The Most Accurate Rifle Ammo, Range Tested

At Outdoor Life, we’re always seeking to improve how we test and write about gear. The methodology used with our gun tests is something we’ve developed over decades and is, without question, the most comprehensive and rigorous you’ll find. Our signature evaluations include annual shakedowns of the best rifles, best handguns, and best shotguns.

While we’ve written about ammunition plenty in the past, I’ve never been fully satisfied with how we — or anybody else in the outdoor industry — has gone about testing it. Traditionally, an ammunition company would send out a few boxes of a new offering and the writer would blaze through the rounds. Typically a glowing report would follow shortly after, with some numbers from three- or five-shot groups to back it up.

Evaluating ammunition based on such a small sample size has never been our approach. And though we take pains to shoot ammunition in meaningful quantities — we request a minimum of one case of ammo (200 rounds) and more typically two or three cases for a given load — harvesting the data from all that trigger pulling has been difficult.

Our goal is always to gather good accuracy data through multiple rifles (whenever possible) but that’s only part of the equation. We want to collect velocity data as well, capturing the average muzzle velocity, extreme spread (ES), and the standard deviation (SD). Lastly, when applicable, we want to shoot it at distance to see how it behaves at longer ranges. All this is critical to understanding whether a load is consistent or not.

How We Test Ammo

We use 20-shot samples to gather accuracy and velocity data. If a data set doesn’t include 20 shots, we don’t believe it is reliable enough to count on. Single-digit ES and SD values (and sub-1/2 MOA groups) are fine and good, but when they are generated from three- or five-shot groups, they aren’t particularly insightful, as they don’t provide a statistically valid indication of future performance.

Thanks to the game-changing Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph, which is simple to use and reliably captures every shot, we’ve been able to collect 20-shot velocity data more easily. By having multiple Xeroes (I currently possess three, and we had six total at the rifle test) we can rotate through several guns at once. We’ll shoot five or 10 shots, and a dedicated chronograph stays with the rifle while it cools for the next string.  

These shot strings are also used to calculate a 20-shot group, aggregating four five-shot groups into a single cluster, using the E.A.T.S. target we designed in conjunction with the Hornady 4DOF group analysis tool. While we still publish the average five-shot group size, we’re mostly interested in the resulting mean radius, which is a more meaningful metric.

The data in this story has been collected over many months of shooting, done mostly by me and senior staff writer Tyler Freel. The data in the video linked in this story is primarily from the rifle test we conducted at Gunsite Academy in March.

Most Accurate Ammo

This story is going to be a living document, one we’ll add to as we continue to test ammo. Whenever we come across a load that exhibits exceptional performance, we’ll throw it into the mix.

Federal Gold Medal Centerstrike

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Purpose: Match

Available Loads

• .223 Remington (77 grains)
• 6.5 Creedmoor (140 grains)
• .308 Winchester (168 and 175 grains)

Centerstrike has been on the market for a couple years now and by this point we’ve put thousands of rounds of it downrange in all its configurations. This open-tipped match round has become one of our go-to loads for accuracy testing and has proven to be remarkably consistent.

In addition to the numbers in the chart, we can attest to its performance at longer ranges. Shot from a good rifle, it will reliably ring steel at 1,000 yards and beyond. Whenever the SDs of your muzzle velocity are in the teens (with 20 shots of data) you know you have a good lot of ammo. Price per box of the .223 load is about $32, while the 6.5 and .308 are around $40.  

Berger Classic Hunter

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Purpose: Hunting

Available Loads

• 6mm Creedmoor (95 grains)
• 6.5 Creedmoor (135 grains)
• .308 Winchester (168 and 185 grains)
• .300 Winchester Magnum (168 and 185 grains)

Berger is one of the top names in the precision world and they’ve developed quite a following among accuracy-obsessed hunters, particularly out West, where longer shots are often to be expected.

