Forums. A .270 caliber rifle loaded with a 130 or a 140 grain bullets will drop respectively 33 and 35 inches with each bullet have over 1400 lbs. Most fall close to the .22 caliber bullet range, and can dip down to .17 caliber and up to .264 (6.5 mm). Preferred Caliber For 500 To 1,000 Yards And Beyond: 6.5 Creedmoor Preferred Rifle And Optic: A Rainier Arms precision rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor and enhanced by H&H Precision with an Orias chassis from Killer Innovations. The wise longer range shooter errs on the side of a higher B.C. Indeed, some deer also live in places where a 50-yard shot is much more likely than a 500-yard shot. It is a flat shooting cartridge, able to hit a target at 300 yards with negligible hold over. Still, by using G1 across the board, we are on a level playing field. JOHN BUOL Preferred Caliber For 500 To 1,000 Yards And Beyond: 5.56mm NATO. Well, theres really only one option in .22-caliber and thats the .224 Valkyrie. The issue with the Nosler cartridges is barrel life. This means we can first determine the fastest cartridge in each caliber, then compare it against the fastest in others. Shots are usually quick. It outperforms the .280 Remington (also known as the 7mm-06 and the 7mm Express), and for years wildcatters and handloaders have been singing its praises. Indeed, the .223 WSSM vies with the .220 Swift for the title of the centerfire rifle cartridge with the fastest bullet velocity. In 2019, Nosler submitted the cartridge to the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Institute (SAAMI) for approval, and in 2020, you can expect to see Nosler and other ammunition manufacturers offering factory loaded ammunition and even rifles for it. The Nosler AccuBond is one of the best all-round big-game bullets offered, and Weatherby has smarly offered the 140-grain version for their 6.5 RPM cartridge. bullet twice that far. I ran the numbers with the 180 grain Ballistic tip at 3420 fps. What a gentleman. Some of those 26 and 28 Nosler rifles only have 600-900 shots of total barrel life. I have not identified bullet make and type because that doesnt change impact drop. bullets at faster speeds allows the projectile to get to the target sooner, minimizing the amount of time all three forces have to affect the bullets trajectory. Thank you. Underwood Ammos 110-grain Lehigh Controlled Chaos bullet at 2800 fps is another great option. Of course, the .270 Win was developed in 1925 when 1000 yard shots were effectively unheard of. Whether or not thats true, my own success rate at 1,000 yards informs me to always stalk closer if I can and to forego shots at any distance unless Im supremely confident I can make them. Required fields are marked *. That should be pretty close to flat. It takes a lot of practice to learn the aim point to bring the rifle on target. Those, then, are my conclusions. I realize that you looked at several different loads for each cartridge to figure out which one was the flattest shooting. Great info but my 7mm rem mag with Nosler 120 grain BT (.417bc) @ 3600fps has anything on this chart beat pretty soundly. Its clear that flat shooting is directly proportional to overbore. This lets you focus on having only one caliber to maintain. Great information! Despite its relatively low B.C. Must be true since it was posted on the internet. Again, I, as well as so very many other folks Im certain, am very grateful! I wonder if you could possibly make that load available to me, so I can compare which loads are the best? during their trips downrange. This is more a theory question than anything. The round is on the cusp of energy at 300 yards, but it is a favorite among short to mid-distance deer hunters. And they can change in your rifle and will change at different velocities. However, the lead that the 25-06 has is pretty small. MPBR with a 150-grain spire point from a 308 Winchester might extend to 317 yards on an 8-inch target while a 300 RUM might push that same bullet to 373 yards. The amount of drop is directly influenced by velocity, energy, rifle barrel, and bullet design. The ballistics coefficient of the bullet (a formula which considers the mass, diameter, and aerodynamic drag of a bullet to understand its ability to fight wind and continue on its path) greatly impacts time of flight because it keeps the bullet from slowing down due to inefficiency of flight. inherent in 6.5mm (.264) caliber bullets. The 300 PRC in 225G exceeds this and the 338 Lapua Magnum by a noticeable difference. Since this article originally went live, several excellent long-range big-game cartridges have it the market. The result of this work was a flat shooting and hard hitting sniper cartridge with 200 to 400 yards of extended reach compared to the 7.62mm M118. I blog often and I truly appreciate your content. I too am a huge fan of Ron Spomer. throwing a 55-gr. Richard Mann A 30-06 will take any game on the NA Continent. Now, you might think this cartridge is new and unproven. The 243 Winchester and 6mm Remington have reputations for shooting flat, but the lesser known 240 Weatherby magnum fires the same bullets at higher velocities, so its the flattest of the 24-calibers. Drop is constant at the gravitational pull of 32 feet per second accelerating at 32 fps. Surprisingly, even with all the extra recoil and muzzle blast, this