flattest shooting caliber to 500 yards

Choosing the proper ammunition and knowing your own capabilities at those distances is most important. At 500 yards . bullet faster than did the larger volume 30-378 Wby. Just dont try to enumerate its downsides to anyone who knows anything, because there arent any that matter. Its like a shorter, beltless version of the .300 Winchester Magnum. Hornadys Precision Hunter 145-grain ELD-X at 2,950 fps is the flattest-shooting .270 Winchester load. Since nearly all long-distance shooters today use a laser rangefinder, does it even matter which cartridges shoot the flattest? Good points, which are all things Ive considered. In 2022, he was named as the brands Shooting Editor. The wildly overbore 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum wins or places near the top of the flat-shooter podium at most ranges to at least 1,000 yards. Before we check that out, lets give a nod to the 240 Wby. Wind also affects bullets differently, and a cartridges ability to overcome these three forces makes it better or worse for shooting flat and far. Like the 26 Nosler, the 28 is based on the 404 Jeffery case and will remain supersonic out past 1,750 yards. This is the darling diameter for American big-game hunters. If there was ever a cult cartridge, the .280 Ackley Improved is it. Caliber Flattest Shooting Load BC; 7mm R Mag: Hor 139 gr InBd HvMag.480: 270 WSM (1) Fed 130 gr Nosler BT.428: 300 Win Mag: Hor 150 gr InBd . 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. Considered by many to be the optimum long-range, large-game cartridge, the .300 Winchester Magnum has proven itself worldwide. What Is The Best Hunting Cartridge To 500 yds. Nor could most of us scrape up a good excuse for owning one. How hard would it be to add a 223wssm to the mix. Death in the Long Grass: A Big Game Hunter's Adventures in the African Bush .by Peter H. Capstick, Dino Paravano, Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders (Volume 1) Paperback, The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game: Volume 1: Big Game, Horn of the Hunter: The Story of an African Safari Kindle Edition, Use Enough Gun: On Hunting Big Game Hardcover, Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail: Upland Birds and Small Game from Field to Feast Hardcover March 1, 2018, The Easy Venison Cookbook: 60 Simple Recipes for Deer, Elk, and Moose Kindle Edition. At 150 yards the target is a 6 inch hole and the gong is behind it. Just saying, excellent job to tell the nature of all calibers for hunting from 100 to 700 yards for medium game. Drop is constant at the gravitational pull of 32 feet per second accelerating at 32 fps. 2023 Backfire LLC, a limited liability company headquartered in Utah, USA. I just want to quickly thank you for the great videos and for producing this table of bullet drop data. If youre after deeper penetration, look at the 139-grain Barnes VOR-TX Long Range load. Commissions are earned for links to Brownell's, Amazon, MidwayUSA, GoHunt, OpticsPlanet, Sportsman's Warehouse, and other retailers. What caliber rifle shoots the flattest? In any caliber the cartridge that attains the highest muzzle velocity wins the flat shooter award, so theres no sense arguing that the 6.5 Grendel might shoot as flat as the 27 Nosler. But lets have a round of applause for our antiquated 220 Swift, just 0.2-inch off the record! So it Im guessing to summarise it doesnt really matter what you shoot as long as you know distance to target & your maths If the hunter is looking for a flat shooting caliber with good energy and speed of distances around 400-yards, then the .270 would be the obvious choice. The .223 Remington will easily take care of any varmint out to around 500 yards, but at extreme distances loses its punch. = 3002 inches = 250 foot = 76m above target at 1000 yds now thats a challenge ! Though that shot didn't take advantage of the 7mm Mag's flat trajectory, it convinced me of the cartridge's superior qualities. Underwood Ammos 110-grain Lehigh Controlled Chaos bullet at 2800 fps is another great option. (A bullet far from optimum for shooting elk.) Only a handful of .277-caliber cartridges are made today, but the .270 Winchester is still by far the most popular, given all the guns and loads out there for it. The 27 Nosler bests the .270 Winchester by about 400 fps with 150-grain bullets. . If you use a very good long range 6mm bullet like the 115 DTAC with a BC of .585 and a velocity of 2950fps, which is easy to get, it wipes the floor with the .308 with a 175 at 2700fps. Even at 500 yards the Hornady 225 SST is traveling over 2,000 fps and carrying over 2,000 ft/lbs of energy. Fun? Yeah, yeah, I know theyre cartridges and not calibers, but lots of people call them calibers so I thought Id roll with it. I believe the 6.8 SPC is that alternative. Clear enough? YMMV A 30-06 will take any game on the NA Continent. 