YMMV 6.5 CM The 6.5 CM is a newcomer to the shooting world. Check out ShootersCalculator.com. At A Glance: Our Top 5 Picks For Long Range Calibers in 2022 Best for Beginners: 5.56mm/.223 Remington Minimal Recoil: 224 Valkyrie Best for Long Range: 243 Winchester Best for Seasoned Shooters: 6mm Creedmoor Best Value: 6.5mm Grendel The following table averages multiple loads for each cartridge and shows an average amount of drop at 500 yards and 1,000 yards for each cartridge. Since 1962, when the round was introduced in conjunction with the Remington 700, countless others have arrived at the same conclusion. Thanks, 26 Nosler 127 gr LRX 3602 Ft./Sec. So dont assume that youll be shooting the worlds flattest rifle cartridge and bullet until youve verified your MV and bullet B.C. I'm not a huge fan of basing my decisions on bullet energy. Not to mention the different variations in grains in each individual caliber,Ogive and BC. Still, by using G1 across the board, we are on a level playing field. Flattest Shooting Cartridge Ever! - YouTube For some reason it pushed Noslers 125-gr. Despite its relatively low B.C. 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. Im going to set a restrictive definition on common and only include cartridges that can be found chambered in most any rifle. This is with a 58gr charge of Hodgen 4831 powder. that are blowing the ceiling off gun sales, instead of 6 5 CDM? And for all of you whove just learned your flat shooting champion really isnt, sorry. You still need excellent range finding equipment and preferably have tested drops in your rifle in case your bullets have exaggerated BC claims. My take away on all this number crunching? throwing a 55-gr. Mag., according to Noslers Handloading Guide 9. .25-06 AI with a Berger 115 VLD that's moving 3,600 fps. I asked around a few years ago and found 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum as the most overbore commercial cartridge. Most of the calculators out there show larger drop rates then your table. This is an example of how different loads in different rifles can produce different results. 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. It has the best BC and is hands down the flattest shooting of the AR15 calibers. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. It will push a 90-grain Fusion bullet to 500 yardswhich is probably the limit for . 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. Also, same bullet, but a .257 Wby Mag will also work if you hit the same velocities. Thanks for the chart for bullet drop but for Big Game Hunting I would rather see the down range energy. For example, A 7 SAUM, 280 AI and 7 Rem Mag. Also, I used something called G1 B.C. 243 and 25-06 had to be left out because it didnt have enough at 600 for even deer. For bigger game, I could easily hunt with either the 240 or 6.5-300 Weatherbys. Like the 6.5 Creedmoor, the .280 Ackley Improved can remain supersonic out to 1,400 yards. I am curious to see how it does for a 22 that can push any bullet weight made for it. It is flat shooting, powerful, has a manageable amount of recoil, and there are dozens of great hunting rifles chambered in this outstanding cartridge. The round is on the cusp of energy at 300 yards, but it is a favorite among short to mid-distance deer hunters. The lesser charge is a flatter, close group load. Best Cartridge for out to 500 yds??? - Long Range Hunting Forum A highly accurate, easy to shoot rifle with a flat trajectory will make for confident hunting. So, if you want to go long, there are some clear choices here. I dont get it. What rifle cartridge has the flattest trajectory? - Quora J. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. Pest control, home defense, and long-range shooting can all be done with 5.56. .25-06 AI with a Berger 115 VLD that's moving 3,600 fps That should be pretty close to flat. The issue with the Nosler cartridges is barrel life. Nosler Trophy Grade Long Range, 175-grain AccuBond Long Range at 3,125 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 love your work and what you share with us. Should you have other helpful info, please send it to me by email: [emailprotected]. 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. Why? Most common calibers are just fine for regular range shots under 300 yards. 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. 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. 5 Great Calibers for a Big Game Combo Hunt - Kawdy Outfitters No exotics just yet, theyll come later. Flattest Shooting Hunting Bullet 257 Weatherby Vanguard 26" pipe. What do you guys think . I am impressed at all the data you went through to come up with the three chosen. Prairie dogs?). 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. . Great info but my 7mm rem mag with Nosler 120 grain BT (.417bc) @ 3600fps has anything on this chart beat pretty soundly. With a flatter trajectory and less wind drift the .300 Win Mag offers a useful step up in performance in a similar size rifle. 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. 