Below is a chart indicating the three best flat-shooting cartridges and their muzzle velocity, drop, energy levels, and felt recoil. Loaded with a 130-grain bullet, it will carry more than 1000 foot-pounds of energy out past 600 yards. 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. While heavier bullets at low speed dont shoot as flat, they do carry energy further generally. But, as an extreme range competition shooter recently told me, the number of cold barrel, first round hits he sees at 1,000 yards in competition is well below 50%. Pest control, home defense, and long-range shooting can all be done with 5.56. Its just physics. 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. 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. Thats what makes a long-range hunters heart go pitter patter, and its what has kept Weatherby in business since 1945. All in all, here are six bonus cartridge, all highly capable of reaching way out there. Thus, the .50BMG drops less at 1,000 yards than the 6.5 Creedmoor. However, the lead that the 25-06 has is pretty small. Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range with a 129-grain AccuBond Long Range bullet at 3,400 fps. Brownings 175-grain Sierra Tipped GameKing load has an advertised muzzle velocity of 2835 fps and a very high ballistic coefficient. Great information! I know you won't find them in the US, but just wanted to mention them because it's fun. It just murders your shoulder, ears, and pocketbook at the same time . It seems a bit odd to consider a .22-caliber cartridge of any design suitable for long-range hunting of even smallish big game. 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. How hard would it be to add a 223wssm to the mix. (-200) I believe the 6.8 SPC is that alternative. Considered by many to be the optimum long-range, large-game cartridge, the .300 Winchester Magnum has proven itself worldwide. Hey there from Melbourne, Australia. 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. 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. The rifle would be used for game to 600 yards (self imposed limit) up to the occasional Elk. 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. What caliber rifle shoots the flattest? - Curvesandchaos.com Ive included different bullet weights/BCs for most rounds to illustrate how BC changes drop at longer ranges. It is not always the caliber that is in question. . Flattest Shooting Rifle Cartridges by Caliber - Ron Spomer Outdoors If there was ever a cult cartridge, the .280 Ackley Improved is it. That's pretty dang flat. But to do this, it must launch a heavy bullet and that means recoil can be stiff; from an 8-pound rifle, it generates more than 33 foot-pounds of recoil, which is more than twice that of the 6.5 Creedmoor. However, at 400 yards it increases to 11.2 inches. The 220 Swift would be my pick for coyotes, rodents, and probably pronghorn if it werent for the wind deflection issue. inherent in 6.5mm (.264) caliber bullets. Feb 17, 2023. The .224 Valkyrie is the flattest shooting 0.224 caliber cartridge . This is the darling diameter for American big-game hunters. Now if you pulled all of your data from Nosler and they shot their bullets out of the same length of barrel then I would trust the ballistics youre speaking of. 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. He has managed multiple gun ranges, and has hunted around the world. 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 Commissions are earned for links to Brownell's, Amazon, MidwayUSA, GoHunt, OpticsPlanet, Sportsman's Warehouse, and other retailers. 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. Yes I know its a barrel burner but so is the 300RUM and others on the list. Notice that it is only 3 grains lighter than the 150-grain .264 atop that Weatherby. Its very clear that you went through a huge amount of work to pull all of this info together. It is flat shooting, powerful, has a manageable amount of recoil, and there are dozens of great hunting rifles chambered in this outstanding cartridge. 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. Dear James If the hunter is looking for a flat shooting caliber with good energy and speed of distances around 400-yards, then the .270 would be the obvious choice. At 600 yards, most common cartridges are running out of juice to take down larger game like Elk or Moose, though the 300 win mag/300 WSM still have a bit left in the tank. What is the flattest shooting cartridge for 200 yards? - Quora Cheers. At 1000 yards a .308 Winchester will have dropped around 400 inches (30 feet) where it has lost 55% of its velocity. flat-shooting, and light recoiling cartridge was extremely effective on deer-sized game. The 26 Nosler cartridge was designed with the high ballistic coefficient (B.C.) Precision, varmint, big-game, and dirt cheap NATO surplus ammo for plenty of cheap shooting. The amount of drop is directly influenced by velocity, energy, rifle barrel, and bullet design. Still, by using G1 across the board, we are on a level playing field. 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. Well, theres really only one option in .22-caliber and thats the .224 Valkyrie. If you dont have good range finding equipment, youre hooped either way; humans will have extreme difficulty judging 700 from 725 without physical land markers or other range finding signs. Target Rifle- Caliber Question. throwing a 55-gr. Despite its relatively low B.C. 