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. Please, keep up the great work! 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. RELATED: 6.5 Creedmoor: The New King of Cartridges? Fastest Rifle Cartridges: 9 Choices With the Best Bullet Velocity The newest addition to the Nosler line of proprietary cartridges is the 27 Nosler. It really is the best all-around hunting rifle caliber. 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. The .308 Winchester will win no ballistic awards; its simply a shorter version of the time-tested and beloved .30/06. I see lots of Wildcats mentioned here. 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. 3. If the 300 RUM surprises you, know that it surprised me, too. Fantastic information. Many people found it informative, but some of the hunters wanted to know if you have any statistics available on the calibers as listed above. 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. What a gentleman. You are cordially invited to any of our matches. Its drop at 1,000 yards is 330.30 and at 500 yards its drop is 50.00. (-200) 8 Best Long-Range Magnum Cartridges Ever Made This should be recommended reading for all shooters learning to shoot long range shots. For example , the chart I used showed about 67-70 drop for .270 at 600 yd.. But lets take a quick look at a historically popular flat-shooting cartridge, the .270 Winchester. via the Davenport formula. Been there done that, so Im not playing holier-than-thou. . Answer (1 of 5): Trajectory flatness is a function of muzzle velocity. This means we can first determine the fastest cartridge in each caliber, then compare it against the fastest in others. 5 Great Calibers for a Big Game Combo Hunt - Kawdy Outfitters Drops just 11.6 inches. Share: Facebook Twitter WhatsApp Email Share Link. Taylor's formula calculates a less-inspiring TKO number of 37. No howitzers or tanks.). I love that you have gone above and beyond here and I see tremendous value in this knowledge. In 2022, he was named as the brands Shooting Editor. Still, by using G1 across the board, we are on a level playing field. Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range, 175-grain AccuBond Long Range at 3,125 fps. (For anyone who gets worked up about the fact that the .30/06 isnt on this list, feel free to swap it with this one, as long as you dont mind the extra kick. . What is the flattest shooting cartridge for 200 yards? - Quora The lesser charge is a flatter, close group load. Right now, shooters are obsessed with flat-shooting rifle cartridges. But there is a big contender missing I think. Just hoping my bad experiences might inspire you to avoid some of your own. The .277 bullet earns a lower B.C. Precision, varmint, big-game, and dirt cheap NATO surplus ammo for plenty of cheap shooting. Of course, the .270 Win was developed in 1925 when 1000 yard shots were effectively unheard of. Cheers. 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. Dear James | A flat shooting cartridge matters. Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range, 150-grain AccuBond Long Range at 2,930 fps. 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. (Curiosity? Nosler Trophy Grade with a 150-grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range at 3300 fps. p.s. Thanks for your hard work and entertaining videos, your passion shines through! Jim Harmer is a host of the Backfire Youtube channel. bullet. Those, then, are my conclusions. 3 Flattest Shooting Rifle Cartridges - LiveOutdoors 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. I have neither the scientific knowledge nor mathematical skills to figure out the perfect blend of factors that produces the flattest trajectory winner. 1. . Four Great Calibers for Elk | The Outdoor Line Blog Just curious if you included the 300 Norma or maybe I missed it. Thanks for the chart for bullet drop but for Big Game Hunting I would rather see the down range energy. When a bullet is fired, many forces are immediately working against it: gravity, wind, and atmospheric drag. Your email address will not be published. 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. 5 Cartridges to Consider for Hunting Mule Deer - Exo Mtn Gear Want to run your own ballistics numbers? I realize that you looked at several different loads for each cartridge to figure out which one was the flattest shooting. Its a top choice of military snipers and can launch heavy bullets with high speed and exceptional precision. Save big on firearms, accessories, tactical gear, clothing, and ammunition from now until March 29. As soon as a projectile leaves the muzzle, the earths gravity instantly begins to affect the trajectory of the round. It's wide-open so anyone from beginners to pros, 25 caliber pocket guns through to race guns. Now I have some facts for my creedmoor pal to chew on. Thanks Jim! bullet 12 inches at 500 yards, a low B.C. 