Long Range Shooting Question

Odyssey · Rookie Member Joined: Mar 04, 2006 Posts: 14

Hello Everyone!
This is my first post, but I've been skulking around looking at the topics for a while, and I am a new user of the Point Blank program here. I am an old soldier, and my shooting expertise has been mainly from 300 meters in. Recently, however, I talked my wife into letting me pick up a new long gun. It's a Winchester Model 70 in 300 WSM, improved with a free-floated heavy barrel and laminate stock. I haven't much long range experience - as I mentioned - and I was wondering if some of you more experienced folks might lend a hand.

I am looking to create a fairly reliable ballistics / trajectory chart for my favorite load, the 150 grain Ballistic Sivertip. My gun eats the stuff up and shoots it pretty well at 200 meters. However, I am not experienced enough at using the Point Blank program (or any of the others I've tried) to figure out what the chart ought to look like. My data is as follows:

Temp: 59 degrees F
Altitude: 7000' ASL
Bullet Weight: 150 grain
Velocity (I don't know. All I have is the 180 grain stuff, but I think it's in the neighborhood of 3100 fps)
Ballistic Coefficient: I think it's about .508, but if anyone else knows for sure, I'd be much obliged.

I know it sounds like I'm a mouth breathing idiot for not being able to figure this out, and well...maybe I am. Very Happy

Still, I've learned a few things over the years. Among them? When in doubt, ask people who are smarter than you! You all seem to know your stuff, so please help a fella out. Thanks in advance!

Sine Pari!
Odyssey

Odyssey · Rookie Member Joined: Mar 04, 2006 Posts: 14

By the way, I'd like to figure the trajectory out to 1000 meters. Thanks!

ripper007 · Member Joined: Mar 05, 2006 Posts: 199 Location: Colorado

odyssey,

good question. I was actualy brought to this site as I was looking for some info for a savage 10FP 223.
and after reading some post, I was impressed by the answeres and replys here.
I have just goten into reloading my own bulets for a 30-30 and a 9mm.
thats when I seen this free program offered form this site.
from the post of some here, it seems like a very good place.
hope to see some feed back on how to use this program , I am sure this will come in handy for my own records and testing.

just seen the section to post questions and problems for this program

www.huntingnut.com/ind...topic&t=10

Odyssey · Rookie Member Joined: Mar 04, 2006 Posts: 14

Thanks. Will post it there.

O

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

Odyssey wrote:

Hello Everyone!
This is my first post, but I've been skulking around looking at the topics for a while, and I am a new user of the Point Blank program here. I am an old soldier, and my shooting expertise has been mainly from 300 meters in. Recently, however, I talked my wife into letting me pick up a new long gun. It's a Winchester Model 70 in 300 WSM, improved with a free-floated heavy barrel and laminate stock. I haven't much long range experience - as I mentioned - and I was wondering if some of you more experienced folks might lend a hand.

What do you concider long distance?

Quote::

I am looking to create a fairly reliable ballistics / trajectory chart for my favorite load, the 150 grain Ballistic Sivertip. My gun eats the stuff up and shoots it pretty well at 200 meters. However, I am not experienced enough at using the Point Blank program (or any of the others I've tried) to figure out what the chart ought to look like. My data is as follows:

Temp: 59 degrees F
Altitude: 7000' ASL
Bullet Weight: 150 grain
Velocity (I don't know. All I have is the 180 grain stuff, but I think it's in the neighborhood of 3100 fps)
Ballistic Coefficient: I think it's about .508, but if anyone else knows for sure, I'd be much obliged.

You are only missing a few pieces of information to generate a trajectory. We need the distance from the center of barrel to the center of your scope (scope height ... most people use 1.5") and the muzzle velocity (you can look up factory info on their websites or perhaps look through the reloading database here to see roughly what other people are getting with a similar load and use that as an estimate). Are you reloading or using factory ammo?

Finally we need to know what distance you are zeroing your rifle in at (Target Dist). With those values we can indeed approximate your trajectory very easily.

Quote::

I know it sounds like I'm a mouth breathing idiot for not being able to figure this out, and well...maybe I am. Very Happy

Still, I've learned a few things over the years. Among them? When in doubt, ask people who are smarter than you! You all seem to know your stuff, so please help a fella out. Thanks in advance!

Always ask when in doubt. We can easily point you to the answers if possible... and computing a trajectory is pretty easy but we need a tad more information.

Quote::

By the way, I'd like to figure the trajectory out to 1000 meters. Thanks!

Current version of PointBlank doesnt work in meters... sorry. I am working on a new version of PointBlank that DOES have meters support already worked in (out to 2000 meters actually). I'm trying to get it to a releasable state but having problems making the gui work cleanly enough... soon though.

-DallanC

Odyssey · Rookie Member Joined: Mar 04, 2006 Posts: 14

I'm trying to go out to about 1200 meters. I just went out and did some barrel break-in work today, and the gun shoots incredibly well. I'm zeroed at 100 yards (for ease with Point Blank), and it's easily 1/2 MOA when I do my job. I wasn't using the Silvertip ammo I prefer (I feel copper is better for breaking in a barrel and the black coating on the silvertips is tougher to get out when I'm cleaning every shot), and unfortunately, all I had with me was some soft point stuff in 180 grain. Still, my first cold barrel shot of the day was about an eighth of an inch low of center in a 1x1 inch square at 100 yards, and my average group at 300 (cleaning each time and letting the barrel cool) was 1.75". So the gun is doing its job, even with its least favorite loads. As for the specs:

My scope is indeed mounted 1.5 inches above bore, and the factory data says 3300 fps for the Silvertips I like to shoot. However, I know that has the potential for varying quite a bit at 7000' ASL, and I wondered if the variance was too much to trust the factory specs. Don't worry about the conversions to meters. I can do that myself if needed. I use a mil dot scope, and the equation is easier in meters (target size in inches x 25.4 over target height in mils), so it's just what I've gotten used to using.

Thanks much for the help!