I dont get it. Of course, the .270 Win was developed in 1925 when 1000 yard shots were effectively unheard of. Somehow stumbled onto this article. . Check out their concise ballistics charts. Since nearly all long-distance shooters today use a laser rangefinder, does it even matter which cartridges shoot the flattest? All three cartridges also offer ample case capacity, allowing enough powder to send bullets at drag-defying velocities. If there was ever a cult cartridge, the .280 Ackley Improved is it. It makes for easy reading in an \all in one place\ comparison, rather than spending time trying to find this data all over the internet. Jim, Because it was used in the Civil War, the term "flattest" is not an exact description. Great chart and thanks for what must have been an incredible amount of work. Another issue is recoil. The first category will include cartridges with a +/- 3" maximum point blank range (MPBR) of greater than 270 but less than 300 yards. Both are of course bolt-action rifle cartridges. 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. = 3002 inches = 250 foot = 76m above target at 1000 yds now thats a challenge ! This cartridge is the .270 GIBBS and is based on the 30.06 case with the shoulder moved forward and at a 35 degree angle. The .223 Remington will easily take care of any varmint out to around 500 yards, but at extreme distances loses its punch. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So what if we shoot further than 300? Our blog and video on the Flattest Shooting Cartridge Ever! Perhaps you, dear reader, can provide the formula! Not only are new loads being offered, new ARs and even bolt action rifles for the Grendel are being introduced. It would help one decide on if a cartilage was up to a specific task and if one would be willing to take the kick. I wonder if you could possibly make that load available to me, so I can compare which loads are the best? 95% of your shots will be inside 500 yards, and probably 80% inside 300. . Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Every rifle is different. (This is essentially what Hornady did to the .260 Remington to make the 6.5 Creedmoor.) (A bullet far from optimum for shooting elk.) 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. projectile that you might crown that one King, especially since that 100-grain sounds a bit more reasonable for deer-sized game. Dear James This should be recommended reading for all shooters learning to shoot long range shots. All are welcome. Shane Olson, nope, no sarcasm involved, simply pointing out a straight fact, which I stand by. 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. Most often you just have to buy a Weatherby rifle to get one, and while that used to be an expensive proposition, its not anymore. Precision, varmint, big-game, and dirt cheap NATO surplus ammo for plenty of cheap shooting. Is it possible to show those on your web site list? The multiple loads for each cartridge are not at all pulled at random. Before we check that out, let's give a nod to the 240 Wby. Misjudging a 5mph crosswind as 8mph will make a 5.3 difference at 500yd with my favorite varmint load (BC0.400/MV3,400). 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. 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. But it's still a better distance choice than the .270 Winchester past 400 yards (a great caliber as well). I was surprised the 308 warbird was not included with the 208gr or 212gr bullet. Despite its relatively low B.C. Nosler Trophy Grade with a 130-grain Nosler AccuBond at 2900 fps. I appreciate the kind comment. Also, I used something called G1 B.C. A relatively flat-shooting cartridge, hunters with skill regular make shots out to 400 and 500 yards with the cartridge on small gamesome hunters even farther. Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range, 175-grain AccuBond Long Range at 3,125 fps. It just murders your shoulder, ears, and pocketbook at the same time . Caliber Flattest Shooting Load BC; 7mm R Mag: Hor 139 gr InBd HvMag.480: 270 WSM (1) Fed 130 gr Nosler BT.428: 300 Win Mag: Hor 150 gr InBd . Despite its relatively low B.C. Besides recoil, the downside is the limited availability of factory ammunition and rifles. Pretty impressive for a low B.C., 55-grain bullet. 3. 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. Therefore the .17 Remington is the round for you. 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. Backfire LLC owns and operates this website. Nope, pretty much matches a 308Win to 500 yards. I'm trying to find the best round from the muzzle to 500yds as far as trajectory. BUCK DOYLE Preferred Caliber For 500 To 1,000 Yards And Beyond: .260 Remington (130-grain Berger AR Hybrid OTM . It has the best BC and is hands down the flattest shooting of the AR15 calibers. I too am a huge fan of Ron Spomer. For some reason it pushed Noslers 125-gr. This is the darling diameter for American big-game hunters. Also know that not all manufacturer-claimed B.C. I am looking for a really flat shooting cartridge up to 500 yards for a Remington rebarrel project I have. Thus, the .50BMG drops less at 1,000 yards than the 6.5 Creedmoor. Excellent work!! I normally go for high BC and heavy for cal but one place I do run light is I'll shoot a Barnes 110 TTSX 3600 fps in my 270 WSM, for light game and coyotes it's very effective! RELATED: How the Brand-New 27 Nosler Revives the .277. One argument for a flat-shooting cartridge is that it covers mistakes. What caliber rifle shoots the farthest? Mag. Zeroing for 100 yards or farther will change drop significantly. Bullet B.C. I know it is very uncommonly talked about. The biggest deficit is the roughly 57 feet of drop at 1,000 yards. That said, average shots on mule deer are often longer than what most hunters typically encounter on eastern whitetail hunts. 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. Bullets of this diameter are easily configured to have extremely high ballistic coefficients. 