bullet twice that far. 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. Flat shooting, minimal recoil and low noise, the .17 HMR is one of the top performing cartridges for shooting ground squirrels out to 200 yards easily. And that light recoil not only makes you a better shot in the field; it also makes practicing more fun and productive. Notice that it is only 3 grains lighter than the 150-grain .264 atop that Weatherby. Montana! Great information you have come up with. I see there are some others like 300Win mag as well and thats a very popular cartage so it should be there as well I would think. It may be a bit rough on barrels, but this cartridge shoots so flat you probably wont care. If there was ever a cult cartridge, the .280 Ackley Improved is it. It will be built on a stiller predator action, carbon wrap or #4 fluted stainless at 26 inches. I\m also a huge fan of Ron Spomer so well done for the recognition of his great work too. That said, average shots on mule deer are often longer than what most hunters typically encounter on eastern whitetail hunts. 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? What a great tool that you have built. So dont assume that youll be shooting the worlds flattest rifle cartridge and bullet until youve verified your MV and bullet B.C. 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. But it's still a better distance choice than the .270 Winchester past 400 yards (a great caliber as well). What a gentleman. Check out more F&S long-range shooting coverage, including advice for getting started in long-range shooting competitions, the reason why rifle groups keep shrinking, how Heavey did at Gunsite Academy, and what makes long-distance shooting so difficult. Check out ShootersCalculator.com. Forums. 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. While that incredibly fast 6.5-300 Wby. (not the bullet Id choose for this beast, just puts it nicely in line with the others), What does that do for you at regular ranges? Its just physics. 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. On the other hand, wind speed and direction are inconsistent. The 50 BMG is still supersonic past 1200 yards. Heres a chart from my Popular Hunting Cartridges Compared article. Great chart and thanks for what must have been an incredible amount of work. Yeah, yeah, I know theyre cartridges and not calibers, but lots of people call them calibers so I thought Id roll with it. I have not identified bullet make and type because that doesnt change impact drop. 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. Now I have some facts for my creedmoor pal to chew on. If not. I too am a huge fan of Ron Spomer. But you did such an awesome job with this data. Depending on the caliber you are using, a long-range shooting may be at 1,000 and more yards, but if you are committed to rimfires than 200-300 yards is very long-distance shooting. 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. I subscribed to your Feed as well. wins again with just 218.5 inches of drop, the 27 Nosler moves into second place with its 150-grain bullet falling only 225.8 inches. Despite its relatively low B.C. Outstanding job!! Faster velocities mean flatter trajectories. It makes for easy reading in an \all in one place\ comparison, rather than spending time trying to find this data all over the internet. The Creedmoor carries more velocity and energy downrange with less recoil than any other factory cartridge. Clear enough? Thanks for your video and the information on your website. RELATED: How the Brand-New 27 Nosler Revives the .277. The 300 PRC in 225G exceeds this and the 338 Lapua Magnum by a noticeable difference. It started with the .30/30 and continued with the .30/06 and .308 and right up to todays .300 Blackout. Ive updated the chart description so its more clear that it isnt in inches. 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. Thank you for the great content you provide. Drops just 11.6 inches. Misjudging a 5mph crosswind as 8mph will make a 5.3 difference at 500yd with my favorite varmint load (BC0.400/MV3,400). Hornady's Precision Hunter 145-grain ELD-X at 2,950 fps is the flattest-shooting .270 Winchester load. Thanks for the chart for bullet drop but for Big Game Hunting I would rather see the down range energy. Even at 500 yards the Hornady 225 SST is traveling over 2,000 fps and carrying over 2,000 ft/lbs of energy. If Ive left out an obvious winner or near winner, write in and state your case. By way of comparison, the .270 Winchester (based on the .30-06 Springfield) offers a case capacity of 67 grains. 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 . RELATED: 6.5 Creedmoor: The New King of Cartridges? It is an ideal choice for deer-sized game in open country, and a fine choice for mountain game. 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. Surely this is 42.9 just over a meter? "Animal Instinct ammunition is optimized to deliver . 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. Low B.C. Somehow stumbled onto this article. I hope this report clears up some trajectory confusion and perhaps settles some old arguments. I\d be curious to know what the minimum cost is for just the rifle or a quality budget build. This is with a 58gr charge of Hodgen 4831 powder. 