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Join the contest344gr .375 projectile with G1 1.05 at 3800fps![]()
How about a 243 Catbird?
It would be 99% with a .5 MOA precision rifle but i have been using 1 MOA for consistency on these calculations.
Well that changes things. I think most rifles these days are better than moa.
OK so let me see if I am following here. You are calculating a percentage of hits based on set parameters with minor variations. This based off of recoil impulse and velocity?
If I stated that right then at 1200 yard ( I am actually shooting 1250 because that is the set distance at the range I am a member of ) that using a .243 with a velocity of 2992 shooting the Hornady BTHP match 105's my hit rate is on a 12.5" target is on average, 21% out of 1000 shots right?
I have been working on a matrix to demonstrate where we can look at the effect of velocity on our HIT% and the corresponding RECOIL. +/- 3% but this should give you some real insight. The 90 VLD look very appealing for PRS style matches in a 22 Creedmoor or 22 Nosler for a gas gun and for the best of all worlds the 7mm because at low velocity it beats everything in Hit % with a managable recoil and at high velocity it is a long range hammer.
5.56 - 90 VLD - 2500 - 11% - Recoil Energy of 6.42 (ft.lbf)
5.56 - 90 VLD - 2600 - 13% - Recoil Energy of 6.70 (ft.lbf)
5.56 - 90 VLD - 2700 - 14% - Recoil Energy of 6.98 (ft.lbf)
5.56 - 90 VLD - 2800 - 18% - Recoil Energy of 7.26 (ft.lbf)
5.56 - 90 VLD - 2900 - 20% - Recoil Energy of 7.54 (ft.lbf)
5.56 - 90 VLD - 3000 - 23% - Recoil Energy of 7.82 (ft.lbf)
5.56 - 90 VLD - 3100 - 26% - Recoil Energy of 8.10 (ft.lbf)
5.56 - 90 VLD - 3200 - 30% - Recoil Energy of 8.38 (ft.lbf)
5.56 - 90 VLD - 3300 - 33% - Recoil Energy of 8.64 (ft.lbf)
6 - 115 VLD - 2500 - 11% - Recoil Energy of 8.33 (ft.lbf)
6 - 115 VLD - 2600 - 12% - Recoil Energy of 8.74 (ft.lbf)
6 - 115 VLD - 2700 - 14% - Recoil Energy of 9.15 (ft.lbf)
6 - 115 VLD - 2800 - 16% - Recoil Energy of 9.56 (ft.lbf)
6 - 115 VLD - 2900 - 18% - Recoil Energy of 9.97 (ft.lbf)
6 - 115 VLD - 3000 - 22% - Recoil Energy of 10.38 (ft.lbf)
6 - 115 VLD - 3100 - 26% - Recoil Energy of 10.79 (ft.lbf)
6 - 115 VLD - 3200 - 30% - Recoil Energy of 11.20 (ft.lbf)
6 - 115 VLD - 3300 - 32% - Recoil Energy of 11.59 (ft.lbf)
6.5 - 147 ELDM - 2500 - 18% - Recoil Energy of 11.13 (ft.lbf)
6.5 - 147 ELDM - 2600 - 20% - Recoil Energy of 11.73 (ft.lbf)
6.5 - 147 ELDM - 2700 - 23% - Recoil Energy of 12.33 (ft.lbf)
6.5 - 147 ELDM - 2800 - 27% - Recoil Energy of 12.93 (ft.lbf)
6.5 - 147 ELDM - 2900 - 31% - Recoil Energy of 13.53 (ft.lbf)
6.5 - 147 ELDM - 3000 - 35% - Recoil Energy of 14.13 (ft.lbf)
6.5 - 147 ELDM - 3100 - 38% - Recoil Energy of 14.73 (ft.lbf)
6.5 - 147 ELDM - 3200 - 43% - Recoil Energy of 15.33 (ft.lbf)
6.5 - 147 ELDM - 3300 - 49% - Recoil Energy of 15.99 (ft.lbf)
7 - 180 ELDM - 2500 - 28% - Recoil Energy of 14.45 (ft.lbf)
7 - 180 ELDM - 2600 - 31% - Recoil Energy of 15.30 (ft.lbf)
7 - 180 ELDM - 2700 - 34% - Recoil Energy of 16.15 (ft.lbf)
7 - 180 ELDM - 2800 - 38% - Recoil Energy of 17.00 (ft.lbf)
7 - 180 ELDM - 2900 - 43% - Recoil Energy of 17.85 (ft.lbf)
7 - 180 ELDM - 3000 - 47% - Recoil Energy of 18.70 (ft.lbf)
7 - 180 ELDM - 3100 - 52% - Recoil Energy of 19.55 (ft.lbf)
7 - 180 ELDM - 3200 - 56% - Recoil Energy of 20.40 (ft.lbf)
7 - 180 ELDM - 3300 - 59% - Recoil Energy of 21.27 (ft.lbf)
I can see this argument for sure. I'd still lean towards a 6.5 Creedmoor personally as in all-around I'd consider prs stuff. A 180 gr out of 7-08 will be like shooting a 308 in terms of recoil which is fine but hardly ideal for match use. (Yes people do it, it's a personal choice). This thread has been great to show, if nothing else, there is more than one way to skin a cat.Definitely. The system has to work but with cabon fiber barrels and melonite coatings the barrel life numbers are only going to get better. 90 VLDs are proven performers at 3000 - 3200 from 1:7 twist melonite barrels good for 2000+
7mm-08 - 180 ELDM - 2600 - 31% Hit with 1:7.5 Twist Barrel
In my opinion, this is the most balanced system for all around use. It beats the 6.5 CM across the board and has great barrel life. 3000+ and double that with Melonite.