17. Sight in 3" high at 100 yards and 6" low at 400 yards. The good news is that these bullets might shoot even a tad flatter than these numbers indicate. With their Vanguard line you can do it for less than $900. For example, the .50BMG and the 6.5 Creedmoor both launch bullets at approximately the same muzzle velocity of 2,700fps. 3. Cheers. With a growing choice of ammo from 90-130 grain projectiles and the benefit of a great ballistic coefficient with the 6.5mm bullet, 500+ yard shooting can be almost boring. 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. It may be a bit rough on barrels, but this cartridge shoots so flat you probably wont care. I was surprised at the distance, so I asked my PH Thats just 155 yards? He got a stunned look on his face and said, No, TWO hundred fifty-five yards! Our miscommunication during the shot sequence didnt matter a bit, because I was shooting a .28 Nosler, which put the shot only 2.8 low at that distance. Just want to extend my sincere gratitude to you for all of the hard work, time, and incredible effort that you put into this, and so many other endeavors that you have undertaken to give us so much useful information and education, and doing so in a carefully detailed and professional manner! Always be open to new possibilities. I\d be curious to know what the minimum cost is for just the rifle or a quality budget build. That said, average shots on mule deer are often longer than what most hunters typically encounter on eastern whitetail hunts. RELATED: How the Brand-New 27 Nosler Revives the .277. It was introduced in 1962 and essentially knocked the .264 Winchester Magnum several notches down on the popularity list after hunters and shooters put the 7mm Mag to the test. It is an ideal choice for deer-sized game in open country, and a fine choice for mountain game. The multiple loads for each cartridge are not at all pulled at random. . I have not identified bullet make and type because that doesnt change impact drop. Case capacity is literally and figuratively the driving force here: Both Nosler offerings are based on the 300 Remington Ultra Magnum and both boast case capacities of 93.5 grains of water. Thanks for the chart for bullet drop but for Big Game Hunting I would rather see the down range energy. For example , the chart I used showed about 67-70 drop for .270 at 600 yd.. Backfire LLC owns and operates this website. Share: Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Email Share Link. The Chey-Tac M200 Intervention is the bolt-action rifle built to handle this round, and shooters have been documented firing a group of 3 shots within 16 inches at 2,321 yards. The .204 will work quiet well at 500 yards with good shot placement. This is one of the flattest shooting bullets available on the market, with a plethora of different size bullets available that range from 75 grains for small game, all the way up to 120 grains for deer. Your email address will not be published. While there are not a lot of ammunition choices for the 6.8 Western, there are some good ones. And for all of you whove just learned your flat shooting champion really isnt, sorry. I appreciate the kind comment. Terry Cross. Just what the perfect balance between MV and BC is remains unanswered by me. flat-shooting, and light recoiling cartridge was extremely effective on deer-sized game. The best varmint rifles are capable of accurate, repeated medium to long range shots from a fixed position, and are usually found in light, fast calibers that have a flat trajectory. during their trips downrange. It shoots as flat as a Kansas prairie and holds its velocity way out there. I subscribed to your Feed as well. The non-bonded bullet should deliver good terminal performance up close and at distance. The new Federal Premium, 130-grain Terminal Ascent load with a muzzle velocity of 2825 fps shoots flat and the bullet is tough enough to handle up close impacts while still delivering good. Your email address will not be published. However, it proved to be mostly a flash in the pan. 95% of your shots will be inside 500 yards, and probably 80% inside 300. . My third point is to remind you that this is not a scientific, Newtonian examination of all possible permutations of cartridges, bullets, muzzle velocities, and Ballistic Coefficients that determine bullet drop over all distances. Its drop at 1,000 yards is 330.30 and at 500 yards its drop is 50.00. The RPM does not have a belt or the customary Weatherby radiused shoulder, and it was designed to go with an ultra-light hunting rifle. Nosler Trophy Grade with a 150-grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range at 3300 fps. It's muzzle v. By the time the 6.5 Creedmoor started gaining popularity, interest in the .270 WSM was fading. 