With their Vanguard line you can do it for less than $900. But a reputation for burning out barrels ultimately doomed the cartridge. But can it defend that title at 1,000 yards? Top I stopped there because few hunters are going to tolerate the recoil or rifle weight needed to operate a flat shooter above 338-caliber. However, I fully admit that that a flat shooting cartridge is not nearly as important as a cartridge which is resistant to wind deflection. Now, one manufacturer specializes in fast, powerful, ridiculous cartridges, and thats Weatherby. But the premise is based on my farm, where distances are limited to 560 or so yards. It is a flat shooting cartridge, able to hit a target at 300 yards with negligible hold over. It combined flat-shooting ballistics with hard-hitting bullets in a package with lighter recoil than the .300 Weatherby Magnum, which debuted in 1944. Its drop at 1,000 yards is 330.30 and at 500 yards its drop is 50.00. Im not sure Im reading this right but there seems to be a decimal missing. 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. = 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. I know it is very uncommonly talked about. It takes a lot of practice to learn the aim point to bring the rifle on target. Despite its relatively low B.C. The .277 bullet earns a lower B.C. The caveat here is that fastest becomes a bit murky. For optics, I use a Leupold Mark 6 with a Horus reticle. The 300 PRC in 225G exceeds this and the 338 Lapua Magnum by a noticeable difference. 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. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. I suspect Weatherby got wind of Noslers work on its superb 26 Nosler, so they released Roys old wildcat to steel some of Noslers thunder. 26 Nosler. projectiles begins to add up and they shoot flatter at extreme range. Unfortunately, the .223 WSSM has fallen by the wayside in recent years. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. It will push a 90-grain Fusion bullet to 500 yardswhich is probably the limit for . Just curious have you ever looked at the 284 Winchester for flat shooting. As much talk as there is about the .270 Winchesters ability to shoot flatly, it does not compare with these three flat-shooting options. Still, if youre goal is to push heavy projectiles to the outer reaches, Noslers 28 may be the best 7mm option out there. THANK God for analysts like you Jim your passion for statistics really help us guys with our difficult choices and how we spend our hard earned money.. Im definitely sold on the 6.5-300 wby mag its definitely the new Era 270 in my books. 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. [wd_leadmagnet type="dressing"] What do you guys think . Zeroing for 100 yards or farther will change drop significantly. The quicker it gets to 200 yards the less time gravity has been working on it and the less it will drop. Id consider a base of: Among these cartridges, the 25-06 offers the highest MPBR (Mean Point Blank Range) or the max distance that you can adjust a scope to and be +-3 with the most common bullet weights per 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. The first category will include cartridges with a +/- 3" maximum point blank range (MPBR) of greater than 270 but less than 300 yards. 10 Things We All Hate About flattest shooting caliber to 500 yards Yash June 15, 2021 57 views 3 minute read This is the one in the middle, the flattest shooting caliber to 500 yards. 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. Thats true, but the bullets have been vetted. Backfire LLC owns and operates this website. 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. etc. That said, average shots on mule deer are often longer than what most hunters typically encounter on eastern whitetail hunts. Nice summary of the subject for those of us who do not understand things like Coreolis Force and aerodynamic jump. Our margin for distancing error at 700 yards just went from 12 yards with the 30-06 to 25 yards with the 30-378. Good points, which are all things Ive considered. . 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. Its clear that flat shooting is directly proportional to overbore. And yes, the .223/5.56 even dominates that match. So dont assume that youll be shooting the worlds flattest rifle cartridge and bullet until youve verified your MV and bullet B.C. By the way, while the 6.5-300 has been on the market just five years, Roy was shooting it in the mid-20th century. Enforcermj, Im not sure if your comment is sarcastic or not. Not sure if the OP is considering them or not. The 6.5 PRC can remain supersonic out beyond 1,600 yards or so, but ammunition options are limited. Barrel length will change MV. 95% of your shots will be inside 500 yards, and probably 80% inside 300. . I am impressed at all the data you went through to come up with the three chosen. Flattest Shooting Hunting Bullet 257 Weatherby Vanguard 26" pipe. I normally go for high BC and heavy for cal but one place I do run light is I'll shoot a Barnes 110 TTSX 3600 fps in my 270 WSM, for light game and coyotes it's very effective! gundata.org has done all this for you already. Not to mention the different variations in grains in each individual caliber,Ogive and BC. That should be pretty close to flat. I noticed in your video that your chart also listed energy and recoil. Just dont try to enumerate its downsides to anyone who knows anything, because there arent any that matter. You can't go wrong with a .308 for a 500 yard rifle. I dont get it. the max load is the distance load. 