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. No exotics just yet, theyll come later. Shooters have no real idea how much drop a bullet has at long ranges like 1500 yards. Most fall close to the .22 caliber bullet range, and can dip down to .17 caliber and up to .264 (6.5 mm). Your email address will not be published. Right now, shooters are obsessed with flat-shooting rifle cartridges. For example, the .50BMG and the 6.5 Creedmoor both launch bullets at approximately the same muzzle velocity of 2,700fps. 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. 11 Best Rifle Calibers For Precision Shooting - BadAssOptic So its not like the flattest shooting rifle gives you a lot more leeway on ranging errors for super long range shots. This old timer remains a phenomenon, flat-shooting and effective. I am looking for a really flat shooting cartridge up to 500 yards for a Remington rebarrel project I have. Check out ShootersCalculator.com By Adriel What bullet weight did you select for the .270 Winchester? When considering cartridges for their ability to shoot flat, overcoming drag is critical. 10 Best Calibers for Deer Hunting - Gun News Daily Now, one manufacturer specializes in fast, powerful, ridiculous cartridges, and thats Weatherby. I appreciate the kind comment. Mag. If youre planning on buying a gun to shoot long range shots this is recommended reading. modifies results at some point. At 500 yards even the flattest shooting rounds are going to be dropping somewhere around 30". Flattest Shooting Cartridges by Caliber Ron Spomer Outdoors 1.1M views 1 year ago Worst and Best Way to Sight a Rifle! 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. 5 Cartridges to Consider for Hunting Mule Deer - Exo Mtn Gear Links or names greatly appreciated, Thanks! Shooting ground squirrels in the West: Part II, the calibers Nosler Trophy Grade with a 130-grain Nosler AccuBond at 2900 fps. 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. Myth Busting Big Game Calibers - CHUCKHAWKS.COM And it gets there with a lot less powder the either of the two Weatherbys. Also know that not all manufacturer-claimed B.C. Wondering if anyone can find anything flatter within that range, suitable to kill a whitetail deer with? Take a look at the MPBR column and note how close they all are. Misjudging a 5mph crosswind as 8mph will make a 5.3 difference at 500yd with my favorite varmint load (BC0.400/MV3,400). I have a 27 3/4" barrel 264 Win mag that shoots 130 Accubonds 3350 fps with Retumbo. Weatherbys The .277 bullet earns a lower B.C. No howitzers or tanks.). Thats comparing apples to apples with the others up above, using a 6 vitals zone. Another issue is recoil. Flat shooting, minimal recoil and low noise, the .17 HMR is one of the top performing cartridges for shooting ground squirrels out to 200 yards easily. What I have come up with is the .270 Weatherby Magnum with a 135gr Sierra Matchking and 7828. 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. Run those numbers on JBM. The flattest shooting caliber and load I could find was the .300 RUM shooting a 150 grain bullet. The .17 HMR is based upon the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire casing, necked down to .17 Caliber. Its clear that flat shooting is directly proportional to overbore. What caliber rifle shoots the farthest? Your email address will not be published. The issue with the Nosler cartridges is barrel life. Underwood Ammos 110-grain Lehigh Controlled Chaos bullet at 2800 fps is another great option. 6.5mm calibers I love your work and what you share with us. I took the shot prone and then stood up after the wildebeest tipped over after a perfect shot. Appropriate hunting bullets may not reach these levels of B.C. I see lots of Wildcats mentioned here. Well, nothing will save you if you mistakenly range a deer at 700 yards thats really at 800. .45-70 shoots like a Rainbow compared to even a Win 30-30. 5 Great Calibers for a Big Game Combo Hunt - Kawdy Outfitters YMMV J. It started with the .30/30 and continued with the .30/06 and .308 and right up to todays .300 Blackout. 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. On the other hand, wind speed and direction are inconsistent. Best Cartridge for out to 500 yds??? - Long Range Hunting Forum 500-yard drop: 45 inches (based on a 100-yard zero). Antelope Cartridges - CHUCKHAWKS.COM The longer the bullet is in the air, the longer gravity can pull on the object. Be aware that many of these bullets could have been target bullets. In other words, the 223 Remington throws the same bullets as the 220 Swift, but cant approach its maximum velocity, so theres no chance it can shoot as flat. It may not display this or other websites correctly. 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. This newer Weatherby 6.5 combines plenty of gas with manageable recoil. 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. The .204 will work quiet well at 500 yards with good shot placement. What a great tool that you have built. MM 223 Remington, or 5.56 NATO is more than capable of shooting over 500 yards with accuracy. 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. Don't want it too heavy. Im not sure Im reading this right but there seems to be a decimal missing. 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. I have not identified bullet make and type because that doesnt change impact drop. Its trajectory is awesome. In your question about Flattest shooting caliber in a Lever Gun, Winchester 1894 shooting a .25-35 caliber bullet. I already have a Swarovski Z6 3-18 bt. always means more wind deflection. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. 