264 Winmag For example, A 7 SAUM, 280 AI and 7 Rem Mag. All the following data was computer generated as if all loads were fired from a (simulated) dead flat (level) barrel, so these are pure drops. However, at 400 yards it increases to 11.2 inches. 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. Based on the old .404 Jeffery case, its the same length as the .30/06, which means it works in standard-length actions. Your Knowledge is greatly appreciated! Top muzzle velocities with the same combination of powder, primer, and bullet can vary by 100 to 200 fps. Just curious have you ever looked at the 284 Winchester for flat shooting. Normas 180-grain BondStrike Extreme at 3,084 fps is new and very flat-shooting. Here we go! 500-yard drop: 45 inches (based on a 100-yard zero). Beyond 600 or 800 yards, however, the efficiency of the high B.C. However, I have a question to ask you. Was sad to not see the .300 H&H Magnum, though I doubt it would measure much different than the .300 Win Mag. Great information! bullet 12 inches at 500 yards, a low B.C. While that incredibly fast 6.5-300 Wby. Wondering if anyone can find anything flatter within that range, suitable to kill a whitetail deer with? It takes a lot of practice to learn the aim point to bring the rifle on target. This means we can first determine the fastest cartridge in each caliber, then compare it against the fastest in others. I understand this is an old thread, but want to reply anyway. rating, that 100-grain bullet is hanging in there. Your email address will not be published. The 300 PRC will cruise above the speed of sound out to 1,650 yards. 1.5" high at 100, would be dead-on at 250, and only drop 30" at 550. 2. .25-06 AI with a Berger 115 VLD that's moving 3,600 fps That should be pretty close to flat. 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 example , the chart I used showed about 67-70 drop for .270 at 600 yd.. 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. numbers which are not quite as accurate as G7 numbers in predicting trajectories of todays wildly long, sleek bullets. 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. Love it Jim ! Jim Harmer is a host of the Backfire Youtube channel. Below is the information Ive gleaned from 17-caliber through 338. 223 Remington, or 5.56 NATO is more than capable of shooting over 500 yards with accuracy. Its just human nature to celebrate and admire the biggest, bestest, and flattest. UPS has officially stopped shipping guns? Commissions are earned for links to Brownell's, Amazon, MidwayUSA, GoHunt, OpticsPlanet, Sportsman's Warehouse, and other retailers. I had to calculate this one out, as Weatherbys ballistics charts dont go past 500 yards. Think 30-30 necked down to a .25 cal. While heavier bullets at low speed dont shoot as flat, they do carry energy further generally. Might be of interest and I have used the cartridge in a Ruger M77 with a 22 barrel. However, it proved to be mostly a flash in the pan. 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. 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. spitting a 100-gr. With a flatter trajectory and less wind drift the .300 Win Mag offers a useful step up in performance in a similar size rifle. 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.. 28 Nosler cartridge For decades, the Nosler cartridge has ruled the world of a flat shooting range with complete dominance. Twenty years ago, Winchester introduced the .270 WSM (Winchester Short Magnum). The issue with the Nosler cartridges is barrel life. Also, same bullet, but a .257 Wby Mag will also work if you hit the same velocities. And yes, the .223/5.56 even dominates that match. Sight in 3" high at 100 yards and 6" low at 400 yards. For all practical purposes, the 25-06 would be a better competition round at 1000 yards. What bullet weight did you select for the .270 Winchester? I love that you have gone above and beyond here and I see tremendous value in this knowledge. The best long-range cartridges are those that are flat shooting, feature aerodynamic projectiles and have enough power to go the distance. Its a top choice of military snipers and can launch heavy bullets with high speed and exceptional precision. View Quote. Check out more F&S long-range shooting coverage, including advice for getting started in long-range shooting competitions, the reason why rifle groups keep shrinking, how Heavey did at Gunsite Academy, and what makes long-distance shooting so difficult. 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. Is flatest of all youve listed. Cheers. Not to mention the different variations in grains in each individual caliber,Ogive and BC. Nonetheless, 7mm bullets can be extremely aerodynamic and, as legendary elephant hunter Karamojo Bell proved, effective on even the largest animals. It's not until you get farther out that BC starts making a big difference. Im going to set a restrictive definition on common and only include cartridges that can be found chambered in most any rifle. Great info but my 7mm rem mag with Nosler 120 grain BT (.417bc) @ 3600fps has anything on this chart beat pretty soundly. That does not appeal to my simplified physics understanding of the subject. So, Winchester slightly modified the .270 WSM case so it was a bit shorter and then specified barrels with a faster twist. A 3 mph breeze at the shooter can become a 20 mph roar in the canyon halfway to the target. 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. Equally, cutting through the air slows the projectile down, eating away at its energy. is the fastest at 3,500 FPS, and exits a rifle with a muzzle energy of 2,700 FPE. Developed form the military, Winchester . (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. That's pretty dang flat. At 500 yards . Not many of us can afford the ammo, let alone the rifles and scopes that chamber it, in such calibers as 375 CheyTac, 408 CheyTac, or 416 Barrett. Granted I do live in New England, and we dont have that many long shot opportunities here, but you would think someone would want to have there firearms chambered in such a flat shooting cartridge. 