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? The 10 Best Varmint Cartridges | Field & Stream Im not sure Im reading this right but there seems to be a decimal missing. lotsa guys on the internet claim 500 yards is no problem . again. Despite its relatively low B.C. 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. Great information! New Rifle Cartridges for the Modern Hunter - Game & Fish 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. 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 . That kind of long-range accuracy comes at a hefty price with this model starting at $11,700 from the manufacturer. 243 and 25-06 had to be left out because it didnt have enough at 600 for even deer. Flattest shooting caliber - PredatorMasters Forums If not. What caliber is the flattest shooting? - The Muzzleloading Forum Somehow stumbled onto this article. Brownings 175-grain Sierra Tipped GameKing load has an advertised muzzle velocity of 2835 fps and a very high ballistic coefficient. Mag. Appropriate hunting bullets may not reach these levels of B.C. Links or names greatly appreciated, Thanks! Obviously Weatherby and Nosler, but are there other manufacturers, vendors, builders to consider? It will be built on a stiller predator action, carbon wrap or #4 fluted stainless at 26 inches. 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. Since nearly all long-distance shooters today use a laser rangefinder, does it even matter which cartridges shoot the flattest? Thats equal magnitude to 200fps less flatness! Even though high-BC .30-caliber bullets need to be heavy and pushed hard to shoot flat, many American hunters love them enough to tolerate the recoil. Most often you just have to buy a Weatherby rifle to get one, and while that used to be an expensive proposition, its not anymore. REX'S INDOOR RANGE - 77 Upward Rd, East Flat Rock, NC - Yelp Outstanding job!! I asked around a few years ago and found 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum as the most overbore commercial cartridge. 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. 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. Love it Jim ! Normas 180-grain BondStrike Extreme at 3,084 fps is new and very flat-shooting. 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. At 500 yards, the 27 Nosler drops almost a foot less than Jack OConnors sacred cartridge. 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. 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.. So what can we learn from these numbers? For example, A 7 SAUM, 280 AI and 7 Rem 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. Could you add a little explanation of why/how twist/spin rate make any given bullet/velocity shoot flatter? 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. I have not identified bullet make and type because that doesnt change impact drop. Feb 17, 2023. RELATED: The 10 Best Rifle Bullets for Long-Range Shooting. Top muzzle velocities with the same combination of powder, primer, and bullet can vary by 100 to 200 fps. The non-bonded bullet should deliver good terminal performance up close and at distance. Federals EDGE TLR .270 Winchester is another outstanding option. For the Top 5 you have listed, what manufacturers offer a complete rifle in those calibers? Good video! Indeed, some deer also live in places where a 50-yard shot is much more likely than a 500-yard shot. MM Thats what makes a long-range hunters heart go pitter patter, and its what has kept Weatherby in business since 1945. 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. . Target Rifle- Caliber Question. The 220 Swift would be my pick for coyotes, rodents, and probably pronghorn if it werent for the wind deflection issue. Impeccable analysis here. It is about the easiest caliber to hit with at that range you can imagine. Surprisingly, even with all the extra recoil and muzzle blast, this cartridge will not shoot any flatter than most 6.5s. Run those numbers on JBM. the max load is the distance load. So what if we shoot further than 300? A 30-06 will take any game on the NA Continent. This lead-free copper monolithic, fragmenting hollow-point Liberty Ammunition round is the next generation of one of the most popular hunting and long range rounds in existence. And they can change in your rifle and will change at different velocities. What caliber is the flattest shooting? | The Muzzleloading Forum 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. First, some boundaries. flattest trajectory? | Sniper & Sharpshooter Forums 500-yard drop: 45 inches (based on a 100-yard zero). Meantime, lets enjoy our deeper dive into flat shooting hunting cartridges (hand carried and shoulder fired. Though that shot didn't take advantage of the 7mm Mag's flat trajectory, it convinced me of the cartridge's superior qualities. Weatherbys Bullet selection means alot. . As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That should be pretty close to flat. That does not appeal to my simplified physics understanding of the subject. Top Backfire LLC owns and operates this website. If you had to choose one cartridge to hunt with for the rest of your life, you could do a whole lot worse than the .30-06 Springfield. 