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. All in all, here are six bonus cartridge, all highly capable of reaching way out there. The 50 BMG is still supersonic past 1200 yards. Loaded with a 130-grain bullet, it will carry more than 1000 foot-pounds of energy out past 600 yards. .468 BC, 1. Therefore the .17 Remington is the round for you. The Liberty Ammunition .308 Win. Im going to bookmark your website and keep checking for new details about once a week. Thank you. I noticed in your video that your chart also listed energy and recoil. I blog often and I truly appreciate your content. No, its not a 6.5 Creedmoor, but few things are. At 500 yards even the flattest shooting rounds are going to be dropping somewhere around 30". . I've heard that too! Frequent question: What is the flattest shooting rifle? Velocity, drop, energy and the use of bullets with their own factors which create their ballistic coefficients all should be considered. The 300 PRC in 225G exceeds this and the 338 Lapua Magnum by a noticeable difference. 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. Well placed shots seem to work and poorly placed shots tend to fail. Thats true, but the bullets have been vetted. Ive included different bullet weights/BCs for most rounds to illustrate how BC changes drop at longer ranges. I know it is very uncommonly talked about. Unless youre shooting really far. But its so close to the 6.5-300 Wby. It takes a lot of practice to learn the aim point to bring the rifle on target. If it makes you feel better to hate the 6.5 Creedmoor, go ahead. RELATED: 6.5 Creedmoor: The New King of Cartridges? If youre planning on buying a gun to shoot long range shots this is recommended reading. I was surprised the 308 warbird was not included with the 208gr or 212gr bullet. I still shoot a .270 caliber cartridge and the same 150gr bullet, but with a 3gr powder charge boost. 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. Just hoping my bad experiences might inspire you to avoid some of your own. Its like a shorter, beltless version of the .300 Winchester Magnum. It is about the easiest caliber to hit with at that range you can imagine. I subscribed to your Feed as well. This is more a theory question than anything. Caliber choice for 600 yards | Long Range Hunting Forum Great work here. Flattest shooting AR15 cartridge to 500yds coyotes Thank you for the great content you provide. The 26 Nosler cartridge was designed with the high ballistic coefficient (B.C.) All same bullets for each of the numbers that are then averaged. Wind also affects bullets differently, and a cartridges ability to overcome these three forces makes it better or worse for shooting flat and far. 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. How about our drops on the cartridges that made it? 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. Great chart, I appreciate all your work on this. If the 300 RUM surprises you, know that it surprised me, too. 300 Win Mag Ballistics - Velocity, Trajectory & More - The Lodge at Nosler is loading the 27 with their famous AccuBond, which is one of the best big-game bullets ever crafted. 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. The rifle has five caliber offerings . The Barrett 416 or CheyTac exceeds this - I have witnessed it first hand - then you get into the wildcat cartridges. 5 Cartridges to Consider for Hunting Mule Deer - Exo Mtn Gear 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. He just never made it official. I\d be curious to know what the minimum cost is for just the rifle or a quality budget build. The reason why 6.5mm cartridges are exploding in popularity is because they are ultra-efficient. From 600 to 1000 yards they use a 300 Winchester. Hello Jim, If there was ever a cult cartridge, the .280 Ackley Improved is it. Bullet B.C. I took multiple loads from each, but identical sources. 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. Mag. Developed form the military, Winchester . Dear James 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. I took the shot prone and then stood up after the wildebeest tipped over after a perfect shot. 1.5" high at 100, would be dead-on at 250, and only drop 30" at 550. By way of comparison, the .270 Winchester (based on the .30-06 Springfield) offers a case capacity of 67 grains. With the highest BC bullets, the 26 Nosler remains supersonic beyond 1,750 yards. flat-shooting, and light recoiling cartridge was extremely effective on deer-sized game. 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. Shots are usually quick. Posted: 12/20/2020 9:01:19 AM EST [#22] There is a simple . 4 Stunning Long-Range Rifles That Will Shoot Past 1,000 Yards It may be a bit rough on barrels, but this cartridge shoots so flat you probably wont care. Check out ShootersCalculator.com By Adriel 26 Nosler. Why is the 7 MM Ultra Mag also called the 7RUM not on your lists? It has flipped positions with the 6.5, losing by a mere 1.4-inches. Take another look. Now, you might think this cartridge is new and unproven. A rifle is suitable for flat shooting as long as the 500-yard impact range of the rifle falls below the 40''. Just curious if you included the 300 Norma or maybe I missed it. 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. The good news is that these bullets might shoot even a tad flatter than these numbers indicate. (-200) . Mag. Was sad to not see the .300 H&H Magnum, though I doubt it would measure much different than the .300 Win Mag. If Ive left out an obvious winner or near winner, write in and state your case. Its trajectory is awesome. 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 expansion at distance. What is the flattest shooting cartridge for 200 yards? - Quora Somehow stumbled onto this article. A 100 yard miscalculation short or long will vary your hit by a vertical of 2.3-2.9 feet, enough to completely miss or wound the deer. However, at 400 yards it increases to 11.2 inches. The 6 mm ARC flattens the curve, and as a 2020 introduction, it could be nicknamed the "Corona Cartridge." . 