I'd still lean towards a 6.5 Creedmoor personally as in all-around I'd consider prs stuff. A 180 gr out of 7-08 will be like shooting a 308 in terms of recoil which is fine but hardly ideal for match use.
6mm dasher, 95gr TMK, 3180fps if you would.
Going down the path of assumptions and connecting the dots back to PRS shooting, I'd refine a couple things in the model.
I would assume rifle precision of 1/2 MOA and SD of something more like 6-7. That would be average for the PRS shooters I know. Some guys I know wouldn't even be happy with those numbers.
Vertical dispersion is usually very good for most shooters. I've got targets at 950 and 1225 yards and can say that essentially all of my misses are left/right due to wind and not due to vertical. A common competition cartridge like the 6 Dasher has no problem printing a 1/2 MOA or better waterline out at 1200 yards. At 1000 yards it's common for guys to be getting 3-4" vertical. So realistically the vast majority of misses in competition are due to shooter error (positional instability) or wind error.
The other bigger picture comment I would offer is that PRS shooting is fundamentally a feedback loop system. The key thing is the ability to see downrange hits and make corrections on the fly. While your model is assuming 2mph initial wind call error, that data could just as easily be tranferred to a 2mph change in wind that the shooter did not notice while they were shooting the stage - a very common thing. The feedback loop has two key components, lack of recoil to allow shooter to stay on target, and downrange energy to produce a result that's actually observable. Going too far down the light/fast small caliber bullet path can make it harder to see misses, especially on things like wet dirt or grass. And chasing a bit of ballistics at the cost of recoil can also be problematic. If you have one or two shots where you don't see where your miss was because of recoil, or also where you don't see where your HIT was (left/right/center of plate), you lose the ability to make a correction that can greatly outweigh a theoretical ballistic advantage.
Last thought would be totally unrelated to ballistics, just practical consideration on cartridge reliability. Shooters want a cartridge that is going to be predictable and stable over the course of barrel life. Last thing you want in a match is barrel slowing down or groups opening up due to throat erosion. It's this that I've seen bring some shooters back to cartridges like 6.5x47. It may not be the lightest recoiling, but it's very accurate and very predictable over the course of its barrel life. That same factor likely keeps guys away from things like 22 creedmoor or 22-250 which are a bit overbore with less barrel life.
I agree with everything you stated above. Doesn't that seem to support a 7-08 shooting a 180 ELDM at 2500-600? That would increase HIT% by 10-15% over the 6.5CM and give you better energy on target to see splash and impacts and it costs you less than a pound of RECOIL.
A 7mm with a 180 at 2500-2600 is a LOT of recoil compared to a 6mm 105 at 2950 fps. Roughly double the recoil according to the little online calculator I played with. It does give you a bit of improvement on wind, miss your 1000 yard wind call by 2mph and you will be off target by 0.3mil with the 7mm and 0.4 mil with the 6mm. That might be an edge hit on a 2 MOA target. However, inside of 600 yards with all the positional shooting you'd be at a serious disadvantage.
A slow bullet also introduces difficulties such as being more susceptible to ranging errors, more susceptible to rifle cant errors by the shooter, hitting transonic a bit sooner, and having more vertical dispersion as a result of SD at the outer edge of the performance envelope.
Guys I know that are chasing ballistics tend to be shooting things like a 6.5 Addiction with a 140gr bullet at 3050ish, or 6 Creed with a 110 or 115 at 3100. Those are functionally as good as the 7mm 180 combo, with a lot better speed and both have less recoil.
So 6 is the perfect caliber for PRS type competition because it has lower recoil than the 6.5 and 7 but still is visible over the 22 Cal. and the shooting distances in PRS are just not far enough to justify the much higher BC bullet in 7?
I'm PRS I would use a 120-130 gr bullet. Even so, I've shot a decent amount of 308 with 175 and to me the difference is significant between that and a 6.5 with 140. Not saying the numbers are wrong and my "shoulder gauge" has poor calibration but it " seems" like a pretty decent difference to me. Again, more than one way to skin a cat.You are talking about 6.5CM @ 13lbs vs 7-08 @ 14.5lbs for similar HIT% and after a muzzle brake or suppressor is added to each you are talking about less than 1 lbs. of difference in recoil. In my opinion the energy and long range BC upsides on the 7mm is worth the added pound of recoil.
For PRS where most targets are under 900 yards and energy doesn't matter then I wonder if the 22 Cal. might get some action. If you could get the same HIT% @ half the recoil and get 2000+ rounds out of the barrel is that a good setup for PRS?
I appreciate your thoughts on this thread.