also reigns as one of the fastest commercial cartridges around, breaking 4,300 fps with 20-grain bullets and 4,100 fps with 25-grain pills. 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. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. Many of the .22 calibers ie 22-250 lose theor velocity at long range and get blown around in the wind a lot. The round also functions in bolt guns, lever guns like the Browning BLR, and AR-10 rifles. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. Yes, the article most definitely included the 7mm Mag, but the specific cartridge mentioned by Nick is what the original article would have included as an exotic version, NOT something found chambered in most any rifle. A powerful cartridge that shoots fast, flat and far, the .300 Win Mag is a powerful long-range caliber. The longer the bullet is in the air, the longer gravity can pull on the object. This means we can first determine the fastest cartridge in each caliber, then compare it against the fastest in others. Before we check that out, lets give a nod to the 240 Wby. While heavier bullets at low speed dont shoot as flat, they do carry energy further generally. Based on the old .404 Jeffery case, its the same length as the .30/06, which means it works in standard-length actions. Lets start by acknowledging we can minimize our search by ignoring all cartridges within each caliber that dont produce maximum velocity in that caliber. And once they started shooting, squirrels . If youre after deeper penetration, look at the 139-grain Barnes VOR-TX Long Range load. The reason why 6.5mm cartridges are exploding in popularity is because they are ultra-efficient. always means more wind deflection. But you wouldnt want to hunt with it. Equally, cutting through the air slows the projectile down, eating away at its energy. The name undoubtedly plays in part on the success of the 6.5s, but this cartridge is an exceptional long-range and hunting round. Subscriber Services. Assorted 5.56 Rounds (XM193, XM855, Gold Medal 69gr) While this may not be the first cartridge that comes to mind for long-range shooting, with an appropriate bullet, the compact .223 Remington or 5.56 NATO is more than capable of shooting over 500 yards with accuracy. As much talk as there is about the .270 Winchesters ability to shoot flatly, it does not compare with these three flat-shooting options. The following table averages multiple loads for each cartridge and shows an average amount of drop at 500 yards and 1,000 yards for each cartridge. The good news is that these bullets might shoot even a tad flatter than these numbers indicate. The .22-250 has a very high velocity and is very accurate. Although the .300 PRC and its predecessor .375 Ruger have the same .532 case head diameter as the .375 H&H, due to the larger in diameter beltless case, both of them provide a slightly greater powder capacity than the .375 H&H. But it is also a fact that it can't compete with the modern cartridge ranges designed for flat shooting. And if you want an affordable hunting or target rifle the Creedmoor is a good option. Thats true, but the bullets have been vetted. Well, nothing will save you if you mistakenly range a deer at 700 yards thats really at 800. Swifts 150-grain Scirocco at 3,036 fps delivers outstanding terminal performance. At the time, "Gunsmoke," "Bonanza," "The Rifleman," and dozens of Western films were celebrating horses, lever-actions, and revolvers.
The Amazing 22 Creedmoor: A Wildcat Worth a Hard Look - GunsAmerica Digest Another one or two probably should have made the original list. So its not like the flattest shooting rifle gives you a lot more leeway on ranging errors for super long range shots. 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. All Rights Reserved. It shoots as flat as a Kansas prairie and holds its velocity way out there. Barnes Vortex | .300 Winchester Magnum. unfair comparison, Hornady makes a 139 grain BTSP for the 7mm mag very flat shooter, Great info, thanks for your difficult work. Using this very-low-drag (VLD) .308 diameter bullets, the .300 PRC represents the ultimate .300 round for long-range competition. 22 Caliber. The newest addition to the Nosler line of proprietary cartridges is the 27 Nosler. Your email address will not be published. Trust but verify. If so you're at the right place. However, with this high performance comes added cost. Death in the Long Grass: A Big Game Hunter's Adventures in the African Bush .by Peter H. Capstick, Dino Paravano, Handbook for Shooters and Reloaders (Volume 1) Paperback, The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game: Volume 1: Big Game, Horn of the Hunter: The Story of an African Safari Kindle Edition, Use Enough Gun: On Hunting Big Game Hardcover, Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail: Upland Birds and Small Game from Field to Feast Hardcover March 1, 2018, The Easy Venison Cookbook: 60 Simple Recipes for Deer, Elk, and Moose Kindle Edition. There are the two most common ballistic standards called the G1 and G7.
