But what are the flattest shooting rifle cartridges? Like the 26 Nosler, the 28 is based on the 404 Jeffery case and will remain supersonic out past 1,750 yards. Great chart and thanks for what must have been an incredible amount of work. You cant pull data from different sources with different lengths of barrels and different loading methods and expect to get true results. This is not just a product of the .27 caliber bullet and its ballistic coefficient numbers. Required fields are marked *. Indeed, some deer also live in places where a 50-yard shot is much more likely than a 500-yard shot. Federal Premium, 130-grain Terminal Ascent, .308 Winchester will win no ballistic awards. bullet. It's not until you get farther out that BC starts making a big difference. These rifles can hardly be considered to be flat shooting. Now, one manufacturer specializes in fast, powerful, ridiculous cartridges, and thats Weatherby. 95% of your shots will be inside 500 yards, and probably 80% inside 300. . In 2015, Mann began contributing to Field & Stream to cover guns, ammunition, ballistics, and hunting. 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. Its muzzle velocity is 1880 fps, and muzzle energy is 2355 ft. lbs. 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. For good reason. But its so close to the 6.5-300 Wby. 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. Surely this is 42.9 just over a meter? Great information you have come up with. 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. 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. Wind also affects bullets differently, and a cartridges ability to overcome these three forces makes it better or worse for shooting flat and far. Below is the information Ive gleaned from 17-caliber through 338. plays a major roll in trajectory, but is second in significance to muzzle velocity. The best varmint rifles are capable of accurate, repeated medium to long range shots from a fixed position, and are usually found in light, fast calibers that have a flat trajectory. It takes a lot of practice to learn the aim point to bring the rifle on target. Its also based on the 220 Russian/7.62x39mm Russian cartridge, but unlike the Valkyriewhich uses a 0.223-caliber bulletthe Grendel is yet another 6.5. With the 30-06, we can only overcome 12 yards of ranging error at the same range before we miss the 6 of vitals. Well placed shots seem to work and poorly placed shots tend to fail. 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. . 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. For deer and lesser critters, its a solid 500-yard cartridge. I still just dont understand why it isnt the 26 or 28 Nos. And that light recoil not only makes you a better shot in the field; it also makes practicing more fun and productive. 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. For 500 yards just raise the cross hair up to the top of the back but stay in the hair and have a sharp knife ready. I have neither the scientific knowledge nor mathematical skills to figure out the perfect blend of factors that produces the flattest trajectory winner. For flat shooting over a relatively close range you need a lot of velocity, BC doesn't matter that much over shorter distances. Prairie dogs?). Fun? 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. The 300 Win Mag is definitely on the list. The good news is that these bullets might shoot even a tad flatter than these numbers indicate. How can I get all the data in a spread sheet form like you showed in your video? Noslers first proprietary cartridge is basically a steroid-monster 6.5 Creedmoor. 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 . Shot from SAAMI-mandated 1-8 twist barrels, the 6.5s long, slender bullets seem to almost defy wind and gravity and allow this cartridge to deliver clean kills at distance. 264 Winmag Just what the perfect balance between MV and BC is remains unanswered by me. It just murders your shoulder, ears, and pocketbook at the same time . spitting a 100-gr. Thank you for the great content you provide. Still, by using G1 across the board, we are on a level playing field. 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. Want to run your own ballistics numbers? Just want to extend my sincere gratitude to you for all of the hard work, time, and incredible effort that you put into this, and so many other endeavors that you have undertaken to give us so much useful information and education, and doing so in a carefully detailed and professional manner! 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. Awesome indoor range. Meantime, lets enjoy our deeper dive into flat shooting hunting cartridges (hand carried and shoulder fired. Beyond 1000 yards they use either the 338 Lapua or the 50 BMG. Both are 338-378 Wby. This is one of the flattest shooting bullets available on the market, with a plethora of different size bullets available that range from 75 grains for small game, all the way up to 120 grains for deer. Dear Adriel, please be so kind to provide statistics on the following calibers as well: 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. Up until that time, there had only really been two .277-caliber hunting cartridgesthe .270 Winchester and the .270 Weatherbyso the .270 WSM was almost immediately popular. 