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. What caliber rifle shoots the flattest? Noslers first proprietary cartridge is basically a steroid-monster 6.5 Creedmoor. I am looking for a really flat shooting cartridge up to 500 yards for a Remington rebarrel project I have. is the fastest at 3,500 FPS, and exits a rifle with a muzzle energy of 2,700 FPE. 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. He has managed multiple gun ranges, and has hunted around the world. You can argue that you can get the 243 WSSM shooting flatter, but that cartridge is already considered obsolete. 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. And for all of you whove just learned your flat shooting champion really isnt, sorry. 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. The 6.5 PRC can remain supersonic out beyond 1,600 yards or so, but ammunition options are limited. Great chart and thanks for what must have been an incredible amount of work. If Ive left out an obvious winner or near winner, write in and state your case. 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. These cartridges all drop less than 255 at 1,000 yards. Loaded with a 130-grain bullet, it will carry more than 1000 foot-pounds of energy out past 600 yards. A long-time favorite of snipers, the .308 Winchester will remain supersonic out to around 1,200 yards. I believe the 6.8 SPC is that alternative. Its trajectory is awesome. Forums. Ive updated the chart description so its more clear that it isnt in inches. Surely this is 42.9 just over a meter? Just curious have you ever looked at the 284 Winchester for flat shooting. I blog often and I truly appreciate your content. Bullet B.C. How can I get all the data in a spread sheet form like you showed in your video? Good work mate. Always amazing to me its not even on those lists. All three cartridges also offer ample case capacity, allowing enough powder to send bullets at drag-defying velocities. The round is on the cusp of energy at 300 yards, but it is a favorite among short to mid-distance deer hunters. 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. But again, that just my opinion. Its just human nature to celebrate and admire the biggest, bestest, and flattest. 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. rating, that 100-grain bullet is hanging in there. What I have come up with is the .270 Weatherby Magnum with a 135gr Sierra Matchking and 7828. 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. For good reason. Lets start by acknowledging we can minimize our search by ignoring all cartridges within each caliber that dont produce maximum velocity in that caliber. 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. For example a 308 dropping 429 at 1000 yards is ridiculous, thats 10 meters! Best Cartridge for out to 500 yds??? - Long Range Hunting Forum Before we check that out, let's give a nod to the 240 Wby. The quicker it gets to 200 yards the less time gravity has been working on it and the less it will drop. 6.5mm and 7mm projectiles offer very high ballistic coefficients, meaning they offer excellent ability to overcome drag and wind deflection over longer distances. 4 Stunning Long-Range Rifles That Will Shoot Past 1,000 Yards So its not like the flattest shooting rifle gives you a lot more leeway on ranging errors for super long range shots. Drop is constant at the gravitational pull of 32 feet per second accelerating at 32 fps. Heres a chart from my Popular Hunting Cartridges Compared article. Another one or two probably should have made the original list. 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. 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. My name is Steve and I have just viewed your video on the Flattest Shooting Cartridges. The Barrett 416 or CheyTac exceeds this - I have witnessed it first hand - then you get into the wildcat cartridges. Flattest shooting to 500 yds. | Long Range Hunting Forum Great chart, I appreciate all your work on this. . The 6.5 Creedmoor will remain supersonic out to 1,400 yards and is quickly becoming the most popular long-range, big-game cartridge in the world. Searching for an Effective Small Caliber Sniper Round 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. But can it defend that title at 1,000 yards? I subscribed to your Feed as well. All are welcome. 