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). Then look at the available options for reloaders, nearly endless, bullets for every application imaginable. Thus, the .50BMG drops less at 1,000 yards than the 6.5 Creedmoor. Also, youll find more ammo options for the .308 Winchester than any of the others. You still need excellent range finding equipment and preferably have tested drops in your rifle in case your bullets have exaggerated BC claims. Just wondering where the 300 win mag ends up? The .17 HMR is based upon the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire casing, necked down to .17 Caliber. 223 Remington, or 5.56 NATO is more than capable of shooting over 500 yards with accuracy. Awesome indoor range. A 100-grain .243 bullet with a G1 ballistic coefficient around .400 at a muzzle velocity of 2,960 carries just over 800 foot-pounds of energy at 500 yards. numbers are accurate. Loaded with a 130-grain bullet, it will carry more than 1000 foot-pounds of energy out past 600 yards. Recoil is negligible, making it a great option for hunter with sensitive shoulders. 1.5" high at 100, would be dead-on at 250, and only drop 30" at 550. Must be true since it was posted on the internet. They have 1 particular cartridge thats something of a hot-shot for flat shooting, long distance devastation; the Weatherby .30-378. Posted: 12/20/2020 9:01:19 AM EST [#22] There is a simple . Most of these are all-around cartridges intended for variety of CXP2 and CXP3 class game that offer an adequately flat trajectory for antelope hunting with appropriate loads (usually the lighter weight bullets . While that incredibly fast 6.5-300 Wby. My take away on all this number crunching? At 300 yards, the hold over (assuming a 250 yard zero) is only 2.6 inches. Although its going to be easier to estimate drop for a 700 yard shot with a 30-378, compared to a 30-06, you still need to range your animal within +/-25 yards using the 30-378 to hit vitals. Think 30-30 necked down to a .25 cal. The muzzle velocity is a plus in windy conditions, with the bullet arriving on target with minimal drift. The quicker it gets to 200 yards the less time gravity has been working on it and the less it will drop. I'm trying to find the best round from the muzzle to 500yds as far as trajectory. Only B.C. Both are 338-378 Wby. The Government .45-70 can give you the perfect hunting experience as it is one of the top calibers used by hunters. Dear Adriel, please be so kind to provide statistics on the following calibers as well: Don't want it too heavy. 6.5-300 WBY (-204) I know you won't find them in the US, but just wanted to mention them because it's fun. However, the .220 Swift and the .22-250 have been used to take deer out to distances a lot of folks got no business shooting, for a long, long time. A rifle is suitable for flat shooting as long as the 500-yard impact range of the rifle falls below the 40''. Meantime, lets enjoy our deeper dive into flat shooting hunting cartridges (hand carried and shoulder fired. . Right now, shooters are obsessed with flat-shooting rifle cartridges. I work at a very large and popular firearms dealer, and I have sold dozens (if not hundreds) if the 6.5, but I havent sold 1, or had anyone even ask about the top 3 in this list. One argument for a flat-shooting cartridge is that it covers mistakes. Save big on firearms, accessories, tactical gear, clothing, and ammunition from now until March 29. This is about an alternative to a .308 for those snipers who will likely never even see a 100-yard deployment and do not need the overpenetration or down range effect. At 300 yards it has dropped around 13 inches, and at 500 yards it's just under 60 inches (5 feet). This is with a 58gr charge of Hodgen 4831 powder. http://www.hornady.com/ballistics-resource/ballistics-calculator. I've been looking at the .257 weatherby that drops about 34" with a 100gr bullet at 500 yards and the .22-250 is another at around 36" with a 50gr bullet. So, Winchester slightly modified the .270 WSM case so it was a bit shorter and then specified barrels with a faster twist. Barrel twist rates spin the bullet out of the muzzle in a spiral much akin to a quarterback throwing a football. bullet twice that far. No howitzers or tanks.). I love your work and what you share with us. 