| Posted: Tue Feb 15th, 2005 01:55 AM |
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1st Post |
max
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A strange thing happened to me today at the range....
MOnday the 14th was clear and sort of still-for Kansas- and temps were headed to the 60s, so to the range it was! Powder was burned, rifles got warm, targets were punctured, lies were told, you know, the usual stuff. Our range faces straight south. The wind was quartering from the south south west at 12 0r 14 mph. I shot two different rounds at similar velocities at 300 yards after first establishing nuts on zeros at 100, and then coming up 1 moa.
.243 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips at 3900 dropped 6 inches at 300 yds
.17 20 grain Hornady Vmax at 3900 dropped the same 6 inches. BUT!!!!!
THe 243 bullets drifted 1 inch from point of aim
The 17 bullets drifted 6 inches.
Conclusion: The slight quartering wind had roughly 6 times more effect on that little .17 than the relatively small 55 gr 243. Starting velocities were the same.
The main dispertion of the 17s was horizontal. Vertical dispertion, excluding one shot that was 5 inches low out of the group, was about 2 inches for 8 shots.
I don't know that it matters much. THere isn't much zap left in that 20 grain bullet at 300. Even at 200 it doesn't launch a pdog or bowl them over with any pizzaz.
I am always ammused at the claims of magic long range performance from the 17 rimfires with a lighter bullet and 1200 fps less speed.
max
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| Posted: Tue Feb 15th, 2005 03:08 AM |
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2nd Post |
Timberghozt
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Hey Max..I agree with you about the tussle regarding the .17`s.I`ve noticed it (wind drift)with the 40 grain.224`s.It has to be a killer for a .17 and light bullet..Good post
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| Posted: Tue Feb 15th, 2005 02:29 PM |
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3rd Post |
T.R.
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We hunt 'lopes each year in vast wind blown prairies dotted with sage and juniper. .243 is my all time favorite cartridge for these animals and I have tried many bullets and powder loads over the years.
I'm convinced that weight is just one factor which affects accurasy in crosswinds. Bullet shape, bullet length relation to diameter, and velocity are also critical factors.
Many .243 bullets can safely exceed 3100 feet per second from a standard 22 inch sporter barrel. 95 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip shoots quite flat and appears less wind affected. In contrast, my partner's 220 Swift with 52 grain Barnes produces very poor accurasy in crosswinds. Both cartridges produce wide wound channels and sudden death for prairie goats.
Based upon my observations, I feel that a boat tail bullet with protected tip driven at high velocity with fast spin rate will produce best accurasy in open prairie crosswinds.
TR
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| Posted: Tue Feb 15th, 2005 03:59 PM |
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4th Post |
Fiftydriver
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Max,
You just personally experienced the value of higher ballistic coeffient bullets. If youcould get a 17 cal bullet with the same B.C. as the 55 gr 243 loaded to the same velocity the wind drift would be identical for both requardless of bullet weigth.
One example are three rounds I have quite a bit of experience with at extreme range, the 257 Allen Mag, 338 Kahn and 50 BMG. Here are the bullets, B.C. and velocity of each:
257 Allen Mag: 156 gr ULD, .810, 3365 fps
338 Kahn: 300 gr ULD, .820, 3075 fps
50 BMG: 750 gr A-Max, 1.050, 2750 fps
Now everyone knows that the 50 BMG is the king of long range rounds right, WRONG!! Ballistically speaking, it is a bit of a dog compared to these other two. These numbers are based on a 100 yards zero, 10 mph cross wind. Numbers are 1000 yard results.
Round Drop Wind Dr Velocity Energy
257 Allen Mag.......-175.6"........37.3".................2210..................1691
338 Kahn..............-214.3"........41.7".................1999..................2661
50 BMG.................-253.4"........36.5".................1946..................6308
The little 257 has over three FEET less drop then the 338 Kahn which is about the ultimate in extreme range 338 rounds. It has six and a half feet less drop then the 50 BMG.
If we look at wind drift, The 257 Allen and 50 BMG are basically identical with the 338 Kahn offering about 4" more drift, all very impressive at 1000 yards.
It is clear that combining velocity with a high B.C. bullet will produce superior ballistic performance with less recoil and muzzle blast.
You just witnessed this same issue with your 17 and 243 at a shorter range. You put a 37 gr VLD in a 17 and it would smoke any 243/55 gr load imaginable at 300 yards.
Good testing and observations!!! While raw velocity is great, if we can combine it with high B.C. bullets, this is where the performance really starts to get impressive.
Kirby Allen(50)
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| Posted: Thu Mar 24th, 2005 08:03 AM |
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5th Post |
Mickey Rat
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I'm a firm believer in the Barnes X bullets. The BC on them is better than most, and they penetrate well. Lighter than lead lets you have the profile & penetration of a heaver bullet with the higher speed of a lighter bullet. Seems to be the best of both worlds.
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| Posted: Fri Mar 25th, 2005 12:46 PM |
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6th Post |
Moose6
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Mickey, all very true... but ya' gotta pay to play. Those little boogers are $$$!
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| Posted: Sun Mar 27th, 2005 08:02 PM |
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bea175
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