cartridge will not shoot any flatter than most 6.5s. Low B.C. A few specialty matches, such as the Farr trophy at Camp Perry, are fired at 1,000 yards. YMMV What do you guys think the flattest shooting caliber would be for hunting I have heard 6.5x284 but the bullet CE appears better on a 270. It seems a bit odd to consider a .22-caliber cartridge of any design suitable for long-range hunting of even smallish big game. The actual rain is pretty old-school, not digital distances and whatnot, but it's cheap and the people who work there are great. bullet to offset wind deflection. rating, that 100-grain bullet is hanging in there. Twenty years ago, Winchester introduced the .270 WSM (Winchester Short Magnum). Taylor's formula calculates a less-inspiring TKO number of 37. Prairie dogs?). rating, that 100-grain bullet is hanging in there. With its rebated rim and 1/2-inch diameter at the base, it is essentially a longer version of the 6.5284 Norma; ballistically equivalent to the .264 Winchester Magnum. The 6.5 PRC can remain supersonic out beyond 1,600 yards or so, but ammunition options are limited. What do you guys think . (-200) Despite its relatively low B.C. Equally, cutting through the air slows the projectile down, eating away at its energy. The rifle would be used for game to 600 yards (self imposed limit) up to the occasional Elk. Hornadys Precision Hunter 145-grain ELD-X at 2,950 fps is the flattest-shooting .270 Winchester load. Somehow stumbled onto this article. In 2015, Mann began contributing to Field & Stream to cover guns, ammunition, ballistics, and hunting. Accuracy, knowledge of your rifle and its drops at different ranges, and knowledge of the conditions will dictate your very long range shots. If you dont have good range finding equipment, youre hooped either way; humans will have extreme difficulty judging 700 from 725 without physical land markers or other range finding signs. Mag., according to Noslers Handloading Guide 9. The URSA gongs are 37 inches round and if you get 4 out of 10 you advance in 500 yard increments. The Government .45-70 can give you the perfect hunting experience as it is one of the top calibers used by hunters. As for targeting game at extreme distances, yes, I realize there are thousands of dedicated, well-trained long range shooters who are as good at 1,000 yards as many of us are at 500 yards and some of us at 200 yards. Also look at Federal Premiums 180-grain Nosler AccuBond offering at 2,960 fps. Well, Im done Adulting for Today and Tomorrow. 500-yard drop: 45 inches (based on a 100-yard zero). One argument for a flat-shooting cartridge is that it covers mistakes. Terry Cross. Awesome indoor range. Target Rifle- Caliber Question. A relatively flat-shooting cartridge, hunters with skill regular make shots out to 400 and 500 yards with the cartridge on small gamesome hunters even farther. http://www.hornady.com/ballistics-resource/ballistics-calculator, 338 Lapua with a 300 grain projectile (you can run 250s in the Lapua as well, but most run a 300). What I have come up with is the .270 Weatherby Magnum with a 135gr Sierra Matchking and 7828. As with Hornadys two recent 6.5 caliber introductions, it has found favor with long-range competitors, but also with hunters who like to hit at distance with heavy bullets. It will push a 90-grain Fusion bullet to 500 yardswhich is probably the limit for . via the Davenport formula. Kind of underwhelming, right? As magnums go, the .257 Weatherby is a mild kicker, and it's a great long-range cartridge for deer, pronghorn, sheep, and the like. 6.5mm calibers It is not always the caliber that is in question. With a muzzle velocity faster than 3000 fps, it offers great external and terminal ballistics. No howitzers or tanks.). RELATED: 6.5 Creedmoor: The New King of Cartridges? Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. Its not all hype. 1.5" high at 100, would be dead-on at 250, and only drop 30" at 550. So what can we learn from these numbers? Muzzle velocity certainly makes a difference in how fast the bullet reaches the target, but it is by no means the only factor to consider. What caliber rifle shoots the farthest? Any cartridge that drops less than 40 inches at 500 yards or close to 200 inches at 1000 yards should be considered a flat shooting cartridge. I love your work and what you share with us. Granted I do live in New England, and we dont have that many long shot opportunities here, but you would think someone would want to have there firearms chambered in such a flat shooting cartridge. From an external ballistics standpoint, it cannot compete with any of the cartridges on this list, but in the field where it matters, it works wonders, and only the 6.5 Creedmoor has less recoil. Great chart and thanks for what must have been an incredible amount of work. With the popularity of this cartridge due to America's favorite rifle, the AR15, more and more people are stretching the . He has managed multiple gun ranges, and has hunted around the world. If you like the idea of a six-five for going long, but hate the Creed and want something a bit different, the 6.5-284 Norma is the way to go. Links or names greatly appreciated, Thanks! Yes I know its a barrel burner but so is the 300RUM and others on the list. If youre after critters deer-size and up, the field is dominated by .30-caliber, 6.5mm, and 7mm cartridges, with the best long-range options remaining supersonic out to at least 1,400 yards. (This is essentially what Hornady did to the .260 Remington to make the 6.5 Creedmoor.) The best long-range cartridges are those that are flat shooting, feature aerodynamic projectiles and have enough power to go the distance. What caliber rifle shoots the flattest? A bullet starts to drop as soon as it leaves the barrel. 