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. This is the allure and benefit of a flat shooting bullet. Obviously this list doesnt include every possible bullet/BC/MV combination, but it gives us a pretty good picture of the likely winners at three distances. At A Glance: Our Top 5 Picks For Long Range Calibers in 2022 Best for Beginners: 5.56mm/.223 Remington Minimal Recoil: 224 Valkyrie Best for Long Range: 243 Winchester Best for Seasoned Shooters: 6mm Creedmoor Best Value: 6.5mm Grendel Flattest Shooting Hunting Bullet 257 Weatherby Vanguard 26" pipe. (-200) 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. Yes, the article most definitely included the 7mm Mag, but the specific cartridge mentioned by Nick is what the original article would have included as an exotic version, NOT something found chambered in most any rifle. In other words, the 223 Remington throws the same bullets as the 220 Swift, but cant approach its maximum velocity, so theres no chance it can shoot as flat. I've heard that too! Pest control, home defense, and long-range shooting can all be done with 5.56. Faster velocities mean flatter trajectories. The rifle has five caliber offerings . 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. Most center-fire rifles that are legal for deer hunting can take a deer at 300 yards. 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. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. . Therefore the .17 Remington is the round for you. But as with the 6.5 PRC, there are not a lot of factory-ammo options to choose from. It is capable of sending a 55-grain bullet from the muzzle at 3,700 fps. Generally, a 300 Win Mag's 150 grain bullet delivers a 3,260 fps muzzle velocity, while its 180 grain bullet achieves approximately 3,000 fps. Do you have any of the data on the weight of the bullets, the brand of the bullets, the BC, any of the information related to the data youre posting? 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. It has flipped positions with the 6.5, losing by a mere 1.4-inches. For example a 308 dropping 429 at 1000 yards is ridiculous, thats 10 meters! Great job. Im not sure Im reading this right but there seems to be a decimal missing. I noticed the WSSM family was not on your list I assume because of the higher velocities they would be higher than the standard calibers. Its muzzle velocity is 1880 fps, and muzzle energy is 2355 ft. lbs. Another issue is recoil. Don't get me wrong, but 45-70 are very accurate and can travel quite well buckin' the wind, Be aware that many of these bullets could have been target bullets. For most calibers, such as a 45 getting the impact to be on target at 75 yards, the impact at 50 will be an inch or so high and an inch or so low at 100 and 4 to 6 inches or more low at 200 yards. First, some boundaries. And they can change in your rifle and will change at different velocities. . Now, one manufacturer specializes in fast, powerful, ridiculous cartridges, and thats Weatherby. It may not display this or other websites correctly. If I am mistaken, I am sure someone will chime in and let us both know. The final two cartridges above are mislabeled. Check out ShootersCalculator.com. The 147-grain ELD-M bullet has a sectional density of .301 and a G1 Ballistic Coefficient of .697, which is arguably the highest ballistic coefficient of any 6.5 Creedmoor bullet. Its also based on the 220 Russian/7.62x39mm Russian cartridge, but unlike the Valkyriewhich uses a 0.223-caliber bulletthe Grendel is yet another 6.5. Since this article originally went live, several excellent long-range big-game cartridges have it the market. Great work here. So what if we shoot further than 300? Great information you have come up with. When a bullet is fired, many forces are immediately working against it: gravity, wind, and atmospheric drag. Check out their concise ballistics charts. Fast and flat shooting b#%ds. Great chart, I appreciate all your work on this. For all practical purposes, the 25-06 would be a better competition round at 1000 yards. I have a 27 3/4" barrel 264 Win mag that shoots 130 Accubonds 3350 fps with Retumbo. .45-70 shoots like a Rainbow compared to even a Win 30-30. Not a lot of difference in drops between the cartridges though; you need accurate yardage readings to get your drop correct. Not only are new loads being offered, new ARs and even bolt action rifles for the Grendel are being introduced. We are not going to include here the esoteric military sniping rounds engineered for 1,000 yards, 2,000 yards, even 3,000 yards. All the following data was computer generated as if all loads were fired from a (simulated) dead flat (level) barrel, so these are pure drops. The flattest shooting caliber and load I could find was the .300 RUM shooting a 150 grain bullet. So, if you want