Let's say you're planning on building a rifle for very long distance shooting, and you've picked a specific model of rifle. So now you that you've chosen the base platform you're left with deciding on the caliber to build it on. You can choose everything from very high velocity smaller calibers such as those in 6mm and 6.5mm to lower velocity larger calibers such as those in .30 and .338. You also have some money left in your budget to buy an accurate laser rangefinder and a handheld weather station for measuring windspeed and direction, the necessary tools of the trade when you want to shoot at very long distances.
When shooting long distances there are two variables which affect where your shot will end up landing and which are indirectly correlated to the caliber being used; bullet drop and bullet drift. The smaller calibers will have less bullet drop but more bullet drift, and the larger calibers will have more bullet drop but less bullet drift. However one of those variables is very predictable (bullet drop) while the other (bullet drift) much less so. After all, the amount of bullet drop is a very stable variable and exclusively based on the distance to the target. But the amount of bullet drift can vary wildly along the bullet's trajectory, especially with very long shots because both the wind speed and direction can also vary wildly along that trajectory, and you can't calculate that into the equation because they're impossible to accurately measure or know. You can guestimate it at best.
Seeing as you know the components you're using to handload with, you can use them to find out the variables you will need for making calculations of the ballistic trajectory. You'll need the ballistic coefficient of the bullet being used, the muzzle velocity of your handload, the altitude, air pressure and temperature at which you're shooting, the distance to your target, the distance between your scope and barrel, and of course the wind direction and wind speed. That's all that is needed for calculating the trajectory to your target and the adjustments you'll need to make to get your shot on target. Everyone has a smartphone these days, and they're all equipped with sensors like GPS and barometers with which you can find your altitude and air pressure, and very effective ballistic calculator apps can be downloaded for free, such as Strelok.
So my question is this, assuming you have an accurate laser rangefinder and handheld weather station, a ballistic calculator app on your phone, and a specific platform with a specified action length you're planning to build your long range rifle on, wouldn't a large(r) caliber be the much better candidate over a small(er) caliber? After all the bullet drop of a large(r) caliber can be easily adjusted for and factored into the calculation with the help of the laser rangefinder and ballistic calculator, while the bullet drift of a small(er) caliber much less so, especially at very long ranges.
When shooting long distances there are two variables which affect where your shot will end up landing and which are indirectly correlated to the caliber being used; bullet drop and bullet drift. The smaller calibers will have less bullet drop but more bullet drift, and the larger calibers will have more bullet drop but less bullet drift. However one of those variables is very predictable (bullet drop) while the other (bullet drift) much less so. After all, the amount of bullet drop is a very stable variable and exclusively based on the distance to the target. But the amount of bullet drift can vary wildly along the bullet's trajectory, especially with very long shots because both the wind speed and direction can also vary wildly along that trajectory, and you can't calculate that into the equation because they're impossible to accurately measure or know. You can guestimate it at best.
Seeing as you know the components you're using to handload with, you can use them to find out the variables you will need for making calculations of the ballistic trajectory. You'll need the ballistic coefficient of the bullet being used, the muzzle velocity of your handload, the altitude, air pressure and temperature at which you're shooting, the distance to your target, the distance between your scope and barrel, and of course the wind direction and wind speed. That's all that is needed for calculating the trajectory to your target and the adjustments you'll need to make to get your shot on target. Everyone has a smartphone these days, and they're all equipped with sensors like GPS and barometers with which you can find your altitude and air pressure, and very effective ballistic calculator apps can be downloaded for free, such as Strelok.
So my question is this, assuming you have an accurate laser rangefinder and handheld weather station, a ballistic calculator app on your phone, and a specific platform with a specified action length you're planning to build your long range rifle on, wouldn't a large(r) caliber be the much better candidate over a small(er) caliber? After all the bullet drop of a large(r) caliber can be easily adjusted for and factored into the calculation with the help of the laser rangefinder and ballistic calculator, while the bullet drift of a small(er) caliber much less so, especially at very long ranges.