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 . I understand this is an old thread, but want to reply anyway. 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. 3 Flattest Shooting Rifle Cartridges - LiveOutdoors It's muzzle v. A Canadian sniper had a record kill at over 3500 yards last year in Afghanistan. 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. Based on the old .404 Jeffery case, its the same length as the .30/06, which means it works in standard-length actions. p.s. I also want to give credit to a couple of long-range AR cartridges that deserve honorable mention. Shooters have no real idea how much drop a bullet has at long ranges like 1500 yards. It's not until you get farther out that BC starts making a big difference. Dear Ron: What's the flattest shooting rifle? .45-70 shoots like a Rainbow compared to even a Win 30-30. 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 Long Range Calibers in 2023 | Outdoor Life Know your trajectory curve and nail the shot distance with a range finder and you can offset huge rates of drop. Most Accurate Ammo for the 6.5 Creedmoor: My top 7 list Underwood Ammos 110-grain Lehigh Controlled Chaos bullet at 2800 fps is another great option. 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. In general, lightweight bullets driven very fast shoot flatter than heavier bullets with better aerodynamics (high B.C. You are cordially invited to any of our matches. Great job. It's wide-open so anyone from beginners to pros, 25 caliber pocket guns through to race guns. Please, keep up the great work! Commissions are earned for links to Brownell's, Amazon, MidwayUSA, GoHunt, OpticsPlanet, Sportsman's Warehouse, and other retailers. 1.5" high at 100, would be dead-on at 250, and only drop 30" at 550. The newest addition to the Nosler line of proprietary cartridges is the 27 Nosler. 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. It gives you an MPBR of 336 yards. Swifts 150-grain Scirocco at 3,036 fps delivers outstanding terminal performance. The 300 PRC will cruise above the speed of sound out to 1,650 yards. 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. Nope, pretty much matches a 308Win to 500 yards. Is flatest of all youve listed. Sight in 3" high at 100 yards and 6" low at 400 yards. Mag. It is an ideal choice for deer-sized game in open country, and a fine choice for mountain game. Top 6 Long-Range Competition Cartridges - Guns and Ammo Thanks again. I would like to see a chart on down range energy. cleric; Jan 28, 2023; Bolt Action Rifles ; Replies 13 Views 475. The 10 Best Varmint Cartridges | Field & Stream 6.5mm calibers Recoil statistics are offered for reference. Then look at the available options for reloaders, nearly endless, bullets for every application imaginable. At 300 yards, the hold over (assuming a 250 yard zero) is only 2.6 inches. Your email address will not be published. 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. There are EXCEPTIONS to almost EVERYTHING with the huge wide range of ballistic specs due to EXCEPTIONAL things people/companies do with cartridge loads these days, but the article was referencing the NORMS for these rifles, not the EXCEPTIONS based on unusual or exotic cartridges a FEW people will use. 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. Hey there from Melbourne, Australia. I am looking for a really flat shooting cartridge up to 500 yards for a Remington rebarrel project I have. Generally, traditional Weatherby Magnum cartridges perform slightly better than their Winchester or Remington magnum counterparts. Indeed, the .223 WSSM vies with the .220 Swift for the title of the centerfire rifle cartridge with the fastest bullet velocity. Mag. New Rifle Cartridges for the Modern Hunter - Game & Fish The .22-250 is accurate, fast and delivers devastating performance at long ranges. There's currently no better option for the AR-15 when the range extends much past 500 yards. Good video! 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. . Lots of hunters consider the .270 Winchester one of the best all-purpose, short- and long-range cartridges of all time. 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. Beyond 600 or 800 yards, however, the efficiency of the high B.C. 30-378 weatherby (214). Choosing the proper ammunition and knowing your own capabilities at those distances is most important. By the time the 6.5 Creedmoor started gaining popularity, interest in the .270 WSM was fading. A long-time favorite of snipers, the .308 Winchester will remain supersonic out to around 1,200 yards. 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. due to its larger diameter which increases drag. Cheers. Shooting a 180-grain bullet (.507 G1 BC) at 2,960 fps and sighted in 1.5 inches high at 100 yards, the .300 Win. Another one or two probably should have made the original list. Federal Premium, 130-grain Terminal Ascent, .308 Winchester will win no ballistic awards. Its drop at 1,000 yards is 330.30 and at 500 yards its drop is 50.00. 11 Best Deer Hunting Calibers - Big Game Hunting Blog Nice summary of the subject for those of us who do not understand things like Coreolis Force and aerodynamic jump. 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.