{"id":1522,"date":"2021-02-11T12:27:48","date_gmt":"2021-02-11T17:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/?p=1522"},"modified":"2021-02-11T12:38:14","modified_gmt":"2021-02-11T17:38:14","slug":"accuracy-and-velocity-by-craig-boddington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/accuracy-and-velocity-by-craig-boddington\/","title":{"rendered":"ACCURACY AND VELOCITY By Craig Boddington"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"This
This old Savage 99 in .300 Savage passes the \u201cpaper plate test\u201d easily. Provided the terrain doesn\u2019t require long shooting, older rifles like this should put meat in the freezer with no problem.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

American rifle shooters have\nlong been obsessed by accuracy and velocity, demanding more of both than is\nreally necessary. Mind you, neither are bad things, although it depends on what\nyou\u2019re doing. In target shooting, accuracy is everything<\/em>, although\nshooting disciplines and target sizes vary widely. In hunting, let\u2019s be honest,\nthe vital zone of a deer-sized animal is not a small target, and it\u2019s exactly\nthe same size at 40 or 400 yards. If you can consistently hit a volleyball or a\nten-inch paper plate you should have venison for the freezer. That vital zone looks<\/em>\nsmaller and, for sure, becomes harder to hit as distance increases, but it\u2019s\nstill a large target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"This
This is the level of accuracy that you simply must have for a serious varmint rifle, in this case Boddington\u2019s Ruger No. One in .204 Ruger. Groups like this probably aren\u2019t essential for most big-game hunting\u2026but they build a lot of confidence!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Obviously, different\nsituations require more or less accuracy. I shoot the occasional coyote on the\nKansas farm, and we wear out the armadillos because they dig up the yard, but\nan annual prairie dog shoot is my primary varmint hunting. A prairie dog is\nabout three inches from back to belly so, that\u2019s the window you must hit, and\nwe do some of our prairie dog shooting beyond 400 yards. A one-inch group at\n100 yards, what we call \u201cMinute of Angle\u201d (MOA) can be expected to naturally\ndisperse to four inches at 400 yards\u2026without taking into account wind and\nwobble. One MOA accuracy isn\u2019t good enough for prairie dog shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

For big game, one MOA\nprobably isn\u2019t good enough if you\u2019re into the extreme-range shooting in vogue\ntoday. That\u2019s not my thing but, in big country, I like to know I can shoot at a\nquarter-mile if I have to. So, like most of us, I often demand more accuracy than\nI need. This is totally okay, because teeny little groups give tremendous\nconfidence!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Few
Few mountain hunts come down to extreme-range shots, but it makes sense to prepare for the worst. With an accurate rifle, good load, and dialed in scope, Boddington is ready for any sensible shot. He\u2019s just about to drop the hammer on a big ram at 200 yards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Boddington
Boddington used his Jarrett .300 Winchester Magnum to take this Brooks Range ram. After much range work, he was ready for a long shot if required, but the ram was taken at 120 yards. Despite the legend, closer shots aren\u2019t uncommon in mountain hunting.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The rifles I\u2019ve mostly\nused for my mountain hunting are just about as accurate as my prairie dog\nrifles. This is overkill. Despite the legend, I\u2019ve rarely needed to reach out\nfor any of the sheep or goats. Sure, I\u2019ve made some long shots, but I\u2019ve taken various\nsheep and goats within bow range. Thing is, with mountain hunting, it often\ncomes down to just one opportunity, take it or leave it. It\u2019s wise to be\nprepared for a worst-case opportunity!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"John
John Lazzeroni\u2019s cartridges are the fastest in their class. This is a 130-grain Barnes X in the big 7.82 (.308) Warbird. That might not the be ideal bullet for all applications, but if you like velocity, there it is!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