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%. 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. Unless youre shooting really far. Just curious if you included the 300 Norma or maybe I missed it. Jim, Thursday nights they do IDPA. What do you guys think the flattest shooting caliber would be for hunting I have heard 6.5x284 but the bullet CE appears better on a 270. It was also a resounding success and has remained popular with hunters looking to stretch their effective range. 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. RELATED: The 10 Best Rifle Bullets for Long-Range Shooting. It is capable of sending a 55-grain bullet from the muzzle at 3,700 fps. And here they are: Flattest at 300 yards 240 Wby. (Essentially, you don't have to arc the 300 Win Mag's bullet trajectory in order to strike a target up . While that incredibly fast 6.5-300 Wby. lotsa guys on the internet claim 500 yards is no problem . .25-06 AI with a Berger 115 VLD that's moving 3,600 fps That should be pretty close to flat. Perhaps you, dear reader, can provide the formula! Developed form the military, Winchester . Your email address will not be published. Be aware that many of these bullets could have been target bullets. Flattest at 1,000 yards Heres where things start to change. Nevertheless, flat shooting cartridges have long fascinated hunters and driven cartridge development and sales. 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. Weatherbys The flattest-shooting cartridges usually have Nosler or Weatherby in their name, and the top three flat-shooting cartridges were created by those respected companies. A few specialty matches, such as the Farr trophy at Camp Perry, are fired at 1,000 yards. Enforcermj, Im not sure if your comment is sarcastic or not. First, some boundaries. The .25-06 is fast, shoots flat at 200 yards, and has just a 6.5-inch drop at 300 yards. I subscribed to your Feed as well. If you like the idea of a six-five for going long, but hate the Creed and want something a bit different, the 6.5-284 Norma is the way to go. In your question about Flattest shooting caliber in a Lever Gun, Winchester 1894 shooting a .25-35 caliber bullet. 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. (-200) 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. Please, keep up the great work! Here we go! No, its not a 6.5 Creedmoor, but few things are. The advent of precision rifle competitions and the laser rangefinder has increased the publics desire to go long. Still, if youre goal is to push heavy projectiles to the outer reaches, Noslers 28 may be the best 7mm option out there. Somehow stumbled onto this article. 6.5 CM The 6.5 CM is a newcomer to the shooting world. Ive updated the chart description so its more clear that it isnt in inches. But you wouldnt want to hunt with it. It is about the easiest caliber to hit with at that range you can imagine. 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. 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. 17. 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). My name is Steve and I have just viewed your video on the Flattest Shooting Cartridges. Pretty impressive for a low B.C., 55-grain bullet. However, it proved to be mostly a flash in the pan. Our margin for distancing error at 700 yards just went from 12 yards with the 30-06 to 25 yards with the 30-378. J. Why? (This is essentially what Hornady did to the .260 Remington to make the 6.5 Creedmoor.) MM I\d be curious to know what the minimum cost is for just the rifle or a quality budget build. Im going to bookmark your website and keep checking for new details about once a week. Mag. 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 are welcome. 2. Excellent job. The reason why 6.5mm cartridges are exploding in popularity is because they are ultra-efficient. . 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 That's pretty dang flat. . 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. However, the lead that the 25-06 has is pretty small. A Canadian sniper had a record kill at over 3500 yards last year in Afghanistan. No exotics just yet, theyll come later. Really enjoy your youtube channel. I\m also a huge fan of Ron Spomer so well done for the recognition of his great work too. 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 500 yards even the flattest shooting rounds are going to be dropping somewhere around 30". Published Apr 14, 2022 12:07 PM EDT. Jim Harmer is a host of the Backfire Youtube channel. 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. Always be open to new possibilities. It was introduced in 1962 and essentially knocked the .264 Winchester Magnum several notches down on the popularity list after hunters and shooters put the 7mm Mag to the test. You are cordially invited to any of our matches. Right now, shooters are obsessed with flat-shooting rifle cartridges. Just wondering where the 300 win mag ends up? 