Nosler is loading the 27 with their famous AccuBond, which is one of the best big-game bullets ever crafted. As for the wind drift, at 200 yards, the .17 WSM has almost reduced in half wind drift compared to the popular .17HMR. The .28 Nosler is a refined cartridge, but its also very fast, and that is one reason that it performs so well at long distances. He has managed multiple gun ranges, and has hunted around the world. Accordingly, the Weatherby .338-378 can launch any given projectiles weight out the muzzle faster than any other .33-caliber cartridge. Its 225-grain bullet has a muzzle velocity of 262 meters per second, generating 500 Joules muzzle energy. 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. 535-yard plates in the shadows are no challenge for the 22 CM. 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. In comparison to .300 Win Mag factory loads, the 300 PRC ammunition is loaded with either 212gr or 225gr bullets. Bullet selection means alot. A 25 yard miscalculation at that distance will vary your hit by half a foot and outside our 6 imaginary circle of vitals. Wir teilen auch Informationen ber Ihre Nutzung unserer Website mit unseren Social Media-, Werbe- und Analysepartnern. Pick a bullet for each. Federal Premium, 130-grain Terminal Ascent, .308 Winchester will win no ballistic awards. Mag. As a numeric designation, the ballistic coefficient (BC) is usually described as a number between one and zero. There are also lighter rounds available with a 154-grain, where BC is .530, and the muzzle velocity is 3,000 fps. Roy Weatherby was one of the pioneering cartridge designers of the 20th century, and his line of ultra-fast cartridges have been popular with long-range hunters for decades. Mag. With a history that dates back to almost 100 years ago from today, the .270 Winchester is still used. I ran the numbers with the 180 grain Ballistic tip at 3420 fps. 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.
Flattest Shooting Rifle Cartridges by Caliber - Ron Spomer Outdoors Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. For more information, please check out "best precision long-range rifles.". It's because they have less drop than one with a less efficient shape like a round nose or a flat point bullet. These days, with the explosion of long-range shooting interests, many newbies and more experienced shooters strive to achieve tighter groups at 300+ yards using a standard production rifle and typical hunting or service cartridges. Though its primarily a hunting round, the 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum will also work for shooting long range targets, and its laser-flat trajectory offers more margin for error than cartridges with a more arching trajectory. However, the lead that the 25-06 has is pretty small. 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 expansion at distance. This is an example of how different loads in different rifles can produce different results. The .260 Rem is an outstanding mid-range cartridge developed from a .308 Win by necking case throat down to .264 caliber. My third point is to remind you that this is not a scientific, Newtonian examination of all possible permutations of cartridges, bullets, muzzle velocities, and Ballistic Coefficients that determine bullet drop over all distances. While there are not a lot of ammunition choices for the 6.8 Western, there are some good ones. Another caliber with the best accuracy at 1,000 yards belongs to the newer generation of the large family of 6.5mm cartridges and bears the Nosler name, highly respected US ammo manufacturer. throwing a 55-gr. This poorly promoted and greatly underutilized chambering is recognized for its strengths as an intermediate shooter round. Weatherbys The bullet has a BC of .648, and when sighted in 1.2-inches high at 100 yards its dead-on at 200 yards and strikes just 5.6 inches low at 300 yards. The 26 Nosler (no decimal point) cartridge was launched at the 2014 SHOT Show as a part of the Noslers new platform rifle, the Patriot. It just murders your shoulder, ears, and pocketbook at the same time . 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. Im going to bookmark your website and keep checking for new details about once a week. throwing a 55-gr. But truth be told, every Weatherby cartridge is a long-range cartridge. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. A 108-grain 6mm Creedmoor bullet with a ballistic coefficient of .536 fired at the same velocity carries 300 more foot-pounds of energy at that distance, and the difference in wind drift is pronounced: the .243 bullet drifts 22 inches at 500 yards in a 10 mph crosswind while the Creedmoor drifts just 15.7 inches. The advent of precision rifle competitions and the laser rangefinder has increased the publics desire to go long. Though it's primarily a hunting round, the 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum will also work for shooting long-range targets. It was introduced by Remington in 1962 to the commercial market in an age of "magnum-mania,". That's nearly 10% more compared to the .338 Lapua. 