Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting How important is the BC of a bullet when shooting 500 yards and less?

2 great posts. 10 mph can give me fits if I don't squeeze at the right time, due to the fact that it can drop to 1-2 or gust to 20 mph in a blink while your on the trigger.

Margin of error will be slightly less at 500 or so with a good BC bullet, but it won't make up for a hold or dope set for a 10 mph when a 20 mph gust shows up just as you turn one loose...

That's not even considering a sudden shift from 3/4 value to full value occurring at the same time....

People ask me why I don't shoot at Big Game past 400 yds. The above is the reason I give them. If I catch one on a calm day, I'll go further, but that seldom happens where I hunt.

I'm sure there are much better here than I when it comes to breaking a shot at the right moment, but personally I've been tricked by the wind too many times shooting at steel, yotes and hogs, not respect what can happen when it's gusting.

JM

Very true, but what the wind is doing closest to where you are shooting FROM is most important, as it affects drift the most. That does not have to be a guess.

Sound great sir. Be sure to let me know your findings as I would be very interested in what you find out.

How good are the scenars/VLD bullets performance on big game at low velocities? Or high velocity close range?

That depends on the rifle you are shooting. Some very fast rifles can overcome a high bc bullet to 500 yards, some can't. So there is no answer to your question until I know what you shoot.

Alaska,
For a 308, here are a few bullets to look at, and their BC's for comparison:
155 Scenar - .460
165 Ballistic tip - .475
165 Accubond - .475
168 Berger VLD - .473
168 Ballistic tip - .490
175 Berger VLD - .498

However, and I think that BobinNH already stated something like this, unless you're going to regularly shoot game past 300 yards, impact performance trumps ballistic properties. The 308 is the gun I use more than any other, and I don't usually shoot past 300 yards. Therefore, my favorite bullet is the Partition - usually the 180 gr. (180 'cause I hunt elk and moose more than deer). For just deer, almost any 150 to 165 gr. cup and core bullet that shoots well in one's gun would work just fine.

Thanks John.

Yeah gonna try some 165 accubonds right now as well as some 150 accubonds and go from there. The 150s are only .435 but are a fast and plenty for caribou, deer, and sheep. Should make a great 300 less bullet for my wife. I might play with those 175 VLDs in the future though for plinking out a ways.

A cup and core I've had good success with, both in accuracy and on-game performance - and in a number of 308's - is the Hornady 165 gr SPBT.

Have zero experience with the 168 gr. BT but the BC makes it attractive.

Back in the old black and white days of early hunting video's....you know, tape, I think they called it, there was a hunter called Wayne Pocius who hunted sitatunga and was using a .30/06. Nothing unusual there I suppose.

He perched himself up in the tree's overlooking swamp with open view to way past a quarter mile. On queue, or editorial control, that being about 28 minutes into the half hour summation, it was getting dark and the light was fading fast. You have probably seen that too?

Anyway, the good old .30/06 was raised in last hope for the hunt and the wack of the bullet strike was very audible even from that distance and where it should be, just after the animal dropped like a stone. It was a terrific shot, no question about that and a very genuine long range shot requiring skill and holdover. (My summary because I can't remember the distance stated.)

The ammo used, unfortunately for the rest of us overly eager saps sitting on the edge of our seats waiting to find out, was Remindton 180gn "Round Nose" bullets. We were horrified.

But he did it, the bullet worked perfectly, the ammo and velocity as you all know, would be an indoor mouse load compared to any home brew we chose with all the powders available, but that has also been my experience with these bullets.

Will they shoot as flat as a spire point? No. Are they first choice? No. Would I use them? No. but I have, to lesser distances up to perhaps 200 yards.

What is my point? BC is overrated, little understood and as long as the bullet shape is reasonably pointed, there isn't a great deal of drop between most bullet shapes out to most hunting ranges.

Learn to shoot comfortably at any expected range under hunting conditions and most people won't need special bullets for anything.

BC advantages are much more noticeable on wind drift.

Higher BC reduces wind drift and increases the danger space, regardless of the range. I count those both pluses.

My longest shot on a deer (wounded by a companion)came at about 500 yards (pre LRF days)when I spotted him, head down and angling steeply away. Wind was licking that day in Wyoming style,but he was in the lee and it was hard quartering in my face.I decided not to allow for it.

Load was a 7 Rem Mag and 140 Partition at 3250.I held through the 4X for the 25" of drop at 500 (not "guessing" and not all that hard if you knew the rifle and what a big mule deer runs through the chest).I hit center of his ham (where I wanted) and the bullet angled forward,up through some of the chest and exited up just back of the shoulder. I admit I got a bit lucky but called it all OK.

The extra penetration of the Partition helped prevent a wounded animal from making more tracks that day.Would a thin jacketed, pointy wind cheater have done the same,penetrated as well? I don't know....

I was helped by a flat shooting,accurate,and fast load that I knew really well.Like I said, I worry more about what the bullet does on game than in flight within 500 yards.

Recent shooting from another 7 Rem Mag at 600 yards shows that a 150 Partition and 150 NBT,started at the same velocity (3125)groups together to 400 yards and only at 600 yards do I see the Partition show about 6" more drop.

I have no idea what the tables say about this;I never checked and these are results of actual shooting.

One NEVER learns to 'read wind' shooting in calm conditions however LEARNING ON GAME....is not the way to go!

The higher BC bullets will help you whip the wind, thats the challenge.

Gunner

Shoot often and in all conditions....that's your key to success whatever your choice.

Drive hours one way to get to a rifle range where you can shoot 300 and hopefully beyond.

There is no penalty for using a high BC bullet a close range as long as it's constructed well and you'll have all the advantages when you really need it.