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. .468 BC, 1. Accuracy, knowledge of your rifle and its drops at different ranges, and knowledge of the conditions will dictate your very long range shots. Aug 31, 2013. At 150 yards the target is a 6 inch hole and the gong is behind it. The longer the bullet is in the air, the longer gravity can pull on the object. Mag. Think 30-30 necked down to a .25 cal. = 3002 inches = 250 foot = 76m above target at 1000 yds now thats a challenge ! It seems a bit odd to consider a .22-caliber cartridge of any design suitable for long-range hunting of even smallish big game. Must be true since it was posted on the internet. Its really tough to spot impacts with that much recoil, and thats becoming increasingly important for shooters. Its not all hype. Its bullets will remain supersonic out past 2,000 yards. Federal Premium, 130-grain Terminal Ascent, .308 Winchester will win no ballistic awards. Considered by many to be the optimum long-range, large-game cartridge, the .300 Winchester Magnum has proven itself worldwide. I appreciate the kind comment. At 300 yards, the hold over (assuming a 250 yard zero) is only 2.6 inches. Barrel length will change MV. Often theyre inflated. Do we compare the fastest factory loads or top end handloads from select handloading manuals? Another and even better option for reaching out to a big game animal with an AR15 is the 6.5 Grendel. The .277 bullet earns a lower B.C. Thats true, but the bullets have been vetted. 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? Choosing the proper ammunition and knowing your own capabilities at those distances is most important. Just wondering where the 300 win mag ends up? I believe the 6.8 SPC is that alternative. Omg I wish I seen this alot earlier than I did.. Ive literally spent hours on hours on ballistics calculators trying to figure out which new cartridge was the flattest shooting but also had enough energy for an ethical kill at long range and it took me countless hours to basically come up with what your chart told me in seconds grrr.. This means we can first determine the fastest cartridge in each caliber, then compare it against the fastest in others. 2023 Backfire LLC, a limited liability company headquartered in Utah, USA. 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. Im going to set a restrictive definition on common and only include cartridges that can be found chambered in most any rifle. The wise longer range shooter errs on the side of a higher B.C. The 26 Nosler cartridge was designed with the high ballistic coefficient (B.C.) Nosler is loading the 27 with their famous AccuBond, which is one of the best big-game bullets ever crafted. 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. For flat shooting over a relatively close range you need a lot of velocity, BC doesn't matter that much over shorter distances. The amount of drop is directly influenced by velocity, energy, rifle barrel, and bullet design. All three cartridges also offer ample case capacity, allowing enough powder to send bullets at drag-defying velocities. Please, keep up the great work! You cant pull data from different sources with different lengths of barrels and different loading methods and expect to get true results. Why? The rifle has five caliber offerings . Then look at the available options for reloaders, nearly endless, bullets for every application imaginable. What I have come up with is the .270 Weatherby Magnum with a 135gr Sierra Matchking and 7828. Only B.C. By the time the 6.5 Creedmoor started gaining popularity, interest in the .270 WSM was fading. 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. 95% of your shots will be inside 500 yards, and probably 80% inside 300. . Just what the perfect balance between MV and BC is remains unanswered by me. Best .270 Rounds The best long-range cartridges are those that are flat shooting, feature aerodynamic projectiles and have enough power to go the distance. Commissions are earned for links to Brownell's, Amazon, MidwayUSA, GoHunt, OpticsPlanet, Sportsman's Warehouse, and other retailers. Flattest Shooting Hunting Bullet 257 Weatherby Vanguard 26" pipe. However, I fully admit that that a flat shooting cartridge is not nearly as important as a cartridge which is resistant to wind deflection. Is flatest of all youve listed. For example a 308 dropping 429 at 1000 yards is ridiculous, thats 10 meters! 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 also appreciate the realistic exposition of the relevant comparison between effects of flat-shooting cartridge vs judging cross-wind! Thanks Jim! Every rifle is different. I love that you have gone above and beyond here and I see tremendous value in this knowledge. It was also a resounding success and has remained popular with hunters looking to stretch their effective range. plays a major roll in trajectory, but is second in significance to muzzle velocity. Even the heaviest Weatherby factory load (120-grain Partition) leaves the muzzle at 3,305 feet per second and retains 1,221 foot-pounds of energy at 500 yards. And for all of you whove just learned your flat shooting champion really isnt, sorry. I dont get it. 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. 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. Kind of underwhelming, right? . Thanks Jim. bullet 12 inches at 500 yards, a low B.C. And they can change in your rifle and will change at different velocities. A Canadian sniper had a record kill at over 3500 yards last year in Afghanistan. All same bullets for each of the numbers that are then averaged. This article covered not only objective but the subjective topics my buddies use to caliber shame my 5.56. 223 Remington, or 5.56 NATO is more than capable of shooting over 500 yards with accuracy. How about our drops on the cartridges that made it? It has the best BC and is hands down the flattest shooting of the AR15 calibers. 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. If I am mistaken, I am sure someone will chime in and let us both know. . Know your trajectory curve and nail the shot distance with a range finder and you can offset huge rates of drop. Target Rifle- Caliber Question. Before we check that out, lets give a nod to the 240 Wby. 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. Those, then, are my conclusions. But again, that just my opinion. Mag. 