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 .25-06 is fast, shoots flat at 200 yards, and has just a 6.5-inch drop at 300 yards. Yeah, yeah, I know theyre cartridges and not calibers, but lots of people call them calibers so I thought Id roll with it. Based on the antique .404 Jeffery cartridge case, the 27 Nosler is the first new .277-caliber rifle cartridge since the .270 Winchester Short Magnum, which was introduced almost 20 years ago. But what are the flattest shooting rifle cartridges? Another and even better option for reaching out to a big game animal with an AR15 is the 6.5 Grendel. The flattest shooting caliber and load I could find was the .300 RUM shooting a 150 grain bullet. inspired a lot of comments, dissent, and different candidates for the title, so lets take a more detailed look at the flattest of the flat. The rifle snobs might whine. 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. They have 1 particular cartridge thats something of a hot-shot for flat shooting, long distance devastation; the Weatherby .30-378. But you wouldnt want to hunt with it. But its so close to the 6.5-300 Wby. YMMV "Animal Instinct ammunition is optimized to deliver . Great work mate including .22LR what a hoot (Incoming!) With the 30-06, we can only overcome 12 yards of ranging error at the same range before we miss the 6 of vitals. It propels a 17 Grain bullet at 2,550 feet per second. If youre planning on buying a gun to shoot long range shots this is recommended reading. 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. A 25 yard miscalculation at that distance will vary your hit by half a foot and outside our 6 imaginary circle of vitals. (Curiosity? No exotics just yet, theyll come later. Save big on firearms, accessories, tactical gear, clothing, and ammunition from now until March 29. What are the best long-range cartridges: .22-250 Remington .308 Winchester .300 Winchester Magnum .338 Lapua Magnum .300 Weatherby Magnum 6.5 Creedmoor 6.5-284 Norma 26 Nosler But truth be told, every Weatherby cartridge is a long-range cartridge. I realize that you looked at several different loads for each cartridge to figure out which one was the flattest shooting. 3. 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. If not. Drop is constant at the gravitational pull of 32 feet per second accelerating at 32 fps. Richard Mann was born and raised in West Virginia and has hunted from the Montana mountains to the green hills of Africa. 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? 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. As soon as a projectile leaves the muzzle, the earths gravity instantly begins to affect the trajectory of the round. 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.. I've been looking at the .257 weatherby that drops about 34" with a 100gr bullet at 500 yards and the .22-250 is another at around 36" with a 50gr bullet. We are not going to include here the esoteric military sniping rounds engineered for 1,000 yards, 2,000 yards, even 3,000 yards. I stopped there because few hunters are going to tolerate the recoil or rifle weight needed to operate a flat shooter above 338-caliber. Bullet B.C. The Liberty Ammunition .308 Win. Like the 26 Nosler, the 28 is based on the 404 Jeffery case and will remain supersonic out past 1,750 yards. 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. Just curious if you included the 300 Norma or maybe I missed it. Since nearly all long-distance shooters today use a laser rangefinder, does it even matter which cartridges shoot the flattest? and MV do. 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. I asked around a few years ago and found 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum as the most overbore commercial cartridge. For example, the 7mm Weatherby Magnum will shoot the same bullet as a 7mm Remington Magnum, but it will do it about 10 percent faster. flat-shooting, and light recoiling cartridge was extremely effective on deer-sized game. If the 300 RUM surprises you, know that it surprised me, too. . It takes a lot of practice to learn the aim point to bring the rifle on target. Now, one manufacturer specializes in fast, powerful, ridiculous cartridges, and thats Weatherby. Also, I used something called G1 B.C. Those, then, are my conclusions. Wondering if anyone can find anything flatter within that range, suitable to kill a whitetail deer with? This old timer remains a phenomenon, flat-shooting and effective. The 300 Win Mag is definitely on the list. The first category will include cartridges with a +/- 3" maximum point blank range (MPBR) of greater than 270 but less than 300 yards. Before we check that out, let's give a nod to the 240 Wby. Thats true, but the bullets have been vetted. 6.5-300 WBY (-204) 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. I believe the 6.8 SPC is that alternative. Pronghorn hunters have driven the search for flatter shooting cartridges for a long time. You can't go wrong with a .308 for a 500 yard rifle. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. This should be recommended reading for all shooters learning to shoot long range shots. These lists are awesome to go over. Oldmarine >>> GO I know you like your Bushnell scope but you should know that they make a lot of good scopes but the one that is favored by many Long Range shooters is the Elite Tactical XRS 4.5 . Nevertheless, flat shooting cartridges have long fascinated hunters and driven cartridge development and sales. bullet 12 inches at 500 yards, a low B.C. Whether or not thats true, my own success rate at 1,000 yards informs me to always stalk closer if I can and to forego shots at any distance unless Im supremely confident I can make them. Well placed shots seem to work and poorly placed shots tend to fail. While heavier bullets at low speed dont shoot as flat, they do carry energy further generally. It started with the .30/30 and continued with the .30/06 and .308 and right up to todays .300 Blackout. The 147-grain ELD-M bullet has a sectional density of .301 and a G1 Ballistic Coefficient of .697, which is arguably the highest ballistic coefficient of any 6.5 Creedmoor bullet. Again, I, as well as so very many other folks Im certain, am very grateful! The goal with the 6 mm ARC was to provide the flattest-shooting cartridge compatible with an AR-15. Obviously this list doesnt include every possible bullet/BC/MV combination, but it gives us a pretty good picture of the likely winners at three distances. Only B.C. Hey there from Melbourne, Australia. Based on the old .404 Jeffery case, its the same length as the .30/06, which means it works in standard-length actions. Also, youll find more ammo options for the .308 Winchester than any of the others. Thanks, 26 Nosler 127 gr LRX 3602 Ft./Sec. I subscribed to your Feed as well. 