Trajectory

[BigT]

I