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. (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. Before we check that out, let's give a nod to the 240 Wby. Recoil is stiff and some find it hard to master. Faster velocities mean flatter trajectories. However, I have a question to ask you. Flattest at 1,000 yards Heres where things start to change. It's muzzle v. What bullet weight did you select for the .270 Winchester? 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. .45-70 shoots like a Rainbow compared to even a Win 30-30. Awesome indoor range. It just murders your shoulder, ears, and pocketbook at the same time . Im going to set a restrictive definition on common and only include cartridges that can be found chambered in most any rifle. Another issue is recoil. 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. Before we check that out, lets give a nod to the 240 Wby. bullet. A 25 yard miscalculation at that distance will vary your hit by half a foot and outside our 6 imaginary circle of vitals. Like the 6.5 Creedmoor, the .280 Ackley Improved can remain supersonic out to 1,400 yards. 1.5" high at 100, would be dead-on at 250, and only drop 30" at 550. 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. 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. To be fair to the 30-378, itmurders everything else for flatness way out there, staying feet above most other cartridges and carrying enough energy to take a deer at just over 1000 yards. numbers which are not quite as accurate as G7 numbers in predicting trajectories of todays wildly long, sleek bullets. It's wide-open so anyone from beginners to pros, 25 caliber pocket guns through to race guns. While there are not a lot of ammunition choices for the 6.8 Western, there are some good ones. What I have come up with is the .270 Weatherby Magnum with a 135gr Sierra Matchking and 7828. Don't want it too heavy. 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. Posted: 12/20/2020 9:01:19 AM EST [#22] There is a simple . You are cordially invited to any of our matches. 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. The smaller calibers drop like a rock past 500 yards. Thanks, 26 Nosler 127 gr LRX 3602 Ft./Sec. Its very clear that you went through a huge amount of work to pull all of this info together. At 500 yards even the flattest shooting rounds are going to be dropping somewhere around 30". Great information you have come up with. Hornady Precision Hunter 143-grain ELDX at 2,960 fps. I believe the 6.8 SPC is that alternative. 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. You can argue that you can get the 243 WSSM shooting flatter, but that cartridge is already considered obsolete. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. Meantime, lets enjoy our deeper dive into flat shooting hunting cartridges (hand carried and shoulder fired. Yes I know its a barrel burner but so is the 300RUM and others on the list. Think 30-30 necked down to a .25 cal. 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. Thank you for the great content you provide. I would think this data is slightly skewed unless the bullets are shot out of the same length of barrels and the same practices of reloading. But can it defend that title at 1,000 yards? 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. always means more wind deflection. Just curious if you included the 300 Norma or maybe I missed it. 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. 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. The .277 is an oddball bullet diameter, in that it doesnt fall into the much more common 6.5mm, 7mm, or .30-caliber categories. of energy at that distance more than enough to drop a deer humanely. Yeah, yeah, I know theyre cartridges and not calibers, but lots of people call them calibers so I thought Id roll with it. Of course, the .270 Win was developed in 1925 when 1000 yard shots were effectively unheard of. 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. rating) driven more slowly. My take away on all this number crunching? Thank you for the time it took to work all this data up in an easy to absorb article, where are you getting your information for the bullet drop? All same bullets for each of the numbers that are then averaged. Though that shot didn't take advantage of the 7mm Mag's flat trajectory, it convinced me of the cartridge's superior qualities. Well, theres really only one option in .22-caliber and thats the .224 Valkyrie. Based on the 7.6239/220 Russian cartridge case, the Valkyrie changes the personality of the AR-15. RELATED: The 10 Best Rifle Bullets for Long-Range Shooting. The lesser charge is a flatter, close group load. plays a major roll in trajectory, but is second in significance to muzzle velocity. 