Thats comparing apples to apples with the others up above, using a 6 vitals zone. bullet to offset wind deflection. The muzzle velocity is a plus in windy conditions, with the bullet arriving on target with minimal drift. Also look at Federal Premiums 180-grain Nosler AccuBond offering at 2,960 fps. Some Tips on Choosing the Best Varmint Caliber A bullet starts to drop as soon as it leaves the barrel. The Amazing 22 Creedmoor: A Wildcat Worth a Hard Look Required fields are marked *. On the other hand, wind speed and direction are inconsistent. Therefore my velocity is up to around 3175fps, BC .434 G1 and the 500 yard drop is 23 with a 300 yard zero sight in. Flattest shooting AR15 cartridge to 500yds coyotes Accuracy, knowledge of your rifle and its drops at different ranges, and knowledge of the conditions will dictate your very long range shots. 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). For optics, I use a Leupold Mark 6 with a Horus reticle. Precision, varmint, big-game, and dirt cheap NATO surplus ammo for plenty of cheap shooting. spitting a 100-gr. Also know that not all manufacturer-claimed B.C. The way in which cartridge manufacturers develop rounds to overcome these forces is the twist rates of the barrels in the rifles the cartridges are chambered in, developing longer, more aerodynamic bullets with narrower ogives and case capacity. Just wondering where the 300 win mag ends up? It seems a bit odd to consider a .22-caliber cartridge of any design suitable for long-range hunting of even smallish big game. While heavier bullets at low speed dont shoot as flat, they do carry energy further generally. If not. What is the flattest shooting rifle? - RWrefuge The company set out to push the limits with this thing, designing it as a flat-shooting 6.5mm cartridge with performance capable of taking full advantage of the newest long-range shooting reticles used in today's scopes. For some reason it pushed Noslers 125-gr. The 50 BMG is still supersonic past 1200 yards. Hornadys Precision Hunter 145-grain ELD-X at 2,950 fps is the flattest-shooting .270 Winchester load. Fastest Rifle Cartridges: 9 Choices With the Best Bullet Velocity It's still possible to get factory ammo for the cartridge, but current production .223 WSSM ammo normally uses heavier 50 or 55 grain bullets at . The 26 Nosler cartridge was designed with the high ballistic coefficient (B.C.) I wonder if you could possibly make that load available to me, so I can compare which loads are the best? 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 . At 600 yards, most common cartridges are running out of juice to take down larger game like Elk or Moose, though the 300 win mag/300 WSM still have a bit left in the tank. That's impressive but misleading. But if it isnt, go read the article again. Best Deer Hunting Calibers for 2022 | Outdoor Life For good reason. .25-06 AI with a Berger 115 VLD that's moving 3,600 fps. It propels a 17 Grain bullet at 2,550 feet per second. Now, the .280 AI is finally a SAAMI-approved cartridge, and while ammunition options are sparse, its performance is right there with the 7mm Remington Magnum. Since 1962, when the round was introduced in conjunction with the Remington 700, countless others have arrived at the same conclusion. The quicker it gets to 200 yards the less time gravity has been working on it and the less it will drop. 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. My take away on all this number crunching? Then look at the available options for reloaders, nearly endless, bullets for every application imaginable. It was also a resounding success and has remained popular with hunters looking to stretch their effective range. And it isn't just the 308 that the 25-06 can best at long range, I compared many other leading types of competition or "flat-shooting" rounds, such as .243, .243 WSSM, 6mm Rem, 6.5 Grendel, .270 Win, .260 Rem, 6.5 x 55 Swede. It would help one decide on if a cartilage was up to a specific task and if one would be willing to take the kick. Cheers. Backfire LLC owns and operates this website. In ballistic terms, a 235-grain .375 bullet at 3,000 fps exits the muzzle with lots of energy: 4,695 ft-lbs. 1.5" high at 100, would be dead-on at 250, and only drop 30" at 550. It really is the best all-around hunting rifle caliber. That kind of long-range accuracy comes at a hefty price with this model starting at $11,700 from the manufacturer. For example, the 7mm Weatherby Magnum will shoot the same bullet as a 7mm Remington Magnum, but it will do it about 10 percent faster. I asked around a few years ago and found 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum as the most overbore commercial cartridge. A highly accurate, easy to shoot rifle with a flat trajectory will make for confident hunting. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. . = 3002 inches = 250 foot = 76m above target at 1000 yds now thats a challenge ! 270 and 30-06 carry enough power out to 700 yards, 7mm pulls a bit further, and 300 win mag pulls a bit further still. Thoughts on this? Also, youll find more ammo options for the .308 Winchester than any of the others. What Does A .308 Ballistics Chart To 1000 Yards Look Like? The first category will include cartridges with a +/- 3" maximum point blank range (MPBR) of greater than 270 but less than 300 yards. Our margin for distancing error at 700 yards just went from 12 yards with the 30-06 to 25 yards with the 30-378. Terry Cross. Flattest at 1,000 yards Heres where things start to change. Factory rifles and ammunition options are limited here, too, but based on the ballistic abilities of this cartridge, thats likely to change sooner rather than later. 1.5" high at 100, would be dead-on at 250, and only drop 30" at 550. That's why the three best rifles we have sorted have a 500-yard impact range below 40''. Pronghorn hunters have driven the search for flatter shooting cartridges for a long time. A Canadian sniper had a record kill at over 3500 yards last year in Afghanistan. Know your trajectory curve and nail the shot distance with a range finder and you can offset huge rates of drop. Hornady Precision Hunter 143-grain ELDX at 2,960 fps. 26 Nosler. However, I have a question to ask you. REX'S INDOOR RANGE - 77 Upward Rd, East Flat Rock, NC - Yelp Always be open to new possibilities. More hunters should get to know this fantastic round. 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. It is capable of sending a 55-grain bullet from the muzzle at 3,700 fps. View Quote. Does it matter if there are -30 of drop or -40 of drop if the answer is simply to spin the turret a few extra clicks? Mag. | Thursday nights they do IDPA. 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. Flattest shooting caliber - PredatorMasters Forums Since I have shot my .270 Winchester primarily with the Hornady 150gr spire point and I know at 500 yards it drops close to 50 inches. The 6.5 PRC can remain supersonic out beyond 1,600 yards or so, but ammunition options are limited. The multiple loads for each cartridge are not at all pulled at random. The caveat here is that fastest becomes a bit murky. A flat shooting cartridge matters. Thanks Will! Deer rifle for up to 300 yards? | Firearms Talk Nevertheless, flat shooting cartridges have long fascinated hunters and driven cartridge development and sales. While at the High Bar Homestead with PSA, I was able to stretch their 6.5 Grendel out to 1,000 yards with Federal Premium 130 grain Bergers. If it makes you feel better to hate the 6.5 Creedmoor, go ahead. bullet. I hope this report clears up some trajectory confusion and perhaps settles some old arguments. Most of the calculators out there show larger drop rates then your table. Flattest Shooting Hunting Bullet 257 Weatherby Vanguard 26" pipe. Nope, pretty much matches a 308Win to 500 yards. I mean, its the flattest shooting cartridge around, but you took a huge bump in recoil over the 300 win mag or even 270 WSM for 41 more usable yards of MPBR. The 300 Win Mag is definitely on the list. 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. Really enjoy your youtube channel. The actual rain is pretty old-school, not digital distances and whatnot, but it's cheap and the people who work there are great. A few specialty matches, such as the Farr trophy at Camp Perry, are fired at 1,000 yards. This old timer remains a phenomenon, flat-shooting and effective. This is not just a product of the .27 caliber bullet and its ballistic coefficient numbers. Top 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. Therefore the .17 Remington is the round for you. 6.5-300 WBY (-204) What is the flattest shooting cartridge for 200 yards? - Quora 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. RELATED: 6.5 Creedmoor: The New King of Cartridges? numbers which are not quite as accurate as G7 numbers in predicting trajectories of todays wildly long, sleek bullets. I was once