So, let\u2019s turn to\nvelocity. I was a kid, avidly devouring gun magazines, when the first \u201cmagnum\ncraze\u201d of the late Fifties hit. Every new cartridge carried a magnum suffix,\nRoy Weatherby extolled the virtues of velocity. Things settled down in the\nSeventies and Eighties. Then John Lazzeroni burst onto the scene with his\nextensive lines of super-fast short and long magnums. At the start of the new\nmillennium, major manufacturers asked us to accept something like 15 fat-cased\nunbelted magnums. Not all of these cartridges could become popular, and some\nare already gone. Recently, things seem to have calmed down again. The thirst\nfor velocity doesn\u2019t seem as strong as it once was, perhaps because of the\nincredible popularity of the 6.5mm Creedmoor, which is not a fast cartridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another factor is\nwonderful improvement in optics. Accurate and inexpensive laser rangefinders\nnow allow near-perfect knowledge of distance\u2026and many shooters now rely on\nadjustable turrets. Trajectory is, after all, just a series of numbers. Know\nthe range, know the numbers, and dial the range. The Creedmoor isn\u2019t fast, nor\nis the almost-as-popular .308 Winchester but, with rangefinders and dial-up turrets,\ncartridges don\u2019t have to be fast to enable consistent hits at long range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before these advancements\nin optics, and before the word \u201cmagnum\u201d was so over-used that it came to mean\nnothing, a primary argument for bullet speed was that it flattened trajectory,\nenabling hits at distance without undue holdover. I use dial-up turrets, and\nalso additional aiming points within the reticle. I spend a lot of time at the\nrange shooting at actual distance, making sure my \u201cdata\u201d is correct. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dialing
Dialing the range is far more precise than holding a crosshair somewhere above a distant target\u2014but it takes a lot of range work to verify the data. On the SAAM range in Texas, Boddington is working the turret on a Vector scope on a Sabbati Sapphire in.300 Winchester Magnum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Just
Just three inches, this is an impressive 600-yard group, fired with a Jarrett 7mm Remington Magnum. The only thing is, it\u2019s not in exactly the right place\u2026a couple of clicks down elevation are needed!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLong range\u201d means different\nthings to different shooters. For myself, I can\u2019t imagine shooting at an\nunwounded game animal much past 500 yards. However, just like I often want more\naccuracy than I need, I set up my open-country hunting rifles so that I can\npunch paper or ring steel to 600 yards and beyond\u2026even though I\u2019m unlikely to\nuse the full capability in the field. Most of my shots at game are well within\n400 yards, but if you know<\/em> you can hit confidently to twice the distance\nyou\u2019re actually shooting, it\u2019s a wonderful confidence-builder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A nice Texas hog taken with a Model 94 .30-30 with iron sights. Plenty of power at close range, but not much velocity and limited accuracy. How much accuracy, speed, and power are needed depends on what you\u2019re hunting\u2026and how far you intend to shoot.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps because I\u2019m a\nchild of that first magnum craze, I still believe in velocity, at least in open\ncountry. For dangerous game, whitetails in my Kansas woods, and hog hunting, I\ndon\u2019t worry about speed because I\u2019m not going to shoot very far. In big country,\nwhether mountains, deserts, or plains, I use fast cartridges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An
An Asian maral stag, similar to our elk, taken by Donna Boddington with a Blaser in .270 Winchester. For serious hunting, and serious range, both Boddingtons believe the .270 makes a sensible minimum: Fast, powerful, and usually accurate\u2026without excessive recoil.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

