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/~sharpsshtr/CritterPhotos/SandyHook/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.