hunting plains game in Africa when my PH told me, holding a rangefinder, that the wildebeest was 155 yards away. Commissions are earned for links to Brownell's, Amazon, MidwayUSA, GoHunt, OpticsPlanet, Sportsman's Warehouse, and other retailers. So, if you want to go long, there are some clear choices here. Prairie dogs?). Just hoping my bad experiences might inspire you to avoid some of your own. Thanks Jim. Why is the 7 MM Ultra Mag also called the 7RUM not on your lists? I noticed in your video that your chart also listed energy and recoil. It is not always the caliber that is in question. What about the guy who wants to go long with his AR-15? I took multiple loads from each, but identical sources. A 30-06 will take any game on the NA Continent. It may be a bit rough on barrels, but this cartridge shoots so flat you probably wont care. gundata.org has done all this for you already. Myth Busting Big Game Calibers - CHUCKHAWKS.COM Mag. The URSA gongs are 37 inches round and if you get 4 out of 10 you advance in 500 yard increments. Have fun hunting! It is an ideal choice for deer-sized game in open country, and a fine choice for mountain game. Please, keep up the great work! Our blog and video on the Flattest Shooting Cartridge Ever! Your email address will not be published. It shoots as flat as a Kansas prairie and holds its velocity way out there. Based on the now almost-forgotten .284 Winchester, the 6.5-284 Norma was originally a wildcat cartridge and a very popular one, especially in bench-rest competitions. 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. Youre going to miss with any flat shooting cartridge out there and with a perfectly accurate rifle. For the Top 5 you have listed, what manufacturers offer a complete rifle in those calibers? Both are 338-378 Wby. Light bullets driven fast shoot flatter over shorter distances. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. It is about the easiest caliber to hit with at that range you can imagine. Mag., according to Noslers Handloading Guide 9. Why? If Ive left out an obvious winner or near winner, write in and state your case. 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. If I am mistaken, I am sure someone will chime in and let us both know. That said, average shots on mule deer are often longer than what most hunters typically encounter on eastern whitetail hunts. 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. All three cartridges also offer ample case capacity, allowing enough powder to send bullets at drag-defying velocities. Of course, the .270 Win was developed in 1925 when 1000 yard shots were effectively unheard of. I too am a huge fan of Ron Spomer. Based on the 7.6239/220 Russian cartridge case, the Valkyrie changes the personality of the AR-15. Faster velocities mean flatter trajectories. 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. Twenty years ago, Winchester introduced the .270 WSM (Winchester Short Magnum). 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. .45-70 shoots like a Rainbow compared to even a Win 30-30. . How about our drops on the cartridges that made it? 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. Most service rifle matches include stages at 200, 300 and 600 yards, from various positions, some timed, while others are slow-fire. With a recent elevated popularity, due in no small part to the rise of the six-fives, the Grendel is now getting the attention it deserves. Choosing the proper ammunition and knowing your own capabilities at those distances is most important. They are normalized within caliber. 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. After Weatherbys 6.5-300 Magnum did not win as many hearts and minds as theyd hoped, Weatherby rethought the 6.5mm cartridge and developed the 6.5 RPM (Rebated Precision Magnum). Thanks for the chart for bullet drop but for Big Game Hunting I would rather see the down range energy. This should be recommended reading for all shooters learning to shoot long range shots. I am looking for a really flat shooting cartridge up to 500 yards for a Remington rebarrel project I have. . Just curious have you ever looked at the 284 Winchester for flat shooting. The 300WM with the 210 VLDs at 2950fps is pretty good also. Misjudging a 5mph crosswind as 8mph will make a 5.3 difference at 500yd with my favorite varmint load (BC0.400/MV3,400). Hey there from Melbourne, Australia. These are all under my extreme heading, because theyre all brutal on cost and recoil. Good work mate. Beyond 1000 yards they use either the 338 Lapua or the 50 BMG. If you are looking for the flattest shooting caliber to 500 yards, you should read anything else. Even at 500 yards the Hornady 225 SST is traveling over 2,000 fps and carrying over 2,000 ft/lbs of energy. Thats true, but the bullets have been vetted. The 220 Swift would be my pick for coyotes, rodents, and probably pronghorn if it werent for the wind deflection issue. JavaScript is disabled. 