Originally Posted by southtexas
Originally Posted by Riflehunter
Ok, so let's say you've settled on the Sierra 117 BTSP in a .25-06 @ 3000 fps. And let's say that you don't shoot over 300 yards. Now with a bc of .410 sighted in 2.6 inches high at 100 yds it zeroes at 250 yds and has 4.9 inches drift at 250 yards in a 10 mph cross-wind. Let's suppose that same 117 bullet had a bc of .610 (which is not unreasonable). Still sighted in at 2.6 inches high at 100 yds, at 250 yds its 0.4" high (negligible difference) but wind-drift is only 3.2 inches instead of 4.9 inches. At 300 yards the difference in drift is 7.3 inches versus 4.6 inches and nearly an inch less drop. So even if limiting your shots to 300 yards, it would be better to have higher bc .25 cal projectiles. Instead of defending these poor bc .257 projectiles, you all should be doing what I'm doing- advocating an improvement in their bc.

First off, I don't think I have shot at a deer at 300 yards more than once. And that was a wounded deer that was escaping.

Second, I there is a 10mph wind at 3 oclock, I'm for sure not to shoot at a deer at 300 yards even on the rare occasion that I would see one at that distance.

Lastly, a 2.5" difference in wind drift is insignificant. At 300 yards the group from even a 1MOA rifle, from field positions is bigger than that.

Bottom line, for me and the vast majority of deer hunters, BC above .4 us superfluous.

If having a super BC turns your crank, by all means go for it and enjoy your/our sport.

I think I'll not be joining the high BC band wagon.
Thanks SouthTexas for taking the time to respond. Here are my counter points: 1. Animals suitable to shoot with a .257 are not just limited to deer. For example pronghorn, aoudad, sheep, mountain goat, coyote, wolf etc are often shot at more than 300 yards. And while most of the deer that are shot may have been at less than 300 yards, that doesn't mean that I would want a cartridge and bullet that wasn't very capable at well beyond 300 yards...especially if I didn't have to give up anything to get it. 2. If you've got a really good buck at 300 yards, and you can't get closer and it's near the end of your hunt then a high bc bullet is a better option (all other things being equal) than a low bc bullet for having less wind drift - whether it's a 5 mph, 10 mph or 15 mph wind. And it's not just less wind-drift. It's also a slightly flatter trajectory with less drop and it's also a slightly greater impact velocity. I would take the shot. 3. The less wind-drift for a bullet the better, whether its 2.7" less or 1" less. If a 300 yard group from a 1 MOA rifle is already big enough, you certainly don't want to compound that and make it bigger with more wind-drift if you can use a bullet that doesn't drift as much. And again, it's not only less wind-drift but a flatter trajectory if you don't dial in 4. Saying a bc above .4 is superfluous is like saying having a bullet with superb accuracy is superfluous to having reasonable accuracy, and superb terminal performance is superfluous to reasonable terminable performance. 5. Having a good bc of around .5 for medium weight bullets to around .6 for slightly heavier bullets isn't "super bc" in 2023, when compared to other calibers on each side of .257 - it's just what one should expect given our current technology and understanding.

Last edited by Riflehunter; 02/22/23.