270 trajectory

[deadend]

hello all, I've been eves dropping and learning for years but this is my first post.My question is should I expect any flatter shooting from a 110 gr bullet than im getting from a 130 gr bullet? The 130 gr bullet drops 2" at 200 yds, 13" at 300 and 27" at 400. Any information will be greatly appreciated.

[grit]

Go to the Rifles, Bullets, Barrels, and Ballistics section. At the top is a "sticky" thread titled, Ballistic Programs Web based and Downloadable. They are free.

I like the one with eskimo in the name.

You can use this to answer your question, and better yet all future similar questions.

Don't forget to look at wind drift numbers. Drop is consistent and predictable. Windage boils down to your best guess. I would choose a bullet with less drift and more drop over one with more drift and less drop.

Good luck.

[deadend]

Thank you Sir but thats all greek to me. I'll revisit the forum and again thanks.

[MontanaRifleman]

Your question is relative. Lighter, faster bullets will be flatter at shorter distances, but they usually have lower BC's and start to loose velocity quickly down range. Trajectory is based on velocity and BC and down range velocity is based on BC.

So the question is are you talking trajectory out to 300 or 400 or 500 yds, etc? And what is the velocity and BC of your bullet?

Like Grit said, you should crunch the numbers in a ballistics calc to get your answer. Here's an easy one to use...

External Ballistics Calculator

[royinidaho]

From my experience the maximum effective distance that I could shoot and hit chucks with the 90gr Sierra going 3400 FPS was 420 yards. This was with a Leupold VX-II 3-9.

I was never, and I mean never able to bag anything beyond 420 yards. It seemed as though an itty bitty parachute opened about then and I could never range accurately enough to make a hit beyond 420.

However, with the 130 Sierra Boat Tail and 140 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips hits on mule deer at known ranges (LRF) were good towards the 700yd mark. The 130s & 140s run nearly 3200 fps.

Another way to say it is that the light bullet will be flatter over a short distance, maybe 200-300 yds but after that the longer higher BC bullet takes over.

[deadend]

Royinidaho, makes alotof since sir thank you very much

[britz]

As Roy and montana said, generally speaking light short bullets will give better trajectory over short to mid range. Anyone shooting mid to long range is using one of the longest heaviest bullets with the highest BC possible. It is kinda like comparing a 22-250 and 50 gr to a 270. The 250 will shoot super flat for about 250-300 yards then it takes a nose dive. The 270 doesn't shoot quite as flat out to 300, but it still shoots a slight arch at 550.

When you start shooting longer ranges you'll find that trajectory is the easy factor with lazer range finders or other range estimations... its the wind deflection that is real hard to estimate. Higher BC bullets will be less effected by wind at longer ranges. That means that you will hit closer to your point of aim with a slight misjudgment in wind speed. That's the real factor.