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. inherent in 6.5mm (.264) caliber bullets. 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. unfair comparison, Hornady makes a 139 grain BTSP for the 7mm mag very flat shooter, Great info, thanks for your difficult work. I\d be curious to know what the minimum cost is for just the rifle or a quality budget build. What Is the Flattest Shooting Caliber? - MG Arms Inc Four Great Calibers for Elk | The Outdoor Line Blog Beyond 600 or 800 yards, however, the efficiency of the high B.C. 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. At 300 yards, the hold over (assuming a 250 yard zero) is only 2.6 inches. Wind also affects bullets differently, and a cartridges ability to overcome these three forces makes it better or worse for shooting flat and far. Mag. 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. But dont waste your time trying to convince us a slower cartridge in any caliber can shooter flatter than the ones weve identified as category leaders. 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. Target Rifle- Caliber Question. I love your work and what you share with us. Below is a chart indicating the three best flat-shooting cartridges and their muzzle velocity, drop, energy levels, and felt recoil. What caliber rifle shoots the farthest? Like the 26 Nosler, the 28 is based on the 404 Jeffery case and will remain supersonic out past 1,750 yards. Drop is constant at the gravitational pull of 32 feet per second accelerating at 32 fps. MY 45 cal ball travels at 1633fps with a standard charge, and 74-5gr for a full charge (2040fps). 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. Flattest Shooting Rifle Cartridges by Caliber - Ron Spomer Outdoors Thanks for your hard work and entertaining videos, your passion shines through! . Kind of underwhelming, right? Both are of course bolt-action rifle cartridges. This is an example of how different loads in different rifles can produce different results. "Animal Instinct ammunition is optimized to deliver . There are EXCEPTIONS to almost EVERYTHING with the huge wide range of ballistic specs due to EXCEPTIONAL things people/companies do with cartridge loads these days, but the article was referencing the NORMS for these rifles, not the EXCEPTIONS based on unusual or exotic cartridges a FEW people will use. Here we go! It's muzzle v. The .223 Remington will easily take care of any varmint out to around 500 yards, but at extreme distances loses its punch. It has flipped positions with the 6.5, losing by a mere 1.4-inches. 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. [wd_leadmagnet type="dressing"] 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%. I was surprised the 308 warbird was not included with the 208gr or 212gr bullet. Best .270 Rounds . modifies results at some point. And that light recoil not only makes you a better shot in the field; it also makes practicing more fun and productive. Frequent question: What is the flattest shooting rifle? due to its larger diameter which increases drag. Searching for an Effective Small Caliber Sniper Round Just curious if you included the 300 Norma or maybe I missed it. Just saying, excellent job to tell the nature of all calibers for hunting from 100 to 700 yards for medium game. The .270 Winchester stays supersonic out to 1,400 yards, which is more than what 99 percent of hunters will ever need. 