Heavier bullets for longer ranges?

M

Montana Pete

Guest
Last summer I did almost all my shooting at 100 yds, and bored myself. This year I have decided to do more shooting at 200 or 250 yards. I would consider even farther, but our range doesn't have backstops beyond 250 yds.

I shoot a 22-250 -- a Savage Model 12 Varminter -- and have always noticed that wind moves bullets more at 200 yds. than at shorter distances. My first day at 200 yds resulted in a couple of groups at about 1.5 inch. One of these was a 5-shot group, the other was a 7-shot group. I do suspect I am getting some wind effect on my groups, even though the wind that day was fairly mild.

I'm shooting 52 grain HPBT bullets at present. I am also going to test out some 60 gr. flatbase loads since I have a supply of 60 gr. bullets on hand. Lastly, I once tried some 69 gr. bullets and this rifle will stabilize them. I may try to pick up another box of the 69 gr. and give them another try. This experimenting is based on the theory that heavier bullets move less in wind.

Any tips or ideas on things to change -- or improve on -- when changing one's shooting from 100 yd. to 200- or 250 yds?

Thanks--
 
wind drift

Pete
You can find exterior ballistic programs on the web for free that will allow you to plug in many parameters ie. calibre, bullet gr, bullet speed, approx wind speed, distance, etc.The info these programs kick out I believe to be ball park but they give you an idea of what to expect.
ex. @ 200 yds with .338 win mag 225 gr bullet, 2880 ft/sec, w/7 mph wind I get 1.5 inch drift. That's calculated but not proven. Below is a sight I sometimes use. How accurate it is would have to be proven with a chronograph and possibly a purchase of external ballistic software.

http://www.biggameinfo.com/index.aspx?page=/balcalc.ascx
good luck:)
 
As a rough approximation, if you double the distance you will get about four times the drift, with a constant cross wind of a given value. Also, many who have no experience looking a wind flags do not realize that the wind they are experiencing at the bench may be entirely different down range. You did not say if you are using flags, but if you are not, something as simple as sticks with surveyor's tape secured to their tops are a lot better than nothing, and should help reduce the effect of wind on your groups.
 
You may also find the heavier bullets do better in your gun because, I believe the Sav. 22-250 has a 1:12 twist, and will stabilize them better.
 
Pete,

The bullets that will do best in your rifle are the ones that will do best in your rifle. The point is that what you observe and what we might expect based on twist rate, bullet compatability and distance might not produce the best results for you in your rifle.

For a very recent exmple, Jeff Godfrey won the Hickory Egg Shoot yesterday with a rifle/cartridge just like yours and 52 gr Sierra SMK's. 69 gr bullets might have been an expected choice. Jeff beat many competitors who used sleeker bullets at 100, 300 and 500 yds because his rifle just drills those little whiffle balls.

250 yards doesn't seem very far to me. Within your range's distance limits I don't think light bullets are necessarily a limitation.

Greg
 
For what it is worth, my original posting has been out there for a week or so, now.

I posed the question, whether a little heavier bullet would maybe do better at 200 yds.

I changed loads from the first trip to the range, where I was shooting 52 gr boat tails, to the trip yesterday, when I was shooting 60 gr. flat base HP.

The 60 gr. did do better.

I don't know if we can generalize from that, but I just thought I would report what I discovered.
 
Wind flags are the only way you're going to be able to give it a fair comparison of one bullet to another. Especially at 200 yards.

Do yourself a favor, make some or buy some windflags. Even if you just use a ribbon, use something. You're just wasting bullets and figuring out nothing without them.
 
Like Greg Culpepper said what works in your rifle works in your rifle. I have a .22 BR with a 1 in 12 barrel on it so that I could shoot 55 and 60 gr bullets. It shoots best with bullets from 40 to 53 gr at 100 to 300 yards. The heavier bullets shot groups about twice the size of shorter and lighter bullets.

It all depends on your barrel and what it likes.
 
One thing to keep in mind is heavier bullets are longer which gives a better B.C., and that is where the improvement comes from, not just being heavier by itself.

Out to 300yds. the bullet you are using, the 52gr SMK works well. The thing I would try is to change the load a little. Shooting at a greater distance always seems to need the load bumped up to shoot better. It shouldn't need more than maybe 1/2 gr to do it.

I feel it would be simpler to have 2 different loadings using the same bullet in SEPERATE LABELED boxes, than to use another bullet, at another seating depth, with a different powder.

Even if your rifle shoots the 69gr bullet really well at 100, it will need a different charge to shoot it's best at 250.

You're correct with the heavier, higher B.C. bullets at longer ranges. That 69gr bullet will leave the 52gr in it's wake at 500 yds.
 
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