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. Its accurate and recoil is mild, which is an important consideration when calling shots in a shooting match. For example , the chart I used showed about 67-70 drop for .270 at 600 yd.. It seems a bit odd to consider a .22-caliber cartridge of any design suitable for long-range hunting of even smallish big game. The new Sako Finnlight II sports an innovative stock and Cerakote metal paired with the terrific 85 action. The Remington Model Seven is ready, willing and able to handle just about any task. Thats comparing apples to apples with the others up above, using a 6 vitals zone. 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. Here's a chart from my Popular Hunting Cartridges Compared article. Since this article originally went live, several excellent long-range big-game cartridges have it the market. It will push a 55-grain E-Tip bullet to 3,300 fps, which is more than sufficient for deer hunting. Drops just 11.6 inches. The 7mag is one of the calibers he mentioned for the original 7 in the test. For bigger game, I could easily hunt with either the 240 or 6.5-300 Weatherbys. Drop is constant at the gravitational pull of 32 feet per second accelerating at 32 fps. Have fun hunting! The accurate, potent .300 PRC also makes a great long-range target round. To conclude, as a superb rifleman, you can make precision shooting at reasonable distances with a conventional rifle and quality factory ammunition. No exotics just yet, theyll come later. Its like a shorter, beltless version of the .300 Winchester Magnum. Those features are granted to the high velocity of 3,000 fps and 230gr Berger Hybrid bullet with an incredible 0.743 Ballistic Coefficient (BC). But the 220 Swift is not a legal big game cartridge in many states and the 40 . The Creedmoors detractors will say that it wont do anything that existing cartridges wouldnt do as well or better, but thats not exactly true. 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. 6.5mm calibers There are lots of .30-caliber rounds on the market, and some are faster than the .300 PRC. 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). Its just physics.
Flattest Shooting Hunting Calibers | The Hunting Gear Guy Thanks for the half baked artical. 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. Roy Weatherby was one of the pioneering cartridge designers of the 20th century, and his line of ultra-fast cartridges have been popular with long-range hunters for decades. Mag. At 500 yards the 6.5 PRC drops about three feet when zeroed at 200 yards, eight inches less than the Creedmoor. Take a look at the MPBR column and note how close they all are. Actually, the 26 Nosler is developed primarily for long-range hunting in mountainous terrain. Tips, techniques, and equipment are applied to these classroom discussions on how to become more proficient and successful at making long-range shots while hunting with AR-platform rifles. 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. Hornady's Precision Hunter 145-grain ELD-X at 2,950 fps is the flattest-shooting .270 . Like the 6.5 Creedmoor, the .280 Ackley Improved can remain supersonic out to 1,400 yards. The Nosler's family of new generation rounds includes 26 Nosler, 27 Nosler, 28 Nosler, 30 Nosler, and 33 Nosler. 6.5 PRC vs 6.5 RPM What You Need to Know, .45-70 vs .450 Bushmaster Cartridge Clash. Also know that not all manufacturer-claimed B.C. So far, I've listed cartridges .
7 Top Modern Long-Range Cartridges - RifleShooter 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. Muzzle blast is fearsome, but recoil is manageable and less than the various .300 magnums. One argument for a flat-shooting cartridge is that it covers mistakes. But if it isnt, go read the article again.
11 Best Rifle Calibers For Precision Shooting - BadAssOptic There have been several other new cartridges released since Hornady launched the 6.5 Creedmoor that have also done well. Still, while the rimless .338 Lapua was made as sniper rifle cartridge with semiautomatic firearms in mind, the 338-378 Weatherby Magnum was developed as hunting style ammo and the biggest .33-caliber long-range commercial cartridge. Fantastic information. Originally developed as a black-powder revolver cartridge, the .45 Long Colt (LC) functioned as the official US military handgun from 1873 to 1887. Heres a chart from my Popular Hunting Cartridges Compared article. It's clearly the best varmint cartridge of the new millennium. When using 90-grain bullets with a very high ballistic coefficient at .563 G1 BC, the 224 Valkyrie is a legitimate three-quarter-mile cartridge. Created from the ground up for competition and very little hunting, the 6.5 Creedmoor has several advantages over the .308 and the other .30-caliber cartridges. Instead of three digits in the caliber (0.264") of the bullets, the name 26 Nosler refers to the first two digits. Barrel Break-In: What It Is. 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. As a result, the mighty .300 Win Mag features typical bottlenecked, belted Magnum case and overall length of 3.34 inches to fit in standard-length action easily. Commissions are earned for links to Brownell's, Amazon, MidwayUSA, GoHunt, OpticsPlanet, Sportsman's Warehouse, and other retailers. Heres a look at the top seven long-range cartridges to arrive since 2007.