Best Sniper Ammo to Make Every Shot Count (Long-Range Shooting)

No single cartridge is perfect for all long-range shooting situations. That's why it's so important to choose the best sniper ammo to match the conditions you face most often.

Whether you're looking for pinpoint accuracy, specific bullet characteristics, or plain old cost-efficiency, we have you covered. The most common long-range shooting ammo is listed below from the smallest to the largest caliber.

1. .223 Rem / 5.56 NATO
2. .224 Valkyrie
3. .243 Winchester
4. 6mm Creedmoor
5. 6.5mm Creedmoor
6. 6.5mm Grendel
7. 7.62mm NATO
8. .300 Winchester Magnum
9. .308 Winchester
10. .338 Lapua Magnum
11. .408 Cheyenne Tactical
12. .416 Barrett
13. .50 BMG

So – which one is best for you? Let's begin by explaining our top picks, followed by a breakdown on which factors determine whether a round is good for sniping or not.

Best Cartridges for Long-Distance Shooting

Best 223 Long-Range Ammo

Federal Premium 69 Grain HPBT

Federal 223 Rem Ammo - 20 Rounds of 69 Grain HPBT Ammunition

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Specs

• Bullet Weight: 69 grain
• Case: Brass
• Muzzle Velocity: 2,950 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 1,333 ft-lbs

Pros

• High-quality components
• Well-known brand
• Excellent bullet for long-range accuracy
• Compatible with the AR platform
• Inexpensive

Cons

• Lightweight bullet (relative to many other cartridges)
• Can't shoot as far as other cartridges

Why We Chose It

The 223 is an entry-level long-distance round, with "long-distance" being a relative term.

The .223 Rem maxes out around 400 yards. Most shooters don't push it over 200 yards, especially on windy days.

But high-quality ammo like Federal Premium 69 grain HPBT is relatively inexpensive compared to the same quality of ammo in larger calibers, and the HPBT bullet is one of the best for long-range shooting.

Because the 223 is massively popular – and compatible with all 5.56x45 AR-15 rifles – it's an excellent place to begin your long-range shooting journey.

Best 6.5 Creedmoor Long-Distance Ammo

Hornady 147 Grain ELD Match

Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor Ammo - 20 Rounds of 147 Grain ELD Match Ammunition

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$36.99

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Specs

• Bullet Weight: 147 grain
• Case: Brass
• Muzzle Velocity: 2,695 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 2,370 ft-lbs

Pros

• Favorite among competition shooters
• High-quality components
• Incredibly accurate
• Established brand
• Doubles as a hunting round (varmints only)

Cons

• Expensive

Why We Chose It

The 6.5 Creedmoor is a favorite among many long-range competition shooters due to its low recoil and high accuracy. Pairing that with one of the top ammo brands in the industry is a match made in shooting heaven.

Hornady uses top-of-the-line materials for their match-grade ammo. You do pay for that, but you'll see where your money when when you're printing tight groups through your target.

The ELD Match isn't designed for terminal expansion or deep penetration (unlike the ELD-X, which is). That makes this ammo a poor choice for medium game, albeit perfectly effective for bopping rodents.

6.5 Creedmoor Hornady 147 grain ELD Match is ammo beginners and experts can both use to great effect.

Best 338 Lapua Magnum Ammunition

Black Hills 250 Grain Sierra MatchKing

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Specs

• Bullet Weight: 250 grain
• Case: Brass
• Muzzle Velocity: 2,860 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 4,540 ft-lbs

Pros

• Trusted by the military
• Designed for extremely long shots
• High-quality ammo

Cons

• Expensive

Why We Chose It

The .338 Lapua Magnum is one of the most popular sniper cartridges in the world. The U.S. Armed Forces and many other militaries have adopted it. It was designed for extremely long-distance shots, yet it's lightweight and portable compared to the gargantuan .50 BMG.

The biggest drawback to Black Hills 338 Lapua ammo is its expense. These rounds aren't cheap – nor are they easy to find.

Black Hills is known for manufacturing high-quality match-grade ammo. These rounds live up to that reputation.

