A 25 yard miscalculation at that distance will vary your hit by half a foot and outside our 6 imaginary circle of vitals. 10 Best Calibers for Deer Hunting - Gun News Daily Mag. I've heard that too! flat-shooting, and light recoiling cartridge was extremely effective on deer-sized game. 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. Enforcermj, Im not sure if your comment is sarcastic or not. It is flat shooting, powerful, has a manageable amount of recoil, and there are dozens of great hunting rifles chambered in this outstanding cartridge. Dear James What caliber is the flattest shooting? | The Muzzleloading Forum Top 6 Long-Range Competition Cartridges - Guns and Ammo Considered by many to be the optimum long-range, large-game cartridge, the .300 Winchester Magnum has proven itself worldwide. That's why the three best rifles we have sorted have a 500-yard impact range below 40''. Despite its relatively low B.C. Muzzle velocity certainly makes a difference in how fast the bullet reaches the target, but it is by no means the only factor to consider. I blog often and I truly appreciate your content. That should be pretty close to flat. What Does A .308 Ballistics Chart To 1000 Yards Look Like? Perhaps you, dear reader, can provide the formula! I also want to give credit to a couple of long-range AR cartridges that deserve honorable mention. All are welcome. I have not identified bullet make and type because that doesnt change impact drop. Some Tips on Choosing the Best Varmint Caliber Hornadys Precision Hunter 145-grain ELD-X at 2,950 fps is the flattest-shooting .270 Winchester load. 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. You can argue that you can get the 243 WSSM shooting flatter, but that cartridge is already considered obsolete. What rifle cartridge has the flattest trajectory? - Quora Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range, 150-grain AccuBond Long Range at 2,930 fps. 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. 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. Every rifle is different. 6.5mm and 7mm projectiles offer very high ballistic coefficients, meaning they offer excellent ability to overcome drag and wind deflection over longer distances. Most fall close to the .22 caliber bullet range, and can dip down to .17 caliber and up to .264 (6.5 mm). With a muzzle velocity faster than 3000 fps, it offers great external and terminal ballistics. 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. It will push a 90-grain Fusion bullet to 500 yardswhich is probably the limit for big game with this cartridgewhile still retaining enough velocity to initiate expansion. Any cartridge that drops less than 40 inches at 500 yards or close to 200 inches at 1000 yards should be considered a flat shooting cartridge. In 2019, Nosler submitted the cartridge to the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Institute (SAAMI) for approval, and in 2020, you can expect to see Nosler and other ammunition manufacturers offering factory loaded ammunition and even rifles for it. At 500 yards, 5.56 will have roughly 339 ft-lbs of energy which drops to roughly 75 ft-lbs at 1,000 yards. Loaded with a 130-grain bullet, it will carry more than 1000 foot-pounds of energy out past 600 yards. Most Accurate Ammo for the 6.5 Creedmoor: My top 7 list JOHN BUOL Preferred Caliber For 500 To 1,000 Yards And Beyond: 5.56mm NATO. It has the best BC and is hands down the flattest shooting of the AR15 calibers. 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. 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. Hunters can take advantage of flat shooting rounds to extend maximum point blank range, the distance over which a center-of-target aim results in the bullet remaining within the kill zone, never climbing above it at mid-range and remaining in it until maximum point blank range is reached. Still, by using G1 across the board, we are on a level playing field. Four Great Calibers for Elk | The Outdoor Line Blog It may be a bit rough on barrels, but this cartridge shoots so flat you probably wont care. However, I fully admit that that a flat shooting cartridge is not nearly as important as a cartridge which is resistant to wind deflection. It shoots as flat as a Kansas prairie and holds its velocity way out there. At 300 yards it has dropped around 13 inches, and at 500 yards it's just under 60 inches (5 feet). Just curious if you included the 300 Norma or maybe I missed it. again. So dont assume that youll be shooting the worlds flattest rifle cartridge and bullet until youve verified your MV and bullet B.C. Most center-fire rifles that are legal for deer hunting can take a deer at 300 yards. So it Im guessing to summarise it doesnt really matter what you shoot as long as you know distance to target & your maths I know its a great round, but its by a long shot the best selling rifle chambering of the last several years. With its rebated rim and 1/2-inch diameter at the base, it is essentially a longer version of the 6.5284 Norma; ballistically equivalent to the .264 Winchester Magnum. 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. Is the 270 Good For Elk? - eatingthewild.com Been there done that, so Im not playing holier-than-thou. (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. Top 10 Low-Recoil Hunting Cartridges - SkyAboveUs Fastest Rifle Cartridges: 9 Choices With the Best Bullet Velocity Mag. Fantastic information. The Chey-Tac M200 Intervention is the bolt-action rifle built to handle this round, and shooters have been documented firing a group of 3 shots within 16 inches at 2,321 yards. Obviously Weatherby and Nosler, but are there other manufacturers, vendors, builders to consider? Kind of underwhelming, right? If there was ever a cult cartridge, the .280 Ackley Improved is it. 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. 3 Flattest Shooting Rifle Cartridges - LiveOutdoors bullet 12 inches at 500 yards, a low B.C. 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. Hornady's Precision Hunter 145-grain ELD-X at 2,950 fps is the flattest-shooting .270 Winchester load. You cant pull data from different sources with different lengths of barrels and different loading methods and expect to get true results. Mag. 