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. I've heard that too! I'm trying to find the best round from the muzzle to 500yds as far as trajectory. Recoil statistics are offered for reference. Check out their concise ballistics charts. I know you won't find them in the US, but just wanted to mention them because it's fun. Sign up for Field & Streams newsletter to receive the latest and greatest gear reviews and expert hunting and fishing advice. They are normalized within caliber. The 300WM with the 210 VLDs at 2950fps is pretty good also. Some of those 26 and 28 Nosler rifles only have 600-900 shots of total barrel life. 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 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. It gives you an MPBR of 336 yards. Flattest Shooting Cartridges by Caliber Ron Spomer Outdoors 1.1M views 1 year ago Worst and Best Way to Sight a Rifle! Appropriate hunting bullets may not reach these levels of B.C. Besides recoil, the downside is the limited availability of factory ammunition and rifles. Mag. YMMV Yep, me too. "Animal Instinct ammunition is optimized to deliver . Save big on firearms, accessories, tactical gear, clothing, and ammunition from now until March 29. A highly accurate, easy to shoot rifle with a flat trajectory will make for confident hunting. .468 BC, 1. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. Federal Premium, 130-grain Terminal Ascent, .308 Winchester will win no ballistic awards. But the 7mm Remington Magnum will remain supersonic out to 1,400 yards or a bit more, making a good choice for cross-canyon hunting. Richard Mann was born and raised in West Virginia and has hunted from the Montana mountains to the green hills of Africa. By way of comparison, the .270 Winchester (based on the .30-06 Springfield) offers a case capacity of 67 grains. 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. 223 Remington, or 5.56 NATO is more than capable of shooting over 500 yards with accuracy. . Montana! It has flipped positions with the 6.5, losing by a mere 1.4-inches. 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). Developed form the military, Winchester . The .223 Remington will easily take care of any varmint out to around 500 yards, but at extreme distances loses its punch. 6.5 CM The 6.5 CM is a newcomer to the shooting world. Been there done that, so Im not playing holier-than-thou. This newer Weatherby 6.5 combines plenty of gas with manageable recoil. Wind also affects bullets differently, and a cartridges ability to overcome these three forces makes it better or worse for shooting flat and far. The goal with the 6 mm ARC was to provide the flattest-shooting cartridge compatible with an AR-15. Surely this is 42.9 just over a meter? More hunters should get to know this fantastic round. unfair comparison, Hornady makes a 139 grain BTSP for the 7mm mag very flat shooter, Great info, thanks for your difficult work. http://www.hornady.com/ballistics-resource/ballistics-calculator. On the other hand, wind speed and direction are inconsistent. Then look at the available options for reloaders, nearly endless, bullets for every application imaginable. (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? The 27 Nosler bests the .270 Winchester by about 400 fps with 150-grain bullets. Gravity impacts all objects the same. 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. The 220 Swift would be my pick for coyotes, rodents, and probably pronghorn if it werent for the wind deflection issue. If the 300 RUM surprises you, know that it surprised me, too. For serious shooters, thats a non-starter. 1. . . No exotics just yet, theyll come later. 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. 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? flat-shooting, and light recoiling cartridge was extremely effective on deer-sized game. Your Knowledge is greatly appreciated! Most center-fire rifles that are legal for deer hunting can take a deer at 300 yards. And they can change in your rifle and will change at different velocities. Noslers first proprietary cartridge is basically a steroid-monster 6.5 Creedmoor. Generally, traditional Weatherby Magnum cartridges perform slightly better than their Winchester or Remington magnum counterparts. Required fields are marked *. Barrel twist rates spin the bullet out of the muzzle in a spiral much akin to a quarterback throwing a football. 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. If not. With a muzzle velocity faster than 3000 fps, it offers great external and terminal ballistics. 1 Normal load using the most popular factory ammo, one heavy load for each, one light load. I was surprised the 308 warbird was not included with the 208gr or 212gr bullet. modifies results at some point. What about the guy who wants to go long with his AR-15? Heres a chart from my Popular Hunting Cartridges Compared article. By the time the 6.5 Creedmoor started gaining popularity, interest in the .270 WSM was fading. . Our blog and video on the Flattest Shooting Cartridge Ever! It propels a 17 Grain bullet at 2,550 feet per second. These cartridges all drop less than 255 at 1,000 yards. For good reason. This article covered not only objective but the subjective topics my buddies use to caliber shame my 5.56. Bullets of this diameter are easily configured to have extremely high ballistic coefficients. If going after larger game is the preference and the hunter is looking for real stopping power within 300-yards, then the .308 would be the go-to caliber. again. With the 6.5 PRC, Hornady has created a better version of the old barrel-burner. It will be built on a stiller predator action, carbon wrap or #4 fluted stainless at 26 inches. Most fall close to the .22 caliber bullet range, and can dip down to .17 caliber and up to .264 (6.5 mm). For a moose and caribou combo hunt, it's certainly an easy choice..270 Winchester - Like the 30-06, this is a classic caliber that can take on any of North America's big game species. A few specialty matches, such as the Farr trophy at Camp Perry, are fired at 1,000 yards. 