Best Long-Range Ammo Based on Accuracy

Whether you're long-range hunting or shooting in competitions, accuracy is crucial.

But what do I mean by "accuracy?"

Accuracy is how close you can get to where you are truly aiming. It's determined by several factors, including the shooter, their firearm, and their ammunition.

In order to make an ethical kill or score well in a competition, you must be accurate.

Typically, smaller cartridges with less recoil are plenty accurate at closer ranges. Wind and gravity both have greater effect over longer ranges, which makes lighter bullets less effective farther out.

As a long-range shooter, you must walk the line of having enough power to resist wind and gravity while choosing a round that doesn't hurt your shoulder after one shot.

When all other things are considered equal, bullet design and quality are the two most significant factors affecting accuracy.

The bullet shape determines whether it will slice or tumble through the air. When a bullet tumbles, it is much less accurate and lowers its maximum effective distance.

Instead of one that tumbles, we need a bullet that slices through the air like the 6.5 Creedmoor Federal Gold Medal 130 grain OTM. This is one of the most accurate factory-produced ammo rounds, which allows shooters to reach sub-MOA standards. It's designed to fire slightly heavier bullets to help resist wind.

Federal Premium is a leader in American ammo manufacturing. When you purchase these rounds, you can trust they'll do as Federal intended.

If you're looking for a light-recoil long-range round that's more suited for coyote hunting or personal protection, then you should consider 224 Valkyrie 88 Grain Hornady ELD Match ammo. These polymer-tipped rounds are incredibly accurate and designed for shooting out to 1,000 yards on the semi-auto AR platform.

If you're looking for a proper sniper round that's deadly accurate out to 2,000+ yards, then you can't do wrong with 338 Lapua Magnum. This round was designed for military snipers to fill the gap between the 7.62x51mm NATO and .50 BMG. Law enforcement officers and big game hunters quickly adopted it as one of their favorite long-range cartridges.

The 338 Lap Mag is known for much heavier recoil than the 5.56x45 or 6.5 Grendel, so don't choose it for high-volume plinking (not that it's price tag would allow it).

Best Sniper Ammo Based on Ballistic Coefficient

If you're new to long-distance shooting, then you might have heard the phrase "ballistic coefficient" (BC) but have no clue what it means.

There's a complicated formula to determine the BC of a bullet. You don't have to know it. Just know that it's the numeric expression of the ability of the projectile to overcome air resistance while flying, where a higher number is better.

A high BC shows the projectile is better equipped to avoid generating drag. When a bullet creates less drag, it exhibits a flatter trajecotry, resists wind drift more effectively, and strikes its target with greater energy to boot.

Round nose bullets have the lowest BC, while a spitzer bullet with a boat tail (i.e. tapered base) tends to have the highest BC. (A spitzer bullet is a projectile with a pointed tip.)

Understanding the BC of your bullets is crucial because it will help you become a more consistent shooter.

Once again, the 6.5 Creedmoor rifle cartridge has a very high ballistic coefficient for the projectiles it fires relative to other long-range rifle rounds.

For handloaders, the 150 grain Sierra MatchKing bullet has the highest BC of 0.713. However, these are difficult to find in factory-loaded ammo.

For factory ammo, the 6.5 Creedmoor Hornady 147 grain ELD Match has a high BC of 0.697.

If you're looking for the highest BC, look no further than the Hornady A-MAX 750 grain bullet, which grants a .50 BMG cartridge a BC of 1.05.

This is the best ballistic coefficient of any bullet you're likely to find in a small arms cartridge. There's good reason why militaries worldwide still use a 50 BMG bolt-action rifle for sniping.

The 408 CheyTac is a relatively new rifle caliber for sharpshooters. It boasts a BC of 0.874. Some indicators point to a 0.900 BC at 2,900 fps.

Best Long-Distance Shooting Ammo Based on Sectional Density

"Sectional density" (SD) is another term you might have heard and needed clarification on. SD reflects how effectively a projectile penetrates a target.

The ability of the bullet to penetrate doesn't matter as much to competition shooters, who are chiefly concetned with shooting inanimate objects.