We’ve had great results with the Classic Hybrid Hunter over the last few years. At this year’s gun test we shot a huge amount of the 135 grainers in 6.5 Creedmoor and it was consistently one of the top performing loads in terms of group sizes, mean radius, and muzzle velocity SDs.

These OTM bullets are designed to penetrate 2 to 3 inches before expanding and creating a lethal wound channel. The term “hybrid” refers to the shape of the ogive which blends both secant and tangent geometry. Hybrid ogives have proliferated in the match world as they are both easy to get to shoot accurately and have very high ballistic coefficients (BCs).

Prices online range from about $45 to $80 per box depending on the cartridge.

Berger Hybrid Target

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Purpose: Match

Available Loads

• 6 mm Creedmoor (105 grains)
• 6.5 Creedmoor (140 grains)
• 300 PRC (215 grains)

The Berger Hybrid Target is one of the most legendary match bullets made today. It has accounted for an absurd number of wins in the PRS, NRL, RTC, WPR and other long-range rifle series.

The 105-grain 6mm bullet has been a go-to reloading component of mine for years, especially in 6mm Creedmoor and 6mm GT. Berger loads it in 6mm Creedmoor and we shot it in the Accuracy International AT-XC, which earned an Editor’s Choice as best overall rifle of 2025.

Though it isn’t designed as a hunting bullet, I’ve also used it with great success on antelope, whitetail, and mule deer and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it in that role either.

Prices range from $47 to $77 per box of 20 depending on the cartridge.

Sig Sauer Marksman Elite

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Purpose: Match

Available Loads

• 5.56 NATO (77 grains)
• 6mm Creedmoor (107 grains)
• 6.5 Creedmoor (140 grains)
• .308 Winchester (168 and 175 grains)
• .30/06 (175 grains)
• .300 Winchester Magnum (190 grains)

This is another OTM match load that has worked well for us. We’ve mostly shot it in 6.5 Creedmoor, which is what we did at this year’s rifle test, and in 5.56 NATO in the past.

Based on these results, we plan to try it in other chamberings as well and will report back.

Federal Fusion Tipped

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Purpose: Hunting

Available Loads

• 6.5 Creedmoor (140 grains)
• 6.5 PRC (140 grains)
• .270 Winchester (150 grains)
• 7mm Remington Magnum (175 grains)
• 7mm PRC (175 grains)
• 7mm Backcountry (175 grains)
• .308 Winchester (180 grains)
• .30/06 (180 grains)
• .300 Winchester Magnum (180 grains)

Federal rolled this ammunition out in 2024, augmenting their Fusion line with a polymer-tipped bonded projectile that has a skived tip for reliable expansion and better BCs than the original lead-tipped Fusion.

This competitively priced ammunition has impressed us with its accuracy. It’s been one of the most consistently precise big-game rounds we’ve shot of late. This is all the more impressive since it is a bonded bullet, which are inherently less consistent than traditional cup-and-core non-bonded bullets due to the bonding process.

I’ve killed one animal with it so far — a mature bull elk at 545 yards with a 175-grain Fusion Tipped in 7mm Backcountry — and couldn’t have been happier with the results: a pass-through shot that anchored him quickly. While Federal is marketing the Fusion Tipped to whitetail hunters, I would recommend it to all big-game hunters based on its accuracy and bonded construction.

Cost for the Fusion Tipped ammo ranges from $28 to $66 per box of 20 depending on the cartridge.

Barnes Harvest Collection with Sierra Tipped Gameking

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Purpose: Hunting

Available Loads

• .223 Remington (69 grains)
• .243 Winchester (90 grains)
• 6.5 Creedmoor (140 grains)
• 6.5 PRC (145 grains)
• .270 Winchester (140 grains)
• 7mm Remington Magnum (150 grains)
• .308 Winchester (165 grains)
• .30/06 (180 grains)
• .300 Winchester Magnum (180 grains)

Barnes just released this hunting load, which is a departure from the company’s monometal (and premium priced) offerings. Since Sierra and Barnes are now jointly owned, it is natural for Barnes to load a hunting bullet with as well-established a track record as the Sierra Tipped Gameking.

