Velocity for 300 + yard target shooting?

[LAKEMASTER]

When it comes to accurate long distance (matches) I guess the term would be, does one worry about fps?

I'll have the opportunity to shoot up to 400 yards here shortly. I'll need a special load I assume

[M-Tecs]

For unknown and multiple distances high velocity has it's advantages. For known distances (if you have repeatable sighting systems) velocity is less important. The longer the distance the more import low standard deviations become.

Without knowing the types of matches and calibers/currently loads it is difficult to comment more.

For most of the NRA competitions 400 yards ranges would be mid-range.

[LAKEMASTER]

I'm not really sure myself what the matches will withhold. I've only done target practice at 300 yards.

I'm trying to work up a load for this gun, l hunting gun" that will allow me to have little moa differences between 100 and 300 yards.I'm only going off of velocity charts/trajectory charts right this second.

[Scharfschuetze]

I'm trying to work up a load for this gun, l hunting gun" that will allow me to have little moa differences between 100 and 300 yards.I'm only going off of velocity charts/trajectory charts right this second.

Mtec is right, without knowing your rifle, bullet/boolit design and velocity, we can only guess as to your trajectory. I will say that a 308 match load with a 168 grain MK at 2,550 fps with a 100 yard zero will be down about 5 MOA at 300 yards, at least in my rifles.

A cast 311299 at 2,000 fps will be down roughly 11 MOA. Your rifle and load will probably vary depending on sight height above the barrel and other minutia like temperature, humidity, altitude, etc. In the smaller calibers short of the big black powder rounds, keeping the bullet supersonic all the way to target is helpful in maintaining accuracy at your given range.

Long range shooting is quite fun and I prefer it to all other types when shooting rifles. Good load development and rifle accuracy are at a premium in such a pursuit.

[country gent]

Alot depends on caliber and bullet weight. One thing is to start and stay super sonic or sub sonic transtioning from super sonic to sub sonic part ways down Induces a transition that can and does affect accuracy. With modern cartridges ( 308,30-06, most jacketed smokless loads) this isnt an issue till you start getting out to 800 - 1000 yds. With the Earlier cartridges and lower velocities starting at or just below the speed of sound may be a plus. A 45-70 with a 500+ grain bullet at 1200 fps does surprisingly well out to 1000 yds. Alot of drop but consistant and accurate. Look for the most accurate load in your rifle, possibly lower recoil,with velocity as a second or third factor. I shoot BPCR shillouettes with 45 , 40, and 38 caliber rifles. Loaded to 1200 fps with low extreme spreads thay do extremely well at 500 yds with heavy for caliber bullets. My 45 cal bullets run 500-550 grns, 40 cal is 400 - 430 grns, and 38 cal is 335-365 grns. Look for a bullet with a good BC rating and at a length your rifle will stabilize. In 30 cal the 168 grn BTHPs are a decent choice. In 243 a 95-100 grn BTHP may do what you want. Keep in mind the VLDs have higher BCs but are also longer and may not stabilize as well. Find the twist rate your rifle has and work from there

[Outpost75]

You want adequate velocity that the bullet does not drop below the speed of sound before reaching the target, otherwise transonic buffeting will cause inaccuracy. The .35 Remigton, just barely does it to 300 yards. Here is what factory .35 Remington 200-grain looks like over 500 yards:

.35 Remington, Federal Soft Point RN, 200gr

Range	Drop (inches)		Velocity		Energy		Wind drift (inches)		Time (milliseconds)
A		A		A		A		A
0	-1.4859		2079		1919		0.0000		0
10	-0.6818		2039		1846		0.0000		15
20	0.0386		1999		1774		0.0000		30
30	0.6721		1960		1706		0.0000		45
40	1.2150		1921		1639		0.0000		61
50	1.6637		1883		1574		0.0000		76
60	2.0143		1845		1511		0.0000		92
70	2.2627		1807		1450		0.0000		109
80	2.4047		1771		1393		0.0000		126
90	2.4357		1734		1335		0.0000		143
100	2.3512		1699		1282		0.0000		160
110	2.1462		1664		1229		0.0000		178
120	1.8155		1629		1178		0.0000		196
130	1.3538		1595		1130		0.0000		215
140	0.7555		1562		1083		0.0000		234
150	0.0147		1530		1039		0.0000		253
160	-0.8747		1498		996		0.0000		273
170	-1.9192		1466		954		0.0000		293
180	-3.1252		1436		916		0.0000		314
190	-4.4999		1406		878		0.0000		335
200	-6.0504		1377		842		0.0000		357
210	-7.7842		1349		808		0.0000		379
220	-9.7089		1322		776		0.0000		401
230	-11.8324		1296		746		0.0000		424
240	-14.1631		1271		717		0.0000		448
250	-16.7090		1246		689		0.0000		471
260	-19.4789		1223		664		0.0000		496
270	-22.4811		1201		640		0.0000		520
280	-25.7245		1180		618		0.0000		546
290	-29.2178		1159		596		0.0000		571
300	-32.9697		1140		577		0.0000		597
310	-36.9888		1123		560		0.0000		624
320	-41.2838		1106		543		0.0000		651
330	-45.8631		1090		528		0.0000		678
340	-50.7350		1075		513		0.0000		706
350	-55.9079		1061		500		0.0000		734
360	-61.3898		1047		487		0.0000		763
370	-67.1886		1034		475		0.0000		791
380	-73.3122		1022		464		0.0000		821
390	-79.7684		1011		454		0.0000		850
400	-86.5646		1000		444		0.0000		880
410	-93.7085		989		434		0.0000		910
420	-101.2074		979		426		0.0000		941
430	-109.0686		970		418		0.0000		971
440	-117.2994		960		409		0.0000		1002
450	-125.9069		951		402		0.0000		1034
460	-134.8984		943		395		0.0000		1065
470	-144.2808		934		387		0.0000		1097
480	-154.0611		926		381		0.0000		1130
490	-164.2466		918		374		0.0000		1162
500	-174.8440		911		368		0.0000		1195

[NavyVet1959]

Long range .45-70 = artillery



The .45-70 at Two Miles:
http://home.earthlink.net/~sharpssht...SandyHook.html

[LAKEMASTER]

I can't believe I didn't say it's a 3006.......

And it's a 1952 game master. 1_10 twist I assume

[M-Tecs]

When it comes to accurate long distance (matches) I guess the term would be, does one worry about fps?

I'll have the opportunity to shoot up to 400 yards here shortly. I'll need a special load I assume

168 or 175 match bullets would be preferred. The 1960 US Team won the World Cup in Oslo, Norway in running deer using Remington 760 rifles in 6mm Rem, however, they are not going to be competitive for any mid or long range competition I am aware of.

The matches your referred to just for fun or organized competition?

[quilbilly]

While at NCBS a few weeks back, I found to my dismay that my Loverin style 30 cal. 162's launched at 1850 fps shoot wonderfully out to 300 yards then destabilize. On the other hand, my 338 WM won't stabilize the Lee 220 boolit at 1650 but at 1800 the boolits are stable out to over 700 yards. Every rifle is different. Hopefully you have a place to experiment at long range more often than I do.