The SD of a bullet is determined by its diameter and weight. When two bullets share the same diameter, the heavier one would have the higher SD.

A 300 Win Mag 110 grain TSX BT bullet has an SD of 0.166. The same bullet in 180 grains has an SD of 0.271. A 223 45 grain bullet only has an SD of 0.125. If you step up to 55 grains, it's 0.157 SD.

When you're hunting deer, it's recommended to use a bullet with an SD of at least 0.2. For elk and moose, a minimum SD of 0.3 is advised.

If you're choosing your ammo solely based on sectional density, then I would recommend magnum cartridges like the 338 Lapua Magnum. The 50 BMG is another round with excellent sectional density. The Hornady 750 grain A-MAX has an SD of 0.412.

The Remington Core-Lokt Polymer Tipped 243 Win 95 grain bullet is primarily used for deer hunting because of its exceptional sectional density, with little accompanying recoil.

Top Sniper Ammunition Based on Terminal Ballistics

When we speak of a bullet's "terminal ballistics," we're talking about what it does after striking its target.

Think about how much energy it transfers to the target, and how big of a hole it punches.

A bullet's design, sectional density, and impact velocity all factor into the its terminal ballistics.

This is important for snipers and long-distance hunters, as these factors ultimately determine the round's effectiveness.

The terminal ballistics of smaller cartirdges, such as the .223 Remington or the .224 Valkyrie, will not come close to larger magnum cartridges such as 300 Win Mag or .338 Lapua.

A .22 caliber bullet typically has a high velocity, ranging from 2,700 to 3,400 fps. However, it doesn't have enough mass to maintain a large part of its velocity at long distance, or penetrate especially deeply. So narrow a bullet also doesn't inflict a relatively wide wound channel. That's why the 223 Rem is primarily used for varmints and medium game like whitetail.

On the other hand, the 300 Win Mag bullet has a similar velocity but is three or more times heavier. It will conerve more momentum and penetrate more deeply because of it. And because it's significantly, the 300 WM bullet also gouges a wider wound channel.

Top Long-Range Ammunition Based on Reliability

Imagine the elk of a lifetime walking out well within your range. You calmly get it into your sights and smoothly pull the trigger on your hunting rifle – but nothing happens. You wait to ensure the round won't fire, then eject it and rack in another, but the same thing happens again.

Now imagine this scenario, except the stakes are raised because you're in a combat situation. You can't afford to have ammo that won't fire because you risk getting your buddies or yourself hurt or killed.

The only thing worse than innacurate ammo is ammo that doesn't go "boom" at all.

The good thing is most factory ammo produced today goes boom when you pull the trigger.

The main things affecting ammo reliability are manufacturing quality and primer design.

So long as you stick with well-recognized brands like Hornady, Federal, Winchester, and Remington, you can rest assured you're buying reliable ammo.

The cheaper the ammo, the less reliable it tends to be. Nothing's set in stone, though! Sometimes the very best manufacturers produce subpar ammo. Test anything before you count on it during hunting season or a home defense scenario.

You can always check the reviews of the ammunition you're purchasing on Ammo.com to understand better how reliable it is from people who have used it.

Top Sniper Rifle Ammo Based on Cost

We all only make so much money, and only a portion of it can be spent on a new Ruger rifle or ammo for that rifle.

I can't afford to buy an unlimited supply of the best ammo, so sometimes I have to settle for the best ammo I can afford.

This is a delicate balancing act. I don't want to waste money on rounds that don't work, but I also don't need the top-of-the-line ammunition for plinking on a Sunday afternoon.

Generally speaking, the smaller cartridges cost less than larger ones because they don't require as much raw mateirals for their manufacture.

For example, 243 Win ammo costs less per round than 50 BMG ammo.

Brand name also factors into the cost. Though brands like Federal, Winchester, Hornady and Remington are reliable, they tend to cost more than brands like Wolf and TulAmmo.

How to Choose the Best Sniper Ammo

Now that you know some of the best options, how do you choose which one works for you?

I recommend using price, availability, reliability, amount of recoil, and which rifle you're firing to help determine which sniper ammo you should buy.