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. Federal Premium, 130-grain Terminal Ascent, .308 Winchester will win no ballistic awards. Some of those 26 and 28 Nosler rifles only have 600-900 shots of total barrel life. 2. While that incredibly fast 6.5-300 Wby. Is it possible to show those on your web site list? All three cartridges also offer ample case capacity, allowing enough powder to send bullets at drag-defying velocities. RELATED: The 10 Best Rifle Bullets for Long-Range Shooting. Its really tough to spot impacts with that much recoil, and thats becoming increasingly important for shooters. bullet. again. This is the allure and benefit of a flat shooting bullet. The .277 is an oddball bullet diameter, in that it doesnt fall into the much more common 6.5mm, 7mm, or .30-caliber categories. bullet twice that far. I had to calculate this one out, as Weatherbys ballistics charts dont go past 500 yards. bullet faster than did the larger volume 30-378 Wby. 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. But truth be told, every Weatherby cartridge is a long-range cartridge. The lesser charge is a flatter, close group load. I dont get it. 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. 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. bullet 12 inches at 500 yards, a low B.C. The final two cartridges above are mislabeled. Yeah, yeah, I know theyre cartridges and not calibers, but lots of people call them calibers so I thought Id roll with it. The 7mag is one of the calibers he mentioned for the original 7 in the test. Mag. 1. . 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.. Flattest shooting AR15 cartridge to 500yds coyotes Obviously Weatherby and Nosler, but are there other manufacturers, vendors, builders to consider? .468 BC, 1. Searching for an Effective Small Caliber Sniper Round Hornady 123-grain SST at 2580 fps. Accuracy, knowledge of your rifle and its drops at different ranges, and knowledge of the conditions will dictate your very long range shots. I also want to give credit to a couple of long-range AR cartridges that deserve honorable mention. Warm greetings from S.W. The .25-06 is the flattest shooting, hardest hitting, lowest recoiling cartridge available. It shoots as flat as a Kansas prairie and holds its velocity way out there. Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range, 150-grain AccuBond Long Range at 2,930 fps. Yet it has proven again and again that it will deliver at distance. That said, average shots on mule deer are often longer than what most hunters typically encounter on eastern whitetail hunts. If I am mistaken, I am sure someone will chime in and let us both know. But again, that just my opinion. 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. Despite its relatively low B.C. lotsa guys on the internet claim 500 yards is no problem . Check out their concise ballistics charts. However, it proved to be mostly a flash in the pan. Every rifle is different. From 600 to 1000 yards they use a 300 Winchester. Light bullets driven fast shoot flatter over shorter distances. So, if you want to go long, there are some clear choices here. 6.5mm and 7mm projectiles offer very high ballistic coefficients, meaning they offer excellent ability to overcome drag and wind deflection over longer distances. I also appreciate the realistic exposition of the relevant comparison between effects of flat-shooting cartridge vs judging cross-wind! We are not going to include here the esoteric military sniping rounds engineered for 1,000 yards, 2,000 yards, even 3,000 yards. That's pretty dang flat. 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. The Flattest-Shooting Rifle Cartridges: A handy table - Backfire Great job. 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. Most of these are all-around cartridges intended for variety of CXP2 and CXP3 class game that offer an adequately flat trajectory for antelope hunting with appropriate loads (usually the lighter weight bullets . Your email address will not be published. The drops are listed in feet for the really long range shots, so theyre pretty close to your numbers. Ron Spomer Outdoors 1.1M views 6 months ago Head-To-Head: 6.5. Im going to set a restrictive definition on common and only include cartridges that can be found chambered in most any rifle. As much talk as there is about the .270 Winchesters ability to shoot flatly, it does not compare with these three flat-shooting options. 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 . Not sure if the OP is considering them or not. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. Thursday nights they do IDPA. The caveat here is that fastest becomes a bit murky. drops 6.7 inches at 300 yards and just under 20 inches at 400 yards. (A bullet far from optimum for shooting elk.) Top 10 Low-Recoil Hunting Cartridges - SkyAboveUs Mag. Caliber choice for 600 yards | Long Range Hunting Forum What is the flattest shooting rifle? - RWrefuge Is flatest of all youve listed. 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. 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. 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. This is not just a product of the .27 caliber bullet and its ballistic coefficient numbers. A highly accurate, easy to shoot rifle with a flat trajectory will make for confident hunting. Yep, me too. Hello Jim, For example, A 7 SAUM, 280 AI and 7 Rem Mag. The best long-range cartridges are those that are flat shooting, feature aerodynamic projectiles and have enough power to go the distance. Excellent work!! 264 Winmag Before we check that out, let's give a nod to the 240 Wby. Do you have any of the data on the weight of the bullets, the brand of the bullets, the BC, any of the information related to the data youre posting?
flattest shooting caliber to 500 yards
flattest shooting caliber to 500 yards