4/1/2016. The spin rate helps to stabilize the projectile along its path, cut through drag and higher case capacities give the projectile more velocity thus delivering the bullet to the target more quickly. Well placed shots seem to work and poorly placed shots tend to fail. Shot from SAAMI-mandated 1-8 twist barrels, the 6.5s long, slender bullets seem to almost defy wind and gravity and allow this cartridge to deliver clean kills at distance. Cheers. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'backfire_tv-box-4','ezslot_7',175,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-backfire_tv-box-4-0'); Spinning high B.C. Based on the 7.6239/220 Russian cartridge case, the Valkyrie changes the personality of the AR-15. . Since nearly all long-distance shooters today use a laser rangefinder, does it even matter which cartridges shoot the flattest? modifies results at some point. Im going to include a few in here, and my basis for including them is going to be inclusion in Federals 2013 catalog, because thats what Im basing my numbers off. bullet 12 inches at 500 yards, a low B.C. Before we check that out, let's give a nod to the 240 Wby. Below is the information Ive gleaned from 17-caliber through 338. Also, same bullet, but a .257 Wby Mag will also work if you hit the same velocities. What Is The Best Hunting Cartridge To 500 yds. Excellent work!! The 220 Swift would be my pick for coyotes, rodents, and probably pronghorn if it werent for the wind deflection issue. Don't get me wrong, but 45-70 are very accurate and can travel quite well buckin' the wind, Thanks for your hard work and entertaining videos, your passion shines through! Noslers first proprietary cartridge is basically a steroid-monster 6.5 Creedmoor. The 6.5300 Weatherby magnum, as its name suggests, is based on the 300 Weatherby mag and has a case capacity of 98 grains of water. bullet. I understand this is an old thread, but want to reply anyway. drops 6.7 inches at 300 yards and just under 20 inches at 400 yards. . I'm not a huge fan of basing my decisions on bullet energy. With the 30-06, we can only overcome 12 yards of ranging error at the same range before we miss the 6 of vitals. Recoil statistics are offered for reference. Most of the calculators out there show larger drop rates then your table. For a moose and caribou combo hunt, it's certainly an easy choice..270 Winchester - Like the 30-06, this is a classic caliber that can take on any of North America's big game species. And while that pokey 300 grain 338 Lapua round drops quite a bit compared to the others in the list, its carrying a lot of energy: enough to take a deer at 1775 yards. 30-378 weatherby (214). For 500 yards just raise the cross hair up to the top of the back but stay in the hair and have a sharp knife ready. At 1000 yards a .308 Winchester will have dropped around 400 inches (30 feet) where it has lost 55% of its velocity. The .22-250 is accurate, fast and delivers devastating performance at long ranges. Yet it has proven again and again that it will deliver at distance. The final two cartridges above are mislabeled. Oldmarine >>> GO I know you like your Bushnell scope but you should know that they make a lot of good scopes but the one that is favored by many Long Range shooters is the Elite Tactical XRS 4.5 . I am curious to see how it does for a 22 that can push any bullet weight made for it. The .277 bullet earns a lower B.C. But, as an extreme range competition shooter recently told me, the number of cold barrel, first round hits he sees at 1,000 yards in competition is well below 50%. cleric; Jan 28, 2023; Bolt Action Rifles ; Replies 13 Views 475. Posted: 12/20/2020 9:01:19 AM EST [#22] There is a simple . The following table averages multiple loads for each cartridge and shows an average amount of drop at 500 yards and 1,000 yards for each cartridge. 1.5" high at 100, would be dead-on at 250, and only drop 30" at 550. Im not sure Im reading this right but there seems to be a decimal missing. Generally, traditional Weatherby Magnum cartridges perform slightly better than their Winchester or Remington magnum counterparts. Always amazing to me its not even on those lists. Hello Jim, A Canadian sniper had a record kill at over 3500 yards last year in Afghanistan. Our margin for distancing error at 700 yards just went from 12 yards with the 30-06 to 25 yards with the 30-378. I have a 27 3/4" barrel 264 Win mag that shoots 130 Accubonds 3350 fps with Retumbo. Backfire LLC owns and operates this website. Thanks for your video and the information on your website. The biggest deficit is the roughly 57 feet of drop at 1,000 yards. I dont get it. All Rights Reserved, My Group Therapy: Shooting Log Book | 100 pages (6"x9") | Record Target Shooting Data & Improve your Skills and Precision Paperback June 13, 2019. It nearly matches the ballistics of the Winchester Magnum, but does so in rifles with faster-twist