Price

It hurts to think of how much we spend each time we pull the trigger, but we must consider it.

While several things determine ammo prices, I always recommend staying within your budget and buying the best ammo you can afford.

One way to reduce the price is by choosing to shoot steel-cased ammo. There are some downsides to shooting steel, but they're acceptable when you're just plinking away.

There are a few ways you can save on high-quality brass-cased ammo, which we will discuss later.

Availability

The good thing about buying standard cartridges is that they're easier to find. However, they can be more difficult to find in times of high demand.

When this happens, ammo manufacturers typically start producing more to try to catch up with demand, so the most common cartridges are also the first ones back on shelves.

If you're a handloader, this is fine as long as the materials are available to craft your own ammo.

Reliability

The ammo you buy should be reliable, meaning it should go boom when you pull the trigger.

You'll need to walk a fine line between reliability and cost if you're on a tight budget.

Firearm

The rifle you choose to shoot determines which ammo you should buy.

Each rifle will perform differently with various brands of ammo. You'll have to experiment with different brands and bullet weights to determine which rounds work best in your sniper rifle.

Recoil

You should consider the amount of recoil each has. Less powerful rounds have less recoil, and can be more accurate; however, you're giving up potential distance when you step down in power.

How to Save Money on Long-Range Ammo

If your budget is tight – or you shoot often and spend a lot of money on ammo – there are a few ways you can save money.

Buy in Bulk

Buying bulk ammo is one of the best ways to lower the cost per round. However, you need to invest more money upfront to reap the benefits of buying in bulk.

So it will initially cost you more, but you'll save money in the long run.

Reloading

Reloading spent brass is another way to save money.

This requires a significant investment because you'll have to purchase all the reloading equipment and supplies. Once that's purchased, the cost per round depends on how fast you can pump out high-quality rounds.

I especially like reloading because you have much more control over the process and can craft the perfect round for your rifle.

Combine the Two

To exponentially increase your savings, do both: buy bulk ammo and reload the spent brass.

You'll be able to double up on the savings this way.

Common Long-Distance Shooting Bullet Types

Not every bullet will work when shooting long-range. There are specific types of bullets that work better than others because they're more accurate.

Below you'll find some of the most common bullets found in long-distance ammo.

FMJ

The full metal jacket is not the best, but it's the cheapest long-range bullet. If you're looking to save a little extra, consider buying ammo with an FMJ bullet.

FMJ-BT

A full metal jacket boat tail bullet is a step up from an FMJ. This type of bullet provides a more stable flight and increased accuracy over longer distances. This bullet type has a higher BC than an FMJ, so it has become the standard for long-range competition shooting.

HPBT

The pinnacle of long-range hunting bullets is the hollow point boat tail. This bullet design gives hunters incredible accuracy and knockdown power, even at long distances. Note that some HPBT bullets are equipped with polymer tips for even greater accuracy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below you'll find several commonly asked questions about sniper ammo.

What ammunition do snipers use?

Snipers use many types of ammo. Common choices include 380 Win, 338 Lapua Magnum, and 50 BMG.

What is the best bullet for sniping?

The best bullet for sniping is a hollow point boat tail (ideally with a polymer tip).

Why do military snipers use 308?

The 308 Win has been successfully implemented for decades, and is capable of covering 1,000+ yards when fired by a skilled sniper.

What is a 338 Lapua cartridge?

The 338 Lapua cartridge is used by military snipers, law-enforcement snipers, and big-game hunters.

What is a 338 Lapua good for?

The 338 Lapua is good for long-range shooting and hunting big game.

What is the most popular sniper rifle?

The most popular sniper rifle is the Barrett M82.

What is the best ammo for long-distance shooting?

The best cartridge for long-distance shooting is the 6.5 Creedmoor. However, this is largely subjective.

Parting Shots: The Best Sniper Ammo

The best sniper ammo for you depends on several factors, such as accuracy, reliability, and cost.

These factors determine which cartridge and brand of ammunition you choose to fire.

Our top picks for the best caliber are .223 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor, and ..338 Lapua Magnum.

Written by

Wes Littlefield