Shooting into transonic zone

4dds

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Minuteman
Dec 15, 2017
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At what point does the transition become an issue . I won’t be shooting much past 1-200 yards beyond supersonic but I have not ventured out that far yet. Just thinking out loud right nor.
 
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I have a 300wm shooting the 208ELD. I cant get 1500yds sorted out. Im thinking its mostly my inexperience calling wind, and the terrain Im shooting across. I am crossing a few peaks and valleys so Im sure alot of the wind the bullet is traveling through cant be seen cause of the height.

But my impacts when Im on steel seem to be consistent in elevation. When I miss, I have absolutely no idea if its left or right cause we cant see splash, or any other type of impacts cause of the thick brush. Following the downward trace is very difficult cause the bullet comes back down against a treeline.
 
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I have a 300wm shooting the 208ELD. I cant get 1500yds sorted out. Im thinking its mostly my inexperience calling wind, and the terrain Im shooting across. I am crossing a few peaks and valleys so Im sure alot of the wind the bullet is traveling through cant be seen cause of the height.

But my impacts when Im on steel seem to be consistent in elevation. When I miss, I have absolutely no idea if its left or right cause we cant see splash, or any other type of impacts cause of the thick brush. Following the downward trace is very difficult cause the bullet comes back down against a treeline.
Without knowing your specific load / environment variables, you're either in the trans-sonic zone or just about to drop into it. That said, the fact that elevation is holding for those rounds that do find the target suggests the 208's are arriving with consistent velocity and are likely still stable in the transition zone. Wind is, as you surmised, your probable culprit as even a 1mph shift in the wind could be as much as 15" on target at that range. If the thick brush is making spotting of impacts difficult, we've sometimes placed 4x4 sheets of 1/2" drywall on either side of the target. You can often see a white "puff" as the bullet passes through. 1/2" sheetrock isn't the lightest weight spotting aid but its a hell of a lot lighter than steel.
 
1/2" sheetrock isn't the lightest weight spotting aid but its a hell of a lot lighter than steel.

I can relate to the mass/grunt factor. I'm a beast of burden. I hang steel and put a shock-corded 8x10' tarp behind the steel. We are fortunate to shoot at a spot that kicks lots of dust most of the time so it's relatively easy to spot impacts.
 
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I have a 300wm shooting the 208ELD. I cant get 1500yds sorted out. Im thinking its mostly my inexperience calling wind, and the terrain Im shooting across. I am crossing a few peaks and valleys so Im sure alot of the wind the bullet is traveling through cant be seen cause of the height.

But my impacts when Im on steel seem to be consistent in elevation. When I miss, I have absolutely no idea if its left or right cause we cant see splash, or any other type of impacts cause of the thick brush. Following the downward trace is very difficult cause the bullet comes back down against a treeline.
Jason, your first issue is that you are using a 300wm when you should be using a 6.5 creedmoor... J/K man.
 
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Hi,

The "transition" issue is dependent on projectile being used. Some projectiles transition better than others.

There is no single "point" answer to your question.

Sincerely,
Theis
Don't forget altitude and temperature. The higher those two factors are, the more forgiving mother nature is on your projectile of choice.