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 . This is an example of how different loads in different rifles can produce different results. Don't get me wrong, but 45-70 are very accurate and can travel quite well buckin' the wind, As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. What do you guys think . great to see bullet drops and equate them in inches of drop brings home the reality of how much impact good old gravity has on ballistics.even with the flattest cartridges still aiming the height of a house above the target @1000 yds Thoughts on this? Twenty years ago, Winchester introduced the .270 WSM (Winchester Short Magnum). In 2015, Mann began contributing to Field & Stream to cover guns, ammunition, ballistics, and hunting. Nevertheless, flat shooting cartridges have long fascinated hunters and driven cartridge development and sales. The drops are listed in feet for the really long range shots, so theyre pretty close to your numbers. Might be of interest and I have used the cartridge in a Ruger M77 with a 22 barrel. So since it doesnt work AT ALL for serious shooters, it doesnt get much air time, and then the average hunter who only shoots 2-3 boxes per YEAR never hears about it. 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. Surprisingly, even with all the extra recoil and muzzle blast, this cartridge will not shoot any flatter than most 6.5s. Norma offers a 156-grain Oryx load that wont shoot as flat but provides great terminal performance. . Always be open to new possibilities. It is flat shooting, powerful, has a manageable amount of recoil, and there are dozens of great hunting rifles chambered in this outstanding cartridge. 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. If youre after deeper penetration, look at the 139-grain Barnes VOR-TX Long Range load. Kind regards. HOWEVER after going through Cartridges of The World by Barnes and Skinner it has come to my attention that 7.21 Lazzeroni Firebird is ever more overbore. 1.5" high at 100, would be dead-on at 250, and only drop 30" at 550. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Noslers first proprietary cartridge is basically a steroid-monster 6.5 Creedmoor. drops 6.7 inches at 300 yards and just under 20 inches at 400 yards. It has flipped positions with the 6.5, losing by a mere 1.4-inches. At a 100 yard zero sight in the 500 yard drop is 37. Thanks Will! rating, that 100-grain bullet is hanging in there. Backfire LLC owns and operates this website. Warm greetings from S.W. Great work here. etc. Another issue is recoil. The 27 Nosler bests the .270 Winchester by about 400 fps with 150-grain bullets. Appropriate hunting bullets may not reach these levels of B.C. Now, one manufacturer specializes in fast, powerful, ridiculous cartridges, and thats Weatherby. 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. i've heard the .17 hmr are real flat shooting. Like the 6.5 Creedmoor, the .280 Ackley Improved can remain supersonic out to 1,400 yards. Since 1962, when the round was introduced in conjunction with the Remington 700, countless others have arrived at the same conclusion. The .308 Winchester round shoots pretty flat out to 200 yards when it starts to drop. The flattest-shooting popular rifle cartridge at 1,000 yards is the 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum, followed by the .26 Nosler, the .28 Nosler, the .22 Creedmoor, and the 6.5 Weatherby RPM. Great job. Its clear that flat shooting is directly proportional to overbore. The non-bonded bullet should deliver good terminal performance up close and at distance. modifies results at some point. We like the 257 STW we're loading 115 gr bullets around 3600fps with 1/2" groups.We can run it hotter and a Berger vld would be pretty flat. The lesser charge is a flatter, close group load. Links or names greatly appreciated, Thanks! We are not going to include here the esoteric military sniping rounds engineered for 1,000 yards, 2,000 yards, even 3,000 yards. The first category will include cartridges with a +/- 3" maximum point blank range (MPBR) of greater than 270 but less than 300 yards. Its a top choice of military snipers and can launch heavy bullets with high speed and exceptional precision. Dear James 260 Rem numbers which are not quite as accurate as G7 numbers in predicting trajectories of todays wildly long, sleek bullets. This is more a theory question than anything. during their trips downrange. Bullet selection means alot. (Curiosity? 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. Wind also affects bullets differently, and a cartridges ability to overcome these three forces makes it better or worse for shooting flat and far. Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range with a 129-grain AccuBond Long Range bullet at 3,400 fps. Meantime, lets enjoy our deeper dive into flat shooting hunting cartridges (hand carried and shoulder fired. But if it isnt, go read the article again. gundata.org has done all this for you already. 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. 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). In 2022, he was named as the brands Shooting Editor. So its not like the flattest shooting rifle gives you a lot more leeway on ranging errors for super long range shots. Our blog and video on the Flattest Shooting Cartridge Ever! 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. Enjoying many of your video\s whilst stuck in lockdown. Great info but my 7mm rem mag with Nosler 120 grain BT (.417bc) @ 3600fps has anything on this chart beat pretty soundly. cleric; Jan 28, 2023; Bolt Action Rifles ; Replies 13 Views 475. What Ive done with this deep dive review is use the highest Handloading Manual velocities Ive discovered, trusting that you, gentle reader, will understand that your mileage may vary. 1.5" high at 100, would be dead-on at 250, and only drop 30" at 550. This old timer remains a phenomenon, flat-shooting and effective. JavaScript is disabled. No, its not a 6.5 Creedmoor, but few things are. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Since this article originally went live, several excellent long-range big-game cartridges have it the market. Jim, So it Im guessing to summarise it doesnt really matter what you shoot as long as you know distance to target & your maths [wd_leadmagnet type="dressing"] Since nearly all long-distance shooters today use a laser rangefinder, does it even matter which cartridges shoot the flattest? 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. My take away on all this number crunching? Still, a flat-shooting cartridge will often perform well with wind as well, because it is in the air for less time between the shot and hitting the target. Most of the calculators out there show larger drop rates then your table. Fun? The caveat here is that fastest becomes a bit murky. That does not appeal to my simplified physics understanding of the subject. Copyright Ron Spomer Outdoors document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Mag. The 7mag is one of the calibers he mentioned for the original 7 in the test. Underwood Ammos 110-grain Lehigh Controlled Chaos bullet at 2800 fps is another great option. 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. Thats equal magnitude to 200fps less flatness! Based on the old .404 Jeffery case, its the same length as the .30/06, which means it works in standard-length actions. At 500 yards even the flattest shooting rounds are going to be dropping somewhere around 30". With a flatter trajectory and less wind drift the .300 Win Mag offers a useful step up in performance in a similar size rifle. Ditto the 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5-300 Wby. That's pretty dang flat. Flattest at 1,000 yards Heres where things start to change. 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. Thats comparing apples to apples with the others up above, using a 6 vitals zone. Don't want it too heavy. +Nick Strother, he TOLD you right up front he was only including cartridges that can be found chambered in most any rifle. Most service rifle matches include stages at 200, 300 and 600 yards, from various positions, some timed, while others are slow-fire. Why is the 7 MM Ultra Mag also called the 7RUM not on your lists? This lets you focus on having only one caliber to maintain. Also, youll find more ammo options for the .308 Winchester than any of the others. It is a flat shooting cartridge, able to hit a target at 300 yards with negligible hold over. 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. 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. My name is Steve and I have just viewed your video on the Flattest Shooting Cartridges. The good news is that these bullets might shoot even a tad flatter than these numbers indicate. I have used it also in a Ruger #1 with a 26 barrel and thoroughly enjoyed the distance it affords me. 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). p.s. It is not always the caliber that is in question. If you are looking for the flattest shooting caliber to 500 yards, you should read anything else. Its trajectory is awesome. 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. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. 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. The goal with the 6 mm ARC was to provide the flattest-shooting cartridge compatible with an AR-15. Most center-fire rifles that are legal for deer hunting can take a deer at 300 yards. Yep, me too. 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. 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. Though that shot didn't take advantage of the 7mm Mag's flat trajectory, it convinced me of the cartridge's superior qualities. Your email address will not be published. All in all, here are six bonus cartridge, all highly capable of reaching way out there. Shots are usually quick. Well, nothing will save you if you mistakenly range a deer at 700 yards thats really at 800. 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. You are cordially invited to any of our matches. Unless youre shooting really far. Mag., according to Noslers Handloading Guide 9. Just $1 per month , These rounds have the reach and the power to put down big-game animals way out there, By I wonder if you could possibly make that load available to me, so I can compare which loads are the best? Federals EDGE TLR .270 Winchester is another outstanding option. Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range, 150-grain AccuBond Long Range at 2,930 fps. I also want to give credit to a couple of long-range AR cartridges that deserve honorable mention. Its like a shorter, beltless version of the .300 Winchester Magnum. When considering cartridges for their ability to shoot flat, overcoming drag is critical. Both are of course bolt-action rifle cartridges. That's why the three best rifles we have sorted have a 500-yard impact range below 40''. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Mag. Not a lot of difference in drops between the cartridges though; you need accurate yardage readings to get your drop correct. Excellent job. The final two cartridges above are mislabeled. Well, Im done Adulting for Today and Tomorrow. 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. Just curious have you ever looked at the 284 Winchester for flat shooting. Been there done that, so Im not playing holier-than-thou. 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. Brownings 175-grain Sierra Tipped GameKing load has an advertised muzzle velocity of 2835 fps and a very high ballistic coefficient. Hey there from Melbourne, Australia. Bullets of this diameter are easily configured to have extremely high ballistic coefficients. 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.

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