At 300 yards, the hold over (assuming a 250 yard zero) is only 2.6 inches. is the fastest at 3,500 FPS, and exits a rifle with a muzzle energy of 2,700 FPE. I still shoot a .270 caliber cartridge and the same 150gr bullet, but with a 3gr powder charge boost. Ive updated the chart description so its more clear that it isnt in inches. Unless youre shooting really far. A 3 mph breeze at the shooter can become a 20 mph roar in the canyon halfway to the target. No exotics just yet, theyll come later. Thats what makes a long-range hunters heart go pitter patter, and its what has kept Weatherby in business since 1945. The non-bonded bullet should deliver good terminal performance up close and at distance. Nice summary of the subject for those of us who do not understand things like Coreolis Force and aerodynamic jump. JOHN BUOL Preferred Caliber For 500 To 1,000 Yards And Beyond: 5.56mm NATO. For example, A 7 SAUM, 280 AI and 7 Rem Mag. Low B.C. rating, that 100-grain bullet is hanging in there. Good points, which are all things Ive considered. I have used it also in a Ruger #1 with a 26 barrel and thoroughly enjoyed the distance it affords me. 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. For the Top 5 you have listed, what manufacturers offer a complete rifle in those calibers? Now, you might think this cartridge is new and unproven. Want to run your own ballistics numbers? Best Ive been able to do is run ballistic charts on many combinations, knowing that muzzle velocity is of major importance and bullet B.C. This article covered not only objective but the subjective topics my buddies use to caliber shame my 5.56. A popular western big-game cartridge, the 7mm Magnum doubles as an excellent tool for long-range target shooting. 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! That kind of long-range accuracy comes at a hefty price with this model starting at $11,700 from the manufacturer. Most common calibers are just fine for regular range shots under 300 yards. That's impressive but misleading. Thanks, 26 Nosler 127 gr LRX 3602 Ft./Sec. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. 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. It's not until you get farther out that BC starts making a big difference. 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. I love that you have gone above and beyond here and I see tremendous value in this knowledge. cleric; Jan 28, 2023; Bolt Action Rifles ; Replies 13 Views 475. .468 BC, 1. Its like a shorter, beltless version of the .300 Winchester Magnum. But you wouldnt want to hunt with it. Most fall close to the .22 caliber bullet range, and can dip down to .17 caliber and up to .264 (6.5 mm). MY 45 cal ball travels at 1633fps with a standard charge, and 74-5gr for a full charge (2040fps). Modern high-ballistic-coefficient bullets is where the .375 H&H really steps out of its traditional box. So I find it strange you dont have it on any of the lists from what I have seen. Mag. 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. 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. Thus, the .50BMG drops less at 1,000 yards than the 6.5 Creedmoor. Not only are new loads being offered, new ARs and even bolt action rifles for the Grendel are being introduced. That should be pretty close to flat. 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). 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. Recoil is stiff and some find it hard to master. 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). Impeccable analysis here. Hornady's Precision Hunter 145-grain ELD-X at 2,950 fps is the flattest-shooting .270 Winchester load. If there was ever a cult cartridge, the .280 Ackley Improved is it. 26 Nosler. plays a major roll in trajectory, but is second in significance to muzzle velocity. It's wide-open so anyone from beginners to pros, 25 caliber pocket guns through to race guns. I'm trying to find the best round from the muzzle to 500yds as far as trajectory. At 150 yards the target is a 6 inch hole and the gong is behind it. YMMV Hornady Precision Hunter 143-grain ELDX at 2,960 fps. All in all, here are six bonus cartridge, all highly capable of reaching way out there. Not to mention the different variations in grains in each individual caliber,Ogive and BC. The wise longer range shooter errs on the side of a higher B.C. Second, we are not encouraging extreme-range shooting at game. 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. Terry Cross. Feb 17, 2023. I know you won't find them in the US, but just wanted to mention them because it's fun. I am looking for a really flat shooting cartridge up to 500 yards for a Remington rebarrel project I have. Below is a chart indicating the three best flat-shooting cartridges and their muzzle velocity, drop, energy levels, and felt recoil. With the exception of the 7mm Remington Magnum, cartridges of this diameter have never been as popular in America as they should bemaybe because this was the caliber of the Imperial German Army and the Nazis. How hard would it be to add a 223wssm to the mix. 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 At a 100 yard zero sight in the 500 yard drop is 37. numbers which are not quite as accurate as G7 numbers in predicting trajectories of todays wildly long, sleek bullets. Hornady 123-grain SST at 2580 fps. Good work mate. And for all of you whove just learned your flat shooting champion really isnt, sorry. 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. Both are 338-378 Wby. No howitzers or tanks.). 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. Take a look at the MPBR column and note how close they all are. Richard Mann was born and raised in West Virginia and has hunted from the Montana mountains to the green hills of Africa. 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. While that incredibly fast 6.5-300 Wby. The lesser charge is a flatter, close group load. 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. rating, that 100-grain bullet is hanging in there. Like the 6.5 Creedmoor, the .280 Ackley Improved can remain supersonic out to 1,400 yards. numbers are accurate. Most of the calculators out there show larger drop rates then your table. Awesome indoor range. Since 1962, when the round was introduced in conjunction with the Remington 700, countless others have arrived at the same conclusion. 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. 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. Its a top choice of military snipers and can launch heavy bullets with high speed and exceptional precision. With a muzzle velocity faster than 3000 fps, it offers great external and terminal ballistics. Mag. of energy at that distance more than enough to drop a deer humanely. . 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. 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. For all practical purposes, the 25-06 would be a better competition round at 1000 yards. Be aware that many of these bullets could have been target bullets. RELATED: 6.5 Creedmoor: The New King of Cartridges? Our blog and video on the Flattest Shooting Cartridge Ever! Just saying, excellent job to tell the nature of all calibers for hunting from 100 to 700 yards for medium game. The .17 HMR is based upon the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire casing, necked down to .17 Caliber. A rifle is suitable for flat shooting as long as the 500-yard impact range of the rifle falls below the 40''. 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. Thanks again. Forums. 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. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 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. You still need excellent range finding equipment and preferably have tested drops in your rifle in case your bullets have exaggerated BC claims. 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. It is an ideal choice for deer-sized game in open country, and a fine choice for mountain game. 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. bullet 12 inches at 500 yards, a low B.C. 6.5mm calibers In your question about Flattest shooting caliber in a Lever Gun, Winchester 1894 shooting a .25-35 caliber bullet. 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. .45-70 shoots like a Rainbow compared to even a Win 30-30. Underwood Ammos 110-grain Lehigh Controlled Chaos bullet at 2800 fps is another great option. Always be open to new possibilities. 2. While there are not a lot of ammunition choices for the 6.8 Western, there are some good ones. The 220 Swift would be my pick for coyotes, rodents, and probably pronghorn if it werent for the wind deflection issue. The biggest deficit is the roughly 57 feet of drop at 1,000 yards. A 100 yard miscalculation short or long will vary your hit by a vertical of 2.3-2.9 feet, enough to completely miss or wound the deer.