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. I ran the numbers with the 180 grain Ballistic tip at 3420 fps. This is with a 58gr charge of Hodgen 4831 powder. Nice summary of the subject for those of us who do not understand things like Coreolis Force and aerodynamic jump. 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. The Barrett 416 or CheyTac exceeds this - I have witnessed it first hand - then you get into the wildcat cartridges. Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range with a 129-grain AccuBond Long Range bullet at 3,400 fps. Our blog and video on the Flattest Shooting Cartridge Ever! As you can see, one of our gold standard flat-shooting cartridges (.270 Winchester) does not compare favorably with either of the Noslers or the Weatherby Magnum. 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? For optics, I use a Leupold Mark 6 with a Horus reticle. projectile that you might crown that one King, especially since that 100-grain sounds a bit more reasonable for deer-sized game. A 10 mph right angle wind at 500 yards can divert even a fast, high B.C. 1 Normal load using the most popular factory ammo, one heavy load for each, one light load. during their trips downrange. Nonetheless, 7mm bullets can be extremely aerodynamic and, as legendary elephant hunter Karamojo Bell proved, effective on even the largest animals. When a bullet is fired, many forces are immediately working against it: gravity, wind, and atmospheric drag. projectiles begins to add up and they shoot flatter at extreme range. 260 Rem JavaScript is disabled. 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. Just $1 per month , These rounds have the reach and the power to put down big-game animals way out there, By Bullets of this diameter are easily configured to have extremely high ballistic coefficients. Great work mate including .22LR what a hoot (Incoming!) Mag. Could you add a little explanation of why/how twist/spin rate make any given bullet/velocity shoot flatter? I was once hunting plains game in Africa when my PH told me, holding a rangefinder, that the wildebeest was 155 yards away. The non-bonded bullet should deliver good terminal performance up close and at distance. Another and even better option for reaching out to a big game animal with an AR15 is the 6.5 Grendel. It has flipped positions with the 6.5, losing by a mere 1.4-inches. .468 BC, 1. 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. Thoughts on this? Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range, 150-grain AccuBond Long Range at 2,930 fps. Good points, which are all things Ive considered. Its a top choice of military snipers and can launch heavy bullets with high speed and exceptional precision. The URSA gongs are 37 inches round and if you get 4 out of 10 you advance in 500 yard increments. 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. 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. 6.5-300 WBY (-204) The .277 is an oddball bullet diameter, in that it doesnt fall into the much more common 6.5mm, 7mm, or .30-caliber categories. While heavier bullets at low speed dont shoot as flat, they do carry energy further generally. Misjudging a 5mph crosswind as 8mph will make a 5.3 difference at 500yd with my favorite varmint load (BC0.400/MV3,400). Mag., according to Noslers Handloading Guide 9. Thanks Jim. For bigger game, I could easily hunt with either the 240 or 6.5-300 Weatherbys. Shooters have no real idea how much drop a bullet has at long ranges like 1500 yards. Flattest-Shooting Cartridges Ever Backfire 641K subscribers Subscribe 4.2K 173K views 1 year ago The flattest shooting rifle cartridges are listed in this video to help shooters determine. Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range, 175-grain AccuBond Long Range at 3,125 fps. The caveat here is that fastest becomes a bit murky. Nosler Trophy Grade with a 150-grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range at 3300 fps. 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. Another issue is recoil. ), 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. Now I have some facts for my creedmoor pal to chew on. With the 6.5 PRC, Hornady has created a better version of the old barrel-burner. Gravity impacts all objects the same. The story of an old humpback Browning that's Sign up for the Field & Stream newsletter and get the latest intelligence straight to your inbox. No howitzers or tanks.). Its just physics. Clear enough? Hornady's ELD line of bullets is considered the most precisely made, and the flattest shooting for any specific caliber. For some reason it pushed Noslers 125-gr. It's still possible to get factory ammo for the cartridge, but current production .223 WSSM ammo normally uses heavier 50 or 55 grain bullets at . So it ends up being a very fair comparison. Might be of interest and I have used the cartridge in a Ruger M77 with a 22 barrel. The Liberty Ammunition .308 Win. This is an example of how different loads in different rifles can produce different results. It will push a 90-grain Fusion bullet to 500 yardswhich is probably the limit for . 