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. The issue with the Nosler cartridges is barrel life. Kind regards. (Curiosity? plays a major roll in trajectory, but is second in significance to muzzle velocity. Like the 6.5 Creedmoor, the .280 Ackley Improved can remain supersonic out to 1,400 yards. RELATED: How the Brand-New 27 Nosler Revives the .277. Im not sure Im reading this right but there seems to be a decimal missing. ), Hornadys Precision Hunter 178-grain ELD-X at 2,600 fps is probably the best long-range option, but look also at the new 168-grain Berger Hybrid Hunter load from Federal, RELATED: 6.5 Creedmoor vs. .308 Winchester. Barrel length will change MV. You can't go wrong with a .308 for a 500 yard rifle. While there are not a lot of ammunition choices for the 6.8 Western, there are some good ones. Deciding on the three best flat-shooting cartridges does not come down simply to one statistic, but a combination of all the factors inherent to a cartridge. With todays ammunition, its even better. Shots are usually quick. Best Long Range Calibers in 2023 | Outdoor Life Below is the information Ive gleaned from 17-caliber through 338. Nosler Trophy Grade with a 130-grain Nosler AccuBond at 2900 fps. . Yeah, yeah, I know theyre cartridges and not calibers, but lots of people call them calibers so I thought Id roll with it. Because it was used in the Civil War, the term "flattest" is not an exact description. The 300 PRC will cruise above the speed of sound out to 1,650 yards. Thank you. It's not until you get farther out that BC starts making a big difference. 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. . Great job. 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. A good hunting cartridge has to fit in a rifle thats comfortable to carry all day and wont kick you so hard that you cant shoot it well. Required fields are marked *. 95% of your shots will be inside 500 yards, and probably 80% inside 300. . The Barrett 416 or CheyTac exceeds this - I have witnessed it first hand - then you get into the wildcat cartridges. 8 Best Long-Range Magnum Cartridges Ever Made I prefer larger calibers for elk, but the .270 is perfectly adequate for elk, and I have personally used it for elk all the way to 400 yards with no problems. Most center-fire rifles that are legal for deer hunting can take a deer at 300 yards. The 10 Best Varmint Cartridges | Field & Stream Well placed shots seem to work and poorly placed shots tend to fail. Velocity, drop, energy and the use of bullets with their own factors which create their ballistic coefficients all should be considered. So what if we shoot further than 300? 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 Best Long Range Caliber For Any Situation in 2022 that are blowing the ceiling off gun sales, instead of 6 5 CDM? This newer Weatherby 6.5 combines plenty of gas with manageable recoil. 243 and 25-06 had to be left out because it didnt have enough at 600 for even deer. This lets you focus on having only one caliber to maintain. Its like a shorter, beltless version of the .300 Winchester Magnum. Might be of interest and I have used the cartridge in a Ruger M77 with a 22 barrel. Most common calibers are just fine for regular range shots under 300 yards. For serious shooters, thats a non-starter. 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. Thanks. Answer (1 of 5): Trajectory flatness is a function of muzzle velocity. So lets roll with this! Dear Adriel, please be so kind to provide statistics on the following calibers as well: 10 Best Calibers for Deer Hunting - Gun News Daily Based on the old .404 Jeffery case, its the same length as the .30/06, which means it works in standard-length actions. I appreciate the kind comment. 4 Stunning Long-Range Rifles That Will Shoot Past 1,000 Yards It started with the .30/30 and continued with the .30/06 and .308 and right up to todays .300 Blackout. Hornady Precision Hunter 212-grain ELD-X at 2,860 fps. With the 6.5 PRC, Hornady has created a better version of the old barrel-burner. via the Davenport formula. Check out ShootersCalculator.com By Adriel So if you take flat shooting to mean aiming right at something far away and hitting it, theres not really enough difference between the main popular cartridges to get out of bed for. 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. Ive posted your article on my wildlife and hunting group on FB. 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. You are cordially invited to any of our matches. Not sure if the OP is considering them or not. Just dont try to enumerate its downsides to anyone who knows anything, because there arent any that matter. 11 Best Deer Hunting Calibers - Big Game Hunting Blog and .30 caliber bore . There's currently no better option for the AR-15 when the range extends much past 500 yards. Again great job !!!!! That's pretty dang flat. Death in the Long Grass: A Big Game Hunter's Adventures in the African Bush .by Peter H. 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