Among the Tipped Gameking’s virtues are fine accuracy, rapid and reliable expansion on thin-skinned game, and affordability. I hunted with the ammunition this fall, taking two whitetail does with it in Missouri, and we were able to secure enough to use it during our gun test as well.

As you can tell from the packaging, Barnes is focusing on the whitetail market, though in light of the ammunition’s accuracy I wouldn’t hesitate to use it on western game either.

This ammunition lists at $40 per box with all cartridges other than 6.5 PRC, 7mm Rem. Mag., and .300 Win. Mag., which cost $45.

Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X

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Purpose: Hunting

Available Loads

• 22 ARC, 22 Creedmoor (80 grains)
• .243 Winchester (90 grains)
• 6mm ARC, 6mm Creedmoor (103 grains)
• 25 Creedmoor (128 grains)
• .25/06 Rem., .257 Weatherby Mag. (110 grains)
• 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC (143 grains)
• .270 Winchester, .270 WSM (145 grains)
• 7mm-08 Rem., .280 Rem. (150 grains)
• .280 AI, 7mm Rem. Mag., 7mm WSM, 7mm STW, 28 Nosler (162 grains)
• 7mm PRC (175 grains)
• .308 Win., .30/06, .300 SAUM, .300 RCM, .300 Win. Mag. (178 grains)
• .300 WSM, .300 Win. Mag., .300 Wby. Mag. (200 grains)
• 300 PRC (212 grains)
• .300 Ultra Mag., 30-378 Wby. Mag. (220 grains)
• .338 Win. Mag. (230 grains)
• .338 Lapua Mag. (270 grains)

The Hornady ELD-X bullet is one of our most effective modern hunting projectiles, and it has become a staple of mine for chasing western game. Since it was introduced, I’ve taken more animals with the ELD-X than any other bullet, and I’ve always had excellent results, whether hunting mule deer, whitetails, elk, moose, or bear.

The bullet is designed for hunting at longer ranges thanks to its high BC and ability to reliably upset at lower impact velocities. One feature that is sometimes critiqued is how much weight the ELD-X will shed, particularly at closer ranges when it hits its target while going quickly.

This is not a legitimate shortcoming, as the bullet still kills very well at closer ranges, while delivering excellent terminal ballistics at longer ranges. I’ve taken many game animals at more than 400 yards with the ELD-X, including two bull elk a couple seasons ago that were more than 600 yards distant.

I’m able to trust shooting at that range, in part, thanks to the Drag Variability Reduction Technology Hornady uses. I wrote about DVRT previously, but the gist is that the shape and construction of the bullet tip keeps the drag the bullet experiences more consistent than you’ll find with other bullet shapes, like OTMs.

One thing I did notice is that during the Covid pandemic some lots of ammunition from Hornady (and everyone else for that matter) slipped a little in terms of accuracy due to powder shortages. Many of the most accurate propellants weren’t available and companies had to use less optimal powders. Thankfully, that is behind us, and the Hornady ELD-X ammo is once again producing excellent accuracy.

It is available in 33 different cartridges currently including newly introduced rounds in 22 ARC, 22 Creedmoor, and 25 Creedmoor. Prices for the ELD-X line fall mostly between $33 and $58 per box, though 20 rounds of 338 Lapua will set you back more than $120.

Final Thoughts on the Most Accurate Ammo

Some rifles can be finicky about the ammunition they use, but this is less prevalent than we once thought. Every now and then we’ll see an outlier in this regard, where a rifle demonstrates a notable preference for a given bullet, sometimes shooting an otherwise middling load extremely well. But most accurate ammo will shoot accurately in any rifle you put it through — or at least as well as the rifle is capable of.

It pays to try different loads in a rifle you’re attempting to make shoot its best, but you won’t go wrong starting with the specific brands we list here. We’ve vetted these across numerous rifles and vouch for their quality.