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. There's currently no better option for the AR-15 when the range extends much past 500 yards. Now I have some facts for my creedmoor pal to chew on. due to its larger diameter which increases drag. Target Rifle- Caliber Question. Be aware that many of these bullets could have been target bullets. 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. Flattest Shooting Cartridges by Caliber Ron Spomer Outdoors 1.1M views 1 year ago Worst and Best Way to Sight a Rifle! What Is The Best Hunting Cartridge To 500 yds. The newest addition to the Nosler line of proprietary cartridges is the 27 Nosler. The .25-06 is fast, shoots flat at 200 yards, and has just a 6.5-inch drop at 300 yards. Most of the calculators out there show larger drop rates then your table. You cant pull data from different sources with different lengths of barrels and different loading methods and expect to get true results. It will push a 90-grain Fusion bullet to 500 yardswhich is probably the limit for . And they can change in your rifle and will change at different velocities. The .277 bullet earns a lower B.C. 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. 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. Mag. . Shooters have no real idea how much drop a bullet has at long ranges like 1500 yards. No, its not a 6.5 Creedmoor, but few things are. unfair comparison, Hornady makes a 139 grain BTSP for the 7mm mag very flat shooter, Great info, thanks for your difficult work. Montana! Different shooters will all have different calibers that are better suited for their specific goal or mission. 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. That kind of long-range accuracy comes at a hefty price with this model starting at $11,700 from the manufacturer. But dont waste your time trying to convince us a slower cartridge in any caliber can shooter flatter than the ones weve identified as category leaders. 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. Still, if youre goal is to push heavy projectiles to the outer reaches, Noslers 28 may be the best 7mm option out there. Generally, traditional Weatherby Magnum cartridges perform slightly better than their Winchester or Remington magnum counterparts. Some of those 26 and 28 Nosler rifles only have 600-900 shots of total barrel life. 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 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. The 6.5 PRC can remain supersonic out beyond 1,600 yards or so, but ammunition options are limited. I also want to give credit to a couple of long-range AR cartridges that deserve honorable mention. always means more wind deflection. The .277 is an oddball bullet diameter, in that it doesnt fall into the much more common 6.5mm, 7mm, or .30-caliber categories. Ive included different bullet weights/BCs for most rounds to illustrate how BC changes drop at longer ranges. It really is the best all-around hunting rifle caliber. Aug 31, 2013. Great job. A rifle is suitable for flat shooting as long as the 500-yard impact range of the rifle falls below the 40''. etc. Fast and flat shooting b#%ds. Now, one manufacturer specializes in fast, powerful, ridiculous cartridges, and thats Weatherby. The good news is that these bullets might shoot even a tad flatter than these numbers indicate. Please, keep up the great work! . 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? Im going to bookmark your website and keep checking for new details about once a week. A 25 yard miscalculation at that distance will vary your hit by half a foot and outside our 6 imaginary circle of vitals. But truth be told, every Weatherby cartridge is a long-range cartridge. 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. 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. 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. A highly accurate, easy to shoot rifle with a flat trajectory will make for confident hunting. A Canadian sniper had a record kill at over 3500 yards last year in Afghanistan. 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. The wise longer range shooter errs on the side of a higher B.C. The 300 PRC in 225G exceeds this and the 338 Lapua Magnum by a noticeable difference. But lets take a quick look at a historically popular flat-shooting cartridge, the .270 Winchester. It is a flat shooting cartridge, able to hit a target at 300 yards with negligible hold over. Hornady's Precision Hunter 145-grain ELD-X at 2,950 fps is the flattest-shooting .270 Winchester load. Underwood Ammos 110-grain Lehigh Controlled Chaos bullet at 2800 fps is another great option. Barrel twist rates spin the bullet out of the muzzle in a spiral much akin to a quarterback throwing a football. Heres a chart from my Popular Hunting Cartridges Compared article. The 50 BMG is still supersonic past 1200 yards. You are using an out of date browser. bullet. 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. Take another look. Your email address will not be published. On the other hand, wind speed and direction are inconsistent. As much talk as there is about the .270 Winchesters ability to shoot flatly, it does not compare with these three flat-shooting options. If the 300 RUM surprises you, know that it surprised me, too. 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. Brownings 175-grain Sierra Tipped GameKing load has an advertised muzzle velocity of 2835 fps and a very high ballistic coefficient. Please look into it. The Barrett 416 or CheyTac exceeds this - I have witnessed it first hand - then you get into the wildcat cartridges. plays a major roll in trajectory, but is second in significance to muzzle velocity. 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. At 150 yards the target is a 6 inch hole and the gong is behind it. Mag. Find out which ones made the cut. Recoil is negligible, making it a great option for hunter with sensitive shoulders. Lots of hunters consider the .270 Winchester one of the best all-purpose, short- and long-range cartridges of all time. For serious shooters, thats a non-starter. I have found that when talking about these large caliber hunting rounds, there is not a tremendous difference in bullet drop.