition to eliminating concerns associated with lead bullets, they generally retain 100 percent of their weight, which helps them penetrate deeply. Additionally, in some locations, lead bullets are not allowed. If you’d rather use monolithic metal bullets or if you’re regulated to lead-free projectiles, the Barnes LRX is a great option. The BC-enhancing polymer tip helps initiate expansion, and the LRX bullet deforms with four razor-sharp petals that create a large frontal diameter. The Barnes Accu-Groove technology also means less fouling and less bore cleaning. You can purchase LRX bullets for handloading, and Barnes offers them in loaded ammunition for a variety of popular hunting cartridges in their VOR-TX LR ammo line.

Berger Elite Hunter

Available Calibers: 0.243, 0.257, 0.264, 0.277, 0.284, 0.308, 0.338

Pros

• Extremely high BC
• Provide great precision

Cons

• Moderate penetrator
• Faster twist rate sometimes needed

Noted ballistician and bench-rest shooter Bryan Litz designed the Berger Elite Hunter bullet. These bullets have extremely high BCs. They’re also made with the longest possible hybrid ogive and are a tad bit heavier than common bullet weights associated with each caliber. Due to their size, they will, in some cases, only work with custom rifles that use longer-than-normal magazine boxes. They also sometimes require a faster twist rate than normal for certain cartridges. This is a specialized bullet intended for a specialized purpose: killing animals at extreme distances. The bullet shoots flat and bucks the wind, but due to limited weight retention, wound cavities tend to be on the shallow side. Berger offers these bullets as components for handloaders and in loaded ammo for the most popular long-range cartridges. Other ammo manufacturers offer the Berger Elite Hunter bullet on a limited basis.

Federal Terminal Ascent

Available Calibers: 264, .277, .284, and .308.

Pros

• High BCs
• Low velocity expansion threshold

Cons

In addition to offering many other premium bullets in factory-loaded ammunition, Federal makes its own long-range bullet, the Terminal Ascent, which delivers ideal close- and long-distance terminal performance. It’s currently available in component form for handloaders in .0.264-, 0.277-, 0.284-, and 0.308-calibers, but Federal also offers the same bullet in their Terminal Ascent ammunition line for 13 different big game hunting cartridges. The Terminal Ascent is a bonded bullet with a solid-copper rear shank to penetrate deep on close targets, and a polymer tip to initiate expansion at velocities as slow as 1400 fps at extended range. 

Hornady ELD-X

Available Calibers: 0.224, 0.243, 0.257, 0.264, 0.277, 0.284, 0.308, and .338.

Pros

• High BCs for hunting bullets
• Offered in most calibers

Cons

• Can be overstressed with extreme velocity close-range impact

ELD-X stands for Extreme Low Drag eXpanding bullet. This bullet utilizes a unique Doppler radar-verified Heat-Shield Tip that is unaffected by aerodynamic heating and retains its shape to offer some of the highest BCs you can find in a hunting bullet. These bullets will deliver great bullet upset at distances that require only an impact velocity of about 1400 fps. With the jacket’s thick shank and the Hornady Interlock ring, they can even hold up to close-range impact if the velocities are not extreme. In most cases you can expect 50 to 60 percent weight retention inside 400 yards and as much as 85 percent weight retention at greater distances, with decently sized wound cavities and moderate penetration. Hornady offers ELD-X bullets for handloading in eight calibers and for more than 30 cartridges in their Precision Hunter ammunition line.

Lehigh Defense Controlled Chaos

Available Calibers: 0.204, 0.224, 0.243, 0.257, 0.264, 0.277, 0.284, 0.308, 0.311, 0.355, 0.358

Pros

• Low velocity bullet upset threshold
• Very precise shooting
• Unique terminal performance

Cons

• Moderate ballistic coefficients

Because of their more common ballistic coefficients, these bullets are not typically considered for long-range shooting. But the Controlled Chaos bullet belongs on this list because of its low velocity upset threshold. They are available in tipped and untipped variations, and most of these bullets will upset when impacting as slow as 1200 to 1300 fps. Not only that, but by shedding petals that create their own additional paths of destruction, and with the deep penetration of the bullets, they can be ideal for moderate to long-range applications. If you drop down a bullet weight and take advantage of the additional velocity, these lead-free bullets can be wicked at distance. Lehigh Defense offers the Controlled Chaos, Tipped Controlled Chaos, and Tipped and Untipped Xtreme Chaos bullets in 11 calibers, and, along with Underwood Ammo, loaded ammunition for some of the most popular rifle cartridges, including the 350 Legend, is available.

Nosler AccuBond Long Range

Available Calibers: 0.264, 0.277, 0.284, 0.308, and 0.338.