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. Top I also want to give credit to a couple of long-range AR cartridges that deserve honorable mention. I also appreciate the realistic exposition of the relevant comparison between effects of flat-shooting cartridge vs judging cross-wind! 243 and 25-06 had to be left out because it didnt have enough at 600 for even deer. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. .45-70 shoots like a Rainbow compared to even a Win 30-30. It gives you an MPBR of 336 yards. In ballistic terms, a 235-grain .375 bullet at 3,000 fps exits the muzzle with lots of energy: 4,695 ft-lbs. RELATED: 6.5 Creedmoor: The New King of Cartridges? rating) driven more slowly. Your email address will not be published. If youre after deeper penetration, look at the 139-grain Barnes VOR-TX Long Range load. At a 100 yard zero sight in the 500 yard drop is 37. The .22-250 is accurate, fast and delivers devastating performance at long ranges. The 27 Nosler bests the .270 Winchester by about 400 fps with 150-grain bullets. The smaller calibers drop like a rock past 500 yards. Like the 6.5 Creedmoor, the .280 Ackley Improved can remain supersonic out to 1,400 yards. Great work here. 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. It shoots as flat as a Kansas prairie and holds its velocity way out there. 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? Thanks again. It is not always the caliber that is in question. Ive posted your article on my wildlife and hunting group on FB. You can't go wrong with a .308 for a 500 yard rifle. With those thoughts in mind, it is easy to see why the 26 Nosler, 28 Nosler and the 6.5300 Weatherby Magnums are the best flat-shooting cartridges offered to rifle shooters today. As with Hornadys two recent 6.5 caliber introductions, it has found favor with long-range competitors, but also with hunters who like to hit at distance with heavy bullets. The 220 Swift would be my pick for coyotes, rodents, and probably pronghorn if it werent for the wind deflection issue. 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. There's currently no better option for the AR-15 when the range extends much past 500 yards. Light bullets driven fast shoot flatter over shorter distances. Top muzzle velocities with the same combination of powder, primer, and bullet can vary by 100 to 200 fps. 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. Posted: 12/20/2020 9:01:19 AM EST [#22] There is a simple . 500-yard drop: 45 inches (based on a 100-yard zero). The .308 Winchester will win no ballistic awards; its simply a shorter version of the time-tested and beloved .30/06. But what are the flattest shooting rifle cartridges? 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. 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. flat-shooting, and light recoiling cartridge was extremely effective on deer-sized game. Choosing the proper ammunition and knowing your own capabilities at those distances is most important. Pronghorn hunters have driven the search for flatter shooting cartridges for a long time. They are normalized within caliber. Thus, the .50BMG drops less at 1,000 yards than the 6.5 Creedmoor. 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. At 500 yards . 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 While at the High Bar Homestead with PSA, I was able to stretch their 6.5 Grendel out to 1,000 yards with Federal Premium 130 grain Bergers. Also, youll find more ammo options for the .308 Winchester than any of the others. Thanks. Not to mention the different variations in grains in each individual caliber,Ogive and BC. Those, then, are my conclusions. The round is on the cusp of energy at 300 yards, but it is a favorite among short to mid-distance deer hunters. At 500 yards, the 27 Nosler drops almost a foot less than Jack OConnors sacred cartridge. 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. Not only are new loads being offered, new ARs and even bolt action rifles for the Grendel are being introduced. [wd_leadmagnet type="dressing"] Taylor's formula calculates a less-inspiring TKO number of 37. | 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. Impeccable analysis here. Feb 17, 2023. Pest control, home defense, and long-range shooting can all be done with 5.56. Thanks for your hard work and entertaining videos, your passion shines through! Surprisingly, even with all the extra recoil and muzzle blast, this cartridge will not shoot any flatter than most 6.5s. My grandkids have a poem for this photo: Cartridge cartridge on the table, choose the flattest if youre able. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. 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. A long-time favorite of snipers, the .308 Winchester will remain supersonic out to around 1,200 yards. Because it was used in the Civil War, the term "flattest" is not an exact description.