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. The longer the bullet is in the air, the longer gravity can pull on the object. The first category will include cartridges with a +/- 3" maximum point blank range (MPBR) of greater than 270 but less than 300 yards. That, combined with their relatively small size, means that compared to cartridges of similar powder capacity, the 6.5s will almost always do more, in terms of external and terminal ballistics, with less recoil. Yet it has proven again and again that it will deliver at distance. 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. Its not all hype. Time of flight impacts bullet drop more than anything else. .45-70 shoots like a Rainbow compared to even a Win 30-30. Just what the perfect balance between MV and BC is remains unanswered by me. With the popularity of this cartridge due to America's favorite rifle, the AR15, more and more people are stretching the . Yep, me too. By the time the 6.5 Creedmoor started gaining popularity, interest in the .270 WSM was fading. However, I have a question to ask you. Different shooters will all have different calibers that are better suited for their specific goal or mission. In fact, we may say that its the only thing that matters; however, factors that lead to time of flight changes are important to consider. 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. This lets you focus on having only one caliber to maintain. I had to calculate this one out, as Weatherbys ballistics charts dont go past 500 yards. This is not just a product of the .27 caliber bullet and its ballistic coefficient numbers. Kind of underwhelming, right? Best Long Range Calibers in 2023 | Outdoor Life These cartridges all drop less than 255 at 1,000 yards. I dont get it. Most service rifle matches include stages at 200, 300 and 600 yards, from various positions, some timed, while others are slow-fire. Manners thumbhole stock, trigger tech trigger at around a pound. 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. Excellent job. And yes, the .223/5.56 even dominates that match. Choosing the flattest shooting rifle cartridge in each caliber category seems fair, fun, and revealing, so well do that before identifying the all time top dog. Some of those 26 and 28 Nosler rifles only have 600-900 shots of total barrel life. It is flat shooting, powerful, has a manageable amount of recoil, and there are dozens of great hunting rifles chambered in this outstanding cartridge. Hornady Precision Hunter 143-grain ELDX at 2,960 fps. I noticed in your video that your chart also listed energy and recoil. So it Im guessing to summarise it doesnt really matter what you shoot as long as you know distance to target & your maths Jim, The good news is that these bullets might shoot even a tad flatter than these numbers indicate. 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. The goal with the 6 mm ARC was to provide the flattest-shooting cartridge compatible with an AR-15. I also want to give credit to a couple of long-range AR cartridges that deserve honorable mention. 10 Best Long-Range Cartridges of All Time (2023) - Gun Digest To even things out, Ive zerod all cartridges at 100, drops are listed in feet and cartridges that fell below 1000 ft-lbs didnt get past the next 100 yard clip. .25-06 AI with a Berger 115 VLD that's moving 3,600 fps. View Quote. Richard Mann At 300 yards it has dropped around 13 inches, and at 500 yards it's just under 60 inches (5 feet). 95% of your shots will be inside 500 yards, and probably 80% inside 300. . No, this is merely a fun exercise in ferreting out the cartridge/bullet combination that shoots the flattest at reasonable hunting distance with a bit of extreme range (1,000 yards) thrown in for spice. Twenty years ago, Winchester introduced the .270 WSM (Winchester Short Magnum). 1.5" high at 100, would be dead-on at 250, and only drop 30" at 550. Take another look. inherent in 6.5mm (.264) caliber bullets. The issue with the Nosler cartridges is barrel life. 11 Best Rifle Calibers For Precision Shooting - BadAssOptic Choosing the proper ammunition and knowing your own capabilities at those distances is most important. Deer rifle for up to 300 yards? | Firearms Talk Here we go! Your email address will not be published. Only B.C. Is the 270 Good For Elk? - eatingthewild.com Mag. 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. A popular western big-game cartridge, the 7mm Magnum doubles as an excellent tool for long-range target shooting. 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. A 10 mph right angle wind at 500 yards can divert even a fast, high B.C. It combined flat-shooting ballistics with hard-hitting bullets in a package with lighter recoil than the .300 Weatherby Magnum, which debuted in 1944.