barrels and modern powders that extend barrel life. If there was ever a cult cartridge, the .280 Ackley Improved is it. Up until that time, there had only really been two .277-caliber hunting cartridgesthe .270 Winchester and the .270 Weatherbyso the .270 WSM was almost immediately popular. Another issue is recoil. None of them will turn you into a trained sniper, but if youve put in the range time and have the skills to stretch it out, these 10 cartridges have the reach and the thump to put game on the ground from the next canyon over. I also appreciate the realistic exposition of the relevant comparison between effects of flat-shooting cartridge vs judging cross-wind! Warm greetings from S.W. Please look into it. Therefore the .17 Remington is the round for you. projectiles begins to add up and they shoot flatter at extreme range. It takes 200 rounds to fully break in a barrel, so theyd finish it off in just 2-3 competitions (where you fire 200 rounds in a weekend). It's not until you get farther out that BC starts making a big difference. Hey there from Melbourne, Australia. And is it fair to include Risky Ralphs overstuffed, compressed-powder loads that exceed the highest handloading guides top loads by 400 fps and leave primers looking as if theyd been squashed on a train track? +Nick Strother, he TOLD you right up front he was only including cartridges that can be found chambered in most any rifle. I had to calculate this one out, as Weatherbys ballistics charts dont go past 500 yards. Introduced by Remington in 1962 along with their Model 700 bolt-action rifle, Remingtons Seven-Mag was the beginning of the end of Winchesters .264. The vast offerings of ammo and rifles on the market today is why the 338 Winchester Magnum is probably one of the best elk cartridges a hunter can carry. No, its not a 6.5 Creedmoor, but few things are. For bigger game, I could easily hunt with either the 240 or 6.5-300 Weatherbys. From 600 to 1000 yards they use a 300 Winchester. Recoil is negligible, making it a great option for hunter with sensitive shoulders. And it gets there with a lot less powder the either of the two Weatherbys. The .204 will work quiet well at 500 yards with good shot placement. Just saying, excellent job to tell the nature of all calibers for hunting from 100 to 700 yards for medium game. So dont assume that youll be shooting the worlds flattest rifle cartridge and bullet until youve verified your MV and bullet B.C. unfair comparison, Hornady makes a 139 grain BTSP for the 7mm mag very flat shooter, Great info, thanks for your difficult work. Pest control, home defense, and long-range shooting can all be done with 5.56. Its drop at 1,000 yards is 330.30 and at 500 yards its drop is 50.00. The good news is that these bullets might shoot even a tad flatter than these numbers indicate. You are using an out of date browser. that are blowing the ceiling off gun sales, instead of 6 5 CDM? At 500 yards even the flattest shooting rounds are going to be dropping somewhere around 30". I have found that when talking about these large caliber hunting rounds, there is not a tremendous difference in bullet drop. Just curious have you ever looked at the 284 Winchester for flat shooting. Thanks, 26 Nosler 127 gr LRX 3602 Ft./Sec. When it came out in 1925, 300 yards was considered about the max distance for shots on game, and the .270 Winchester was quickly recognized as one of, if not the, best commercial option for that. To be fair to the 30-378, itmurders everything else for flatness way out there, staying feet above most other cartridges and carrying enough energy to take a deer at just over 1000 yards. Developed form the military, Winchester . Sign up for Field & Streams newsletter to receive the latest and greatest gear reviews and expert hunting and fishing advice. Nice summary of the subject for those of us who do not understand things like Coreolis Force and aerodynamic jump. Hunters and shooters should also know that wind deflection of bullets is a more challenging part of hitting what you shoot at than is drop. The first category will include cartridges with a +/- 3" maximum point blank range (MPBR) of greater than 270 but less than 300 yards. For example , the chart I used showed about 67-70 drop for .270 at 600 yd.. Modern high-ballistic-coefficient bullets is where the .375 H&H really steps out of its traditional box. Jim Harmer is a host of the Backfire Youtube channel. Thanks for the chart for bullet drop but for Big Game Hunting I would rather see the down range energy. Different shooters will all have different calibers that are better suited for their specific goal or mission. Danny. . And yes, the .223/5.56 even dominates that match. Nor are we maintaining that the flattest shooting cartridge/bullet is the ultimate determinant of a good hunting round. My father has been shooting a 6.5300 wby we had made for him in the early 80s and it was only limited by bullet construction. Ron Spomer Outdoors 1.1M views 6 months ago Head-To-Head: 6.5. 6.5mm and 7mm projectiles offer very high ballistic coefficients, meaning they offer excellent ability to overcome drag and wind deflection over longer distances. The story of an old humpback Browning that's Sign up for the Field & Stream newsletter and get the latest intelligence straight to your inbox.
flattest shooting caliber to 500 yards