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. Nonetheless, 7mm bullets can be extremely aerodynamic and, as legendary elephant hunter Karamojo Bell proved, effective on even the largest animals. That's why the three best rifles we have sorted have a 500-yard impact range below 40''. 260 Rem plays a major roll in trajectory, but is second in significance to muzzle velocity. Most service rifle matches include stages at 200, 300 and 600 yards, from various positions, some timed, while others are slow-fire. Its like a shorter, beltless version of the .300 Winchester Magnum. It may not display this or other websites correctly. 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. Zeroing for 100 yards or farther will change drop significantly. Still, by using G1 across the board, we are on a level playing field. At 300 yards, the hold over (assuming a 250 yard zero) is only 2.6 inches. 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? Thats equal magnitude to 200fps less flatness! A 3 mph breeze at the shooter can become a 20 mph roar in the canyon halfway to the target. UPS has officially stopped shipping guns? Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. A benefit of that, you can fing .308 ammo off-the-shelf for any practical application. 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). However, I have a question to ask you. So it Im guessing to summarise it doesnt really matter what you shoot as long as you know distance to target & your maths RELATED: How the Brand-New 27 Nosler Revives the .277. Developed form the military, Winchester . [wd_leadmagnet type="dressing"] Should you have other helpful info, please send it to me by email: [emailprotected]. Im going to set a restrictive definition on common and only include cartridges that can be found chambered in most any rifle. 17. Even at 500 yards the Hornady 225 SST is traveling over 2,000 fps and carrying over 2,000 ft/lbs of energy. I am looking for a really flat shooting cartridge up to 500 yards for a Remington rebarrel project I have. Good points, which are all things Ive considered. 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. Despite its relatively low B.C. 4/1/2016. Nosler is loading the 27 with their famous AccuBond, which is one of the best big-game bullets ever crafted. On the other hand, wind speed and direction are inconsistent. ), Hornadys Precision Hunter 178-grain ELD-X at 2,600 fps is probably the best long-range option, but look also at the new 168-grain Berger Hybrid Hunter load from Federal, RELATED: 6.5 Creedmoor vs. .308 Winchester. Youre going to miss with any flat shooting cartridge out there and with a perfectly accurate rifle. Something like a 7mm Ultramag shooting a 120 TTSX would be pretty flat shooting to 500. 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. But a reputation for burning out barrels ultimately doomed the cartridge. 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. Gravity impacts all objects the same. (A bullet far from optimum for shooting elk.) The best long-range cartridge in the world might be the .408 Chey-Tac. I noticed in your video that your chart also listed energy and recoil. bullet to offset wind deflection. Like the 6.5 Creedmoor, the .280 Ackley Improved can remain supersonic out to 1,400 yards. 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. Surely this is 42.9 just over a meter? Mag. That said, average shots on mule deer are often longer than what most hunters typically encounter on eastern whitetail hunts. Want to run your own ballistics numbers? This is the allure and benefit of a flat shooting bullet. For most calibers, such as a 45 getting the impact to be on target at 75 yards, the impact at 50 will be an inch or so high and an inch or so low at 100 and 4 to 6 inches or more low at 200 yards. The wise longer range shooter errs on the side of a higher B.C. I've heard that too! Must be true since it was posted on the internet. is the fastest at 3,500 FPS, and exits a rifle with a muzzle energy of 2,700 FPE. The 6.5300 Weatherby magnum, as its name suggests, is based on the 300 Weatherby mag and has a case capacity of 98 grains of water. But the premise is based on my farm, where distances are limited to 560 or so yards. rating, that 100-grain bullet is hanging in there. For the Top 5 you have listed, what manufacturers offer a complete rifle in those calibers? Our margin for distancing error at 700 yards just went from 12 yards with the 30-06 to 25 yards with the 30-378. . via the Davenport formula. 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. Sight in 3" high at 100 yards and 6" low at 400 yards. Was sad to not see the .300 H&H Magnum, though I doubt it would measure much different than the .300 Win Mag. 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. From an external ballistics standpoint, it cannot compete with any of the cartridges on this list, but in the field where it matters, it works wonders, and only the 6.5 Creedmoor has less recoil. .468 BC, 1. Thanks again. Precision, varmint, big-game, and dirt cheap NATO surplus ammo for plenty of cheap shooting. Right now, shooters are obsessed with flat-shooting rifle cartridges. 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. Twenty years ago, Winchester introduced the .270 WSM (Winchester Short Magnum). How about our drops on the cartridges that made it? Surprisingly, even with all the extra recoil and muzzle blast, this cartridge will not shoot any flatter than most 6.5s. 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. again. 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. Great information you have come up with. Top muzzle velocities with the same combination of powder, primer, and bullet can vary by 100 to 200 fps. I\m also a huge fan of Ron Spomer so well done for the recognition of his great work too.