to go long, there are some clear choices here. You can compare these numbers with your favorite cartridge using Backfires own table of flat shooting cartridges and you will see that the numbers indicated are in the absolute upper tiers. Still, by using G1 across the board, we are on a level playing field. Good video! JOHN BUOL Preferred Caliber For 500 To 1,000 Yards And Beyond: 5.56mm NATO. Thats comparing apples to apples with the others up above, using a 6 vitals zone. But if you can shoot this cartridge well, with its supersonic speed out beyond 1,650 yards, youre just about unstoppable at distance, and there are lots of factory loads and riflesaffordable and expensiveto choose from. the max load is the distance load. Most shots are taken at short range, but some experienced marksmen with good rifles, known distances, and good conditions may need to make connections at longer distances. bullet to offset wind deflection. and .30 caliber bore . It is flat shooting, powerful, has a manageable amount of recoil, and there are dozens of great hunting rifles chambered in this outstanding cartridge. Now if you pulled all of your data from Nosler and they shot their bullets out of the same length of barrel then I would trust the ballistics youre speaking of. It will be built on a stiller predator action, carbon wrap or #4 fluted stainless at 26 inches. I know it is very uncommonly talked about. It's wide-open so anyone from beginners to pros, 25 caliber pocket guns through to race guns. . Have fun hunting! 30-378 weatherby (214). [wd_leadmagnet type="dressing"] Mag. Most of the calculators out there show larger drop rates then your table. 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. Federal Premium, 130-grain Terminal Ascent, .308 Winchester will win no ballistic awards. This newer Weatherby 6.5 combines plenty of gas with manageable recoil. Misjudging a 5mph crosswind as 8mph will make a 5.3 difference at 500yd with my favorite varmint load (BC0.400/MV3,400). From 600 to 1000 yards they use a 300 Winchester. Hornady Precision Hunter 212-grain ELD-X at 2,860 fps. When you havent time to engage a laser rangefinder, knowing you can reach the kill zone with a dead-center hold at any distance out to 373 yards is pretty comforting. I already have a Swarovski Z6 3-18 bt. Some of those 26 and 28 Nosler rifles only have 600-900 shots of total barrel life. 223 Wylde chambered, 20" barreled rifle. Despite its relatively low B.C. (This is essentially what Hornady did to the .260 Remington to make the 6.5 Creedmoor.) The 26 and 28 Nosler as well as the 6.5300 Weatherby Magnum all utilize heavy for caliber bullets with high ballistic coefficients that are stabilized by barrels with fast twist rates. But again, that just my opinion. A 3 mph breeze at the shooter can become a 20 mph roar in the canyon halfway to the target. Enforcermj, Im not sure if your comment is sarcastic or not. The best long-range cartridge in the world might be the .408 Chey-Tac. So dont assume that youll be shooting the worlds flattest rifle cartridge and bullet until youve verified your MV and bullet B.C. Based on the old .404 Jeffery case, its the same length as the .30/06, which means it works in standard-length actions. Mag. Developed form the military, Winchester . Generally, traditional Weatherby Magnum cartridges perform slightly better than their Winchester or Remington magnum counterparts. Unfortunately, the .223 WSSM has fallen by the wayside in recent years. Really enjoy your youtube channel. Should you have other helpful info, please send it to me by email: [emailprotected]. (Curiosity? It takes a lot of practice to learn the aim point to bring the rifle on target. Based on the 7.6239/220 Russian cartridge case, the Valkyrie changes the personality of the AR-15. This article covered not only objective but the subjective topics my buddies use to caliber shame my 5.56. When the .264 Winchester Magnum was introduced about 60 years ago, it became a sensation with shooters looking to extend their reach in the field. . 1. . Velocity, drop, energy and the use of bullets with their own factors which create their ballistic coefficients all should be considered. As you can see, one of our gold standard flat-shooting cartridges (.270 Winchester) does not compare favorably with either of the Noslers or the Weatherby Magnum. So it ends up being a very fair comparison. Heck, I cant even find agreement on maximum muzzle velocities in handloading manuals from Speer, Hornady, Nosler, Berger, Swift, Hodgdon, Norma, Sierra, Barnes Furthermore, just because the manual lists those speeds does not mean your rifle will deliver them.

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