Pros

• Low velocity bullet upset threshold
• Bonded bullet

Cons

• Pricey in Nosler loaded ammo

For big-game hunters, the Nosler AccuBond might offer the best balance of terminal performance—expansion and penetration—and precision that can be found. With the AccuBond Long Range, Nosler made some wise enhancements to make the bullet shoot flatter and hit harder at distance, while still delivering that legendary Nosler Partition-like lethality. AccuBond Long Range bullets have a tangent ogive, tapered jacket, sleek boattail, and a bonded core that hides behind a grey polymer tip. They will withstand extreme, high-velocity impacts at close range and still deliver expansion and penetration at long distances, while offering measurable upset at velocities as slow as 1400 to 1500 fps. Various manufacturers offer AccuBond Long Range bullets in loaded ammunition on a limited basis, and Nosler offers the AccuBond Long Range in their Trophy Grade Long-Range ammunition line for 24 different rifle cartridges.

Sierra Tipped GameKing

Available Calibers: 0.243, 0.264, .277, 0.284, and 0.308.

Pros

• Low velocity bullet upset threshold
• Very precise shooting

Cons

• Limited factory ammo offerings

The Sierra GameKing bullet has been cleanly killing critters for many years. To enhance its long-range performance, Sierra reengineered the GameKing by adding a hollow point and a resin tip. This aerodynamic tip enhances the bullet’s ability to resist gravity and wind, ultimately reducing flight time. In conjunction with the hollow nose cavity and a lead-alloy core, the tip optimizes penetration and tissue destruction over a wide range of impact velocities. Sierra calls their new tipped GameKing bullet the “GameChanger.” Sierra offers bullets for handloaders from 0.243- and 0.308-caliber, and Browning loads Tipped GameKing bullets in their Long Range Pro Hunter line for the 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 6.8 Western, 270 Winchester, 308 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield, 300 Winchester Magnum, and the 300 WSM. In Browning ammo, the bullet has a gold tip as opposed to the Sierra green tip.

Long Range Target Bullets

When it comes to target shooting at extreme distances, the bullet has no terminal performance requirement. All it needs to do is ring a steel target or put a hole in a piece of paper. Often, long-range target bullets shoot better than long-range hunting bullets because they do not have to be designed to deliver controlled deformation at distance. However, just because they might shoot with excellent precision does not mean they are suitable for hunting big game animals.

Berger Hybrid Target

Available Calibers: 0.243, 0.264, 0.284, 0.308, and 0.375

Pros

• Chamber-friendly bullet profile
• Very precise shooting

Cons

• Limited factory ammo offerings

Under the tutelage of Walt Berger—one of the best bench-rest shooters of all time—Berger Bullets established a reputation for creating some of the most accurate bullets ever produced. Their Hybrid Target design incorporates two different shapes within its nose. It starts as a secant ogive like their famous VLD bullet, but as you move toward the bearing surface, the bullet changes to a tangent ogive. This makes the bullet less sensitive to seating depth and makes load development much easier. Two weeks after its introduction, the Hybrid Target bullet began winning matches, and it continues to do so. Berger offers loaded ammo with the Hybrid Target bullet for the 6mm and 6.5mm Creedmoor, as well as the 300 PRC.

Hornady A-Tip

Available Calibers: 6mm, 6.5mm, and .308.

Pros

• High ballistic coefficients
• Very precise shooting

Cons

• Handloading only option
• Expensive

For the last several years, Hornady has developed some of the best long-range bullets on the market. Their new A-Tip bullet has a precision-machined, aero-ballistically-advanced aluminum tip, and the ogive (the curve of a bullet’s front section) and boattail are optimized for each caliber. They’re sequentially packaged and aren’t bulk-washed after manufacturing to protect their integrity. These projectiles even come with a polishing cloth, but unfortunately, they are a handloading-only option.

Sierra Tipped MatchKing

Sierra MatchKing bullets have a worldwide reputation for stellar accuracy and have probably won more target competitions than all other bullets combined. The newer Tipped MatchKing bullet is living up to that legacy. By adding an aerodynamic resin tip to the MatchKing, Sierra reduced drag and achieved a more favorable down-range ballistic coefficient. These bullets also feed very well from the detachable magazines being used by most long-range semi-auto and bolt-action rifles. Browning loads Sierra Tipped MatchKing bullets in their Long Range Pro ammunition line for the 6.5 Creedmoor, 28 Nosler, 308 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield, 300 Winchester Magnum, and the 300 WSM, and instead of the green tip, it has a gold tip.

Why Trust Us

For more than 125 years, Field & Stream has been providing readers with honest and authentic coverage of outdoor gear. Our writers and editors eat, sleep, and breathe the outdoors, and that passion comes through in our product reviews. You can count on F&S to keep you up to date on the best new gear. And when we write about a product—whether it’s a bass lure or a backpack—we cover the good and the bad, so you know exactly what to expect before you decide to make a purchase.

content_rifle-ammo,content_ammo,content_guns,content_outdoor-gear

Recommended Products