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. The non-bonded bullet should deliver good terminal performance up close and at distance. In 2022, he was named as the brands Shooting Editor. 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. I still just dont understand why it isnt the 26 or 28 Nos. Its muzzle velocity is 1880 fps, and muzzle energy is 2355 ft. lbs. The URSA gongs are 37 inches round and if you get 4 out of 10 you advance in 500 yard increments. A rifle is suitable for flat shooting as long as the 500-yard impact range of the rifle falls below the 40''. And for all of you whove just learned your flat shooting champion really isnt, sorry. Have fun hunting! Nor are we maintaining that the flattest shooting cartridge/bullet is the ultimate determinant of a good hunting round. bullet faster than did the larger volume 30-378 Wby. 223 Wylde chambered, 20" barreled rifle. Lots of hunters consider the .270 Winchester one of the best all-purpose, short- and long-range cartridges of all time. Bullet B.C. 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. 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. Second, we are not encouraging extreme-range shooting at game. Flattest at 500 yards Weatherbys wildly overbore 6.5-300 wins again! Every rifle is different. Like the 26 Nosler, the 28 is based on the 404 Jeffery case and will remain supersonic out past 1,750 yards. Despite its relatively low B.C. Not only are new loads being offered, new ARs and even bolt action rifles for the Grendel are being introduced. 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 . I thought Id run an article on the flattest shooting rifle cartridges to compare and contrast both whats popular, as well as a few of the high performance options out there. (Essentially, you don't have to arc the 300 Win Mag's bullet trajectory in order to strike a target up . It may not display this or other websites correctly. 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. 6.5mm and 7mm projectiles offer very high ballistic coefficients, meaning they offer excellent ability to overcome drag and wind deflection over longer distances. Its not all hype. 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. Required fields are marked *. Precision, varmint, big-game, and dirt cheap NATO surplus ammo for plenty of cheap shooting. Forums. Excellent job. Shooters have no real idea how much drop a bullet has at long ranges like 1500 yards. rating, that 100-grain bullet is hanging in there. 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. Was sad to not see the .300 H&H Magnum, though I doubt it would measure much different than the .300 Win Mag. The .204 will work quiet well at 500 yards with good shot placement. Mag. Another one or two probably should have made the original list. Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range, 175-grain AccuBond Long Range at 3,125 fps. From 600 to 1000 yards they use a 300 Winchester. (-200) If youre after critters deer-size and up, the field is dominated by .30-caliber, 6.5mm, and 7mm cartridges, with the best long-range options remaining supersonic out to at least 1,400 yards. Nope, pretty much matches a 308Win to 500 yards. bullet 12 inches at 500 yards, a low B.C. Hey there from Melbourne, Australia. Lets start by acknowledging we can minimize our search by ignoring all cartridges within each caliber that dont produce maximum velocity in that caliber. Nonetheless, 7mm bullets can be extremely aerodynamic and, as legendary elephant hunter Karamojo Bell proved, effective on even the largest animals. I have not identified bullet make and type because that doesnt change impact drop. So it ends up being a very fair comparison. It was also a resounding success and has remained popular with hunters looking to stretch their effective range. Nevertheless, flat shooting cartridges have long fascinated hunters and driven cartridge development and sales. 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. The Nosler AccuBond is one of the best all-round big-game bullets offered, and Weatherby has smarly offered the 140-grain version for their 6.5 RPM cartridge. At a 100 yard zero sight in the 500 yard drop is 37. Obviously Weatherby and Nosler, but are there other manufacturers, vendors, builders to consider? 6.5mm calibers While heavier bullets at low speed dont shoot as flat, they do carry energy further generally. Excellent work!! 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. 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. Thanks for your hard work and entertaining videos, your passion shines through! All Rights Reserved, My Group Therapy: Shooting Log Book | 100 pages (6"x9") | Record Target Shooting Data & Improve your Skills and Precision Paperback June 13, 2019.
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