They don\u2019t necessarily\nhave to called \u201cmagnums.\u201d The .270 Winchester, never called \u201cmagnum,\u201d is fast\nand flat-shooting. The new 6.5mm PRC isn\u2019t called a \u201cmagnum\u201d\u2014but it\u2019s as fast\nas many that are. I also use fast cartridges that are<\/em> called magnums:\n7mm Remington Magnum, .300 Winchester and Weatherby Magnums and, fastest of\nall, the 6.5-.300 Weatherby Magnum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The old .270 Winchester doesn\u2019t have a reputation for extreme accuracy, but Boddington hasn\u2019t found that to be the case. The M70 Featherweight, one of a limited run of Jack O\u2019Connor commemoratives, was a tack-driver right out of the box!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Although recoil is more\nsevere than with slower cartridges in the same bullet diameters, I use faster\ncartridges for two primary reasons. First, even with precise dial-up scopes, I\nstill rely upon flat trajectory for much of my game shooting. Dialing is good,\nand the more you do it the faster and more comfortable you become. However, in\nthe excitement of shooting at game, it\u2019s easy to make mistakes: Mis-dialing. or\nthe common error of forgetting to dial back down if you don\u2019t shoot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Even
Even the most accurate rifles will vary from load to load. This Jarrett .300 Winchester Magnum shoots well with Hornady SST. The left-hand group is a final 200-yard group, perfectly zeroed and ready to hunt.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Typically, I sight-in a\nbit high at 100 yards so that I\u2019m dead-on at 200 yards. With a standard\n130-grain load, my .270 is down about 6.5 inches at 300 yards\u2026and so is my .300\nWeatherby Magnum with the 200-grain ELD-X load I\u2019ve been using. At 300 yards\nI\u2019m not going to dial; I\u2019m going to take advantage of that volleyball-sized\nvital zone that I need to drop my bullet into! For a 300-yard shot I\u2019m going to\nhold just a bit over the horizontal center. Faster, simpler and, provided I\u2019m\nsteady and can read the wind, little chance for error!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An
An awesome Altai argali, taken at something over 300 yards with the Blaser R8 and .300 Weatherby Magnum barrel. With this cartridge, Boddington doesn\u2019t start dialing range until about 400 yards.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Between 300 and 400\nyards, I keep edging the crosshair up toward the backline\u2026but I\u2019m unlikely to\ndial because, with a flat-shooting cartridge I don\u2019t need to (so long as I know\nthe range and the drop). Interestingly, both loads (.270 Winchester and .300\nWeatherby) have the same drop at 400 yards: 18.4 inches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember the old adage:\n\u201cHold on hair, never on air!\u201d Things change when you must aim above the animal\nand \u201chold on air\u201d some estimated distance over the backline. On small-bodied\ndeer, at 400 yards I\u2019d need to hold about eight inches over the backline to\naccount for 18.4 inches of drop. On unfamiliar animals, what, exactly, does\neight inches look like? At that point I\u2019m going to either dial the holdover\nwith the turret, or use a lower stadia line in the reticle, either or both\nverified on the range. I want to \u201chold on hair\u201d as far out as I can, so I\naccept a bit more recoil, and I do my open-country hunting with faster\ncartridges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"No
No matter how much capability you have, it takes serious range work to gain proficiency. In preparation for an Asian mountain hunting, Boddington is working with the Zeiss Hunting App on his I-Phone with his Blaser R8 and .300 Weatherby Magnum barrel.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The second reason\nvelocity remains important is because the mathematical formula used to compute\nkinetic energy in foot-pounds uses velocity squared, while bullet weight is\ntaken as is, and caliber (bullet diameter) isn\u2019t part of the equation. So, as\nvelocity increases, projectile energy goes up exponentially. I believe bullet\nweight matters. A 180-grain bullet may not \u201chit harder\u201d than a 150-grain bullet\nof like diameter but, on game, if of similar construction, it\u2019s probably going\nto penetrate better. I believe frontal area (bullet diameter) also matters: A\n.30-caliber hits harder and transfers more energy on impact than a .25-caliber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In most target shooting,\nneither energy yield, nor penetration, nor bullet performance matter at all\u2026but\nin hunting all are critical. There\u2019s probably no great sin in being\n\u201covergunned,\u201d but nobody wants to accept more recoil than is comfortable\u2026and\ncertainly not so much that shooting is impaired. Shot placement is\nparamount\u2026and bullet performance counts heavily. Although there are theories,\nno one can say exactly<\/em> how much bullet energy is required to effectively\ntake game of various sizes. However much that is, I\u2019m certain we should have\nmore bullet energy for elk-sized game than for deer. And equally sure that we\nneed about the same amount of energy for clean kills whether the distance is\n200, 400, or 600 yards. So, it\u2019s about energy projection<\/em>. As you give up\nvelocity, whether to slower, lighter-recoiling, cartridges or to distance (or\nboth), you are losing bullet energy and at some point, you no longer have\nenough. Accuracy and velocity both influence bullet selection, so we\u2019ll tackle\nthat next month!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

American rifle shooters have long been obsessed by accuracy and velocity, demanding more of both than is really necessary. Mind you, neither are bad things, although it depends on what you\u2019re doing. In target shooting, accuracy is everything, although shooting disciplines and target sizes vary widely. In hunting, let\u2019s be honest, the vital zone of … Continue reading “ACCURACY AND VELOCITY By Craig Boddington”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1527,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[7,101,21,47],"tags":[43],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Lazz-velocity.jpg?fit=2000%2C1330&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1522"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1522"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1546,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1522\/revisions\/1546"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholesalehunter.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}