Thread: Economical Gong Gun cartridge?

I've though about this as well, but.. The previous GPRE Tarata (Field shooting match to +-600m) I had one guy in my squad with a 223. The problem is that the impacts past 400m are tough to spot as well as the misses. Less splash in the dirt and less energy on target. We had 1x 6.5CM (147eldms at 2700fps) and 2x 6mm CM (108 & 110gn at about 3050fps) and the 223 (not sure but it was factory ammo) in the squad. The 6.5 had the most splash, but the 6mm CM weren't too far behind, the 223 we had multiple "no visual" calls and even when we hit the plate it was sometimes tough to call. Now spotting impacts/splash is obviously dependent on plate size, landscape (dry vs wet), etc etc, but from that 1st hand experience I would not opt for a 223 when competing. You want the spotter to be able to positively call hits/misses and with a 223cal you're putting yourself at a disadvantage from the start. Don't get me wrong, its a great little caliber, but if competing is your goal I'd say a 6.5CM is probably your sweet spot considering you're getting better barrel life vs 6mm and still have less recoil, better bc vs 308. My 2c