Fast and flat - really??.....

[schaafman]

.243 is one of the best rounds in my opinion, I also shoot 6.5x55 and 270. I use my .243 for anything up to 600 yards, same with the 270 win, and at a push with my target loads I can take the 6.5 swede to 1000.

Everyone is a bloody expert, but in all honesty, just don't listen to too many people, I can outshoot most of my club members with my .243 at most distances, unless you're going for a hot calibre like a .300wm or .338 lap mag, 6mm and 6.5mm calibres have very good BCs and are generally (but not exclusively) flat flying.


Not a very decisive opinion, but like I say, everyone will have an opinion.


J

 

[Trevor.]

If its flat u are looking for 110g v max with 63 grains of h4831 with a cci mag primer in the 270 .. foxes hate them

 

[DaveK]

If its flat u are looking for 110g v max with 63 grains of h4831 with a cci mag primer in the 270 .. foxes hate them

You fail to consider the extremely powerful and extreeeeemly flat shooting .17hmr hurling a 17gn vmax. We all know they're good out to three miles in blizzard conditions.

Doesn't knowing the rifle and knowing how the projectile behaves at relevant distances outweigh how flat a bullet flies? If you really know how to shoot your rifle and it's ammo, then you pretty well know what it's going to do when you pull the trigger. I think they used to call it marksmanship.

 

[deeangeo]

well your still wrong I'm afraid but if it works for you then knock yourself out !
I have a monkey in used notes that ill give you if with a 200yd zero you can prove a 14" drop at 500 yds with your 110g accubond out of your 25/06 BUT if you can't then you owe me the same ? Before you answer (and I'm serious) check and double check your data ?

tackb - you're spot on with your reading of the table.

deeangeo - it's a very confusing printout and as such not much use to anyone, but tackb has got the reading of the numbers spot on. I suggest you take the input parameters and use a ballistic calculator to recalculate the 200yd zero trajectory. Regards ​JCS

Well, it seems tackb is right & I have read the tables incorrectly . I took your advice JCS & looked up an exterior ballistics table, fed my data in & the result showed a clear 35" low trajectory at 500yds.
What is confusing is zero at 200 yds my POI at 100yds is almost 2" low... not the 1" the chart suggests.
All I can say is Oooops! Good job I haven't tried to shoot deer at that range LOL
​I did hit the 500yd gong at Mikes though, so my estimation of 15" at that range is somewhat suspect too! ATB

 

[tackb]

Well, it seems tackb is right & I have read the tables incorrectly . I took your advice JCS & looked up an exterior ballistics table, fed my data in & the result showed a clear 35" low trajectory at 500yds.
What is confusing is zero at 200 yds my POI at 100yds is almost 2" low... not the 1" the chart suggests.
All I can say is Oooops! Good job I haven't tried to shoot deer at that range LOL
​I did hit the 500yd gong at Mikes though, so my estimation of 15" at that range is somewhat suspect too! ATB

no worries matey , ballistics is a complex subject !

your poi won't be 2" low at 100 with a 200 zero , it will be high.

 

[Kalahari]

POI can be low at ranges less than the zeroed range if the bullet is still rising up to match the line of sight. A higher scope mount makes this more likely.

David.

 

[tackb]

POI can be low at ranges less than the zeroed range if the bullet is still rising up to match the line of sight. A higher scope mount makes this more likely.

David.

correct , but not in deeangeo's example.

he would need to mount 9-10" high to achieve his example ?

 

[deeangeo]

no worries matey , ballistics is a complex subject ! your poi won't be 2" low at 100 with a 200 zero , it will be high.

​Yup spot on tackb - just testing! - I meant 'high'....brain fade proir to going to work. ATB

 

[NigelM]

IMHO trajectory matters in different ways for different jobs. For the guy who's shooting foxes under the lamp when time is tight and it's difficult to judge distance a "flat" round is crucial. I shoot 6mm06 AI with an 80 grain bullet at 3600 fps and am +/- 1" to 275 when 0.75" high at 100. Shot a 300 yds plus fox between the eyes in no wind last week and didn't have to really consider the issue. For woodland stalking it doesn't really matter as most shots are sub 100 yds. For the stags on the hill it really doesn't matter either as you have time to think about the allowance or dial in the elevation but if you're after 4 hinds in a single sitting and they differ in distance from 50 to 250 yds - in which case fast and flat is king. I use a 6.5 lapua for the woods and the stags on the hill with a 120 grain at 2900 fps zero'd at 100 as it's a lovely light low recoil rifle and I dial in the trajectory if it's over 150 yds. On the hinds I use a 6mm lapua because of the flatter trajectory.

One of those subjects where everyone has an opinion and there is no right or wrong answer. Whatever works for you so long as you can kill them cleanly and consistently. The most important thing is to know your rifle. The more you practice the better you get.

 

[AnthonyR]

IMHO trajectory matters in different ways for different jobs. For the guy who's shooting foxes under the lamp when time is tight and it's difficult to judge distance a "flat" round is crucial. I shoot 6mm06 AI with an 80 grain bullet at 3600 fps and am +/- 1" to 275 when 0.75" high at 100. Shot a 300 yds plus fox between the eyes in no wind last week and didn't have to really consider the issue. For woodland stalking it doesn't really matter as most shots are sub 100 yds. For the stags on the hill it really doesn't matter either as you have time to think about the allowance or dial in the elevation but if you're after 4 hinds in a single sitting and they differ in distance from 50 to 250 yds - in which case fast and flat is king. I use a 6.5 lapua for the woods and the stags on the hill with a 120 grain at 2900 fps zero'd at 100 as it's a lovely light low recoil rifle and I dial in the trajectory if it's over 150 yds. On the hinds I use a 6mm lapua because of the flatter trajectory.

One of those subjects where everyone has an opinion and there is no right or wrong answer. Whatever works for you so long as you can kill them cleanly and consistently. The most important thing is to know your rifle. The more you practice the better you get.

Excellent post and one I agree with wholeheartedly.

My foxing rifles are both fast and flat for exactly these reasons, not so bothered about my stalking rifle.

Horses for courses and each to their own and all that.

 

[Erik Hamburger]

It really is quite irrelevant when you are hunting deer - most deer (woodland /low land anyway) are shot at 40-60 yards anyway and any hit within a 6" circle of the killing aim point will actually kill it. Therefore a simple cheap rifle and standard factory amo will do the job just fine...it is your ability to find deer and to get close that matters, not your rifle's Brand, price-tag or bullet weight and type.