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. Great chart and thanks for what must have been an incredible amount of work. numbers which are not quite as accurate as G7 numbers in predicting trajectories of todays wildly long, sleek bullets. due to its larger diameter which increases drag. This is the allure and benefit of a flat shooting bullet. It will be built on a stiller predator action, carbon wrap or #4 fluted stainless at 26 inches. Yeah, 6.5s are all the rage, and their blinding popularity has taken some shine off the old .270, but the latter is still one of the very best long-range hunting cartridges. Clear enough? So what if we shoot further than 300? However, the .50BMG bullet will reach the target with 143 less drop than the 6.5 Creedmoor, because it has more mass which leads to a higher BC, and that higher BC given the same velocity, makes it slow down less during flight. Even the heaviest Weatherby factory load (120-grain Partition) leaves the muzzle at 3,305 feet per second and retains 1,221 foot-pounds of energy at 500 yards. The caveat here is that fastest becomes a bit murky. If Ive left out an obvious winner or near winner, write in and state your case. But there is a big contender missing I think. RELATED: The 10 Best Rifle Bullets for Long-Range Shooting. Im going to set a restrictive definition on common and only include cartridges that can be found chambered in most any rifle. If I am mistaken, I am sure someone will chime in and let us both know. Another and even better option for reaching out to a big game animal with an AR15 is the 6.5 Grendel. Best .270 Rounds 6.5 CM The 6.5 CM is a newcomer to the shooting world. But it's still a better distance choice than the .270 Winchester past 400 yards (a great caliber as well). Jim, A benefit of that, you can fing .308 ammo off-the-shelf for any practical application. These lists are awesome to go over. This article covered not only objective but the subjective topics my buddies use to caliber shame my 5.56. Fast and flat shooting b#%ds. With a growing choice of ammo from 90-130 grain projectiles and the benefit of a great ballistic coefficient with the 6.5mm bullet, 500+ yard shooting can be almost boring. Surprisingly, even with all the extra recoil and muzzle blast, this cartridge will not shoot any flatter than most 6.5s. Accuracy, knowledge of your rifle and its drops at different ranges, and knowledge of the conditions will dictate your very long range shots. 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. However, I have a question to ask you. I prefer larger calibers for elk, but the .270 is perfectly adequate for elk, and I have personally used it for elk all the way to 400 yards with no problems. Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range, 175-grain AccuBond Long Range at 3,125 fps. Not only are new loads being offered, new ARs and even bolt action rifles for the Grendel are being introduced. Pretty impressive for a low B.C., 55-grain bullet. A big 7mm like the 7rum can put a 140 with nearly a .500 bc downrange at over 3500 fps or a 120 with about a .400 bc in the 3600+ fps range. Pest control, home defense, and long-range shooting can all be done with 5.56. 264 Winmag of energy at that distance more than enough to drop a deer humanely. 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. He just never made it official. 500-yard drop: 45 inches (based on a 100-yard zero). Not to mention the different variations in grains in each individual caliber,Ogive and BC. For bigger game, I could easily hunt with either the 240 or 6.5-300 Weatherbys. Also, youll find more ammo options for the .308 Winchester than any of the others. Shooting ground squirrels in the West: Part II, the calibers With the ability to handle more aerodynamic bullets than the .270 Winchester or the .270 WSM, the 6.8 Western and its 1-in-8 twist rate allows this cartridge to outperform both at distance. You can't go wrong with a .308 for a 500 yard rifle. etc. A 30-06 will take any game on the NA Continent. 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. Best Cartridge for out to 500 yds??? - Long Range Hunting Forum Top I have used it also in a Ruger #1 with a 26 barrel and thoroughly enjoyed the distance it affords me. 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. The first category will include cartridges with a +/- 3" maximum point blank range (MPBR) of greater than 270 but less than 300 yards. I asked around a few years ago and found 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum as the most overbore commercial cartridge. Shooters have no real idea how much drop a bullet has at long ranges like 1500 yards. It's wide-open so anyone from beginners to pros, 25 caliber pocket guns through to race guns. These are all under my extreme heading, because theyre all brutal on cost and recoil. 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. Light bullets driven fast shoot flatter over shorter distances. Meantime, lets enjoy our deeper dive into flat shooting hunting cartridges (hand carried and shoulder fired. Weatherbys 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. 4 Stunning Long-Range Rifles That Will Shoot Past 1,000 Yards And for all of you whove just learned your flat shooting champion really isnt, sorry. numbers are accurate. Low B.C. 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. In 2022, he was named as the brands Shooting Editor. You are using an out of date browser. Find out which ones made the cut. Generally, traditional Weatherby Magnum cartridges perform slightly better than their Winchester or Remington magnum counterparts. Flattest shooting lever gun - SASS Wire - SASS Wire Forum While heavier bullets at low speed dont shoot as flat, they do carry energy further generally. .45-70 shoots like a Rainbow compared to even a Win 30-30. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Another one or two probably should have made the original list. I have neither the scientific knowledge nor mathematical skills to figure out the perfect blend of factors that produces the flattest trajectory winner. The amount of drop is directly influenced by velocity, energy, rifle barrel, and bullet design. Because it was used in the Civil War, the term "flattest" is not an exact description.