is light and fast better than heavy and slow for long range?

[futureranger]

my uncle used to shoot a 308 at 1000yard matches and he used 190 gr SMK (now he shoots 260 rem)...but... he says the heavy bullets are more stable and less effected by wind but you have to be exact for the range because they fall so fast after 800 yards.
i have a 308 target rifle i sometimes hunt with at about 300-500 yards, and i use 180gr SGK's at about 2600fps but they are way overkill for whitetail (almost blows off shoulders and necks plus fragments like crazy). i was looking at shooting 168gr berger's a little faster and flatter and group tighter but i still want a load that can do good things out to 800 or so when i target shoot on power lines.
should i try the 168's or the 175 gr berger hunting bullets? thanks for the help

 

[Clarence]

I suggest that it isn't a good idea to be shooting deer past 300 yds. Sure, I have seen some killed but I have seen far more wounded as a result.

As far as long distance shooting goes, the bullet with the highest ballistic coefficient will perform the best, with all other things being equal, as far as hitting your target. The terminal perfomance of a bullet (how well it performs on game) is an entirely different matter.

 

[futureranger]

i understand your concern about long range hunting,but every deer i have shot past 300 has dropped on the spot.
i know that better bc is desired but if the lighter bullet with a lower bc has a higher velocity and less drop at longer ranges, would it be better for long range?

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

If you practice at 300 yards and are proficient, can keep all shots on an 6" paper plate your ready.

May I suggest 165 Hornady in .308.

 

[Harvey]

but i still want a load that can do good things out to 800 or so when i target shoot on power lines.

Not sure I've ever heard of this. Tell me more.

 

[EddieNFL]

Heavier bullet.

 

[rcmodel]

I imagine it has to do with power-line right of way cuts.

In many wooded areas of the country, power-line cuts & interstate highways are the only place you can see 800 yards without trees in the way.

rc

 

[futureranger]

rc you are correct i have property where i can get shots of almost 1000 yards on the power-line cuts.
has anyone used berger bullets with much luck? i was thinking about there 175gr, it seems like a mid way compromise for my problem.

 

[Jon_Snow]

Keep in mind that light bullets will lose velocity faster, so even though 165s will start out faster, by the time they got to 800 yards they may be going slower than the 180s. I threw some numbers at the Hornady online ballistic calculator, using 165s at 3000fps and 190s at 2700fps, and it says that at 800 yards the two are going the same speed. Also, I would think that the drop would be less of a concern than the wind. Gravity's a constant, wind isn't. Get a laser rangefinder if you need to be exact.

Input Variables Firearm type Long Sight Height 1.5
Bullet Weight (grains) 165 Ballistic Coefficient .452
Muzzle Velocity (fps) 3000 Temperature 59
Barometric Pressure (hg) 29.53 Relative Humidity 78%
Zero Range (yards) 100 Wind Speed (mph) 5


Ballistics Table in Yards Berger 165gr Match 165 gr., .452 B.C. www.hornady.com

Range (yards) Muzzle 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Velocity (fps) 3000 2790 2590 2399 2216 2040 1874 1716 1569 1435 1314
Energy (ft.-lb.) 3297 2853 2458 2108 1798 1525 1286 1079 902 754 633
Trajectory (100 yd. zero) -1.5 0.0 -2.9 -11.1 -25.2 -46.5 -76.1 -115.7 -167.1 -232.8 -315.5
Wind Drift (inches) 0.0 0.3 1.3 3.1 5.7 9.3 14.0 20.0 27.3 36.1 46.5
Come Up in MOA -1.5 0.0 1.4 3.5 6.0 8.9 12.1 15.8 20.0 24.7 30.1
Wind Drift (moa) 0.00 0.15 0.31 0.49 0.68 0.89 1.12 1.36 1.63 1.91 2.22

Ballistics Table in Yards Berger 190gr Match 190 gr., .570 B.C. www.hornady.com

Range (yards) Muzzle 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Velocity (fps) 2700 2544 2393 2247 2106 1971 1841 1717 1599 1489 1388
Energy (ft.-lb.) 3075 2730 2416 2130 1872 1638 1429 1243 1079 935 812
Trajectory (100 yd. zero) -1.5 0.0 -3.9 -13.8 -30.6 -55.2 -88.9 -132.8 -188.5 -257.9 -343.1
Wind Drift (inches) 0.0 0.3 1.2 2.8 5.1 8.3 12.4 17.5 23.6 31.0 39.6
Come Up in MOA -1.5 0.0 1.8 4.4 7.3 10.5 14.1 18.1 22.5 27.4 32.8
Wind Drift (moa) 0.00 0.13 0.28 0.44 0.61 0.79 0.99 1.19 1.41 1.64 1.89



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ballistics Calculator v1.0
Hornady Mfg, Inc., by ARIS, Inc.

 

[USSR]

If you want a .30 caliber match bullet with a high BC that is suitable for hunting, then I can heartily recommend the Hornady 178gr Amax bullet.

Don

 

[tommyintx]

actually.. go for a 155 lapua scenar... it's a VLD hollow point made for distance shooting.. but look up what it does on game.. nasty. you won't worry about a white-tail running away with a football sized exit wound cavity.

 

[Gadzooks Mike]

gravity is 32 ft/sec^2 no matter how heavy the bullet is. a 150gr bullet will drop just as fast as a 265gr bullet. The only difference is in the trajectory - the arc of the path - of the bullet. you can shoot a flatter trajectory with the lighter bullet. the amount and speed of the drop has nothing to do with the speed or weight of the bullet. diffucult for me to explain, and i'm sure others here can do much better.

 

[conw]

the momentum affects the trajectory, and the weight affects the momentum, but the weight does not directly affect the trajectory except through the momentum.

 

[ranger335v]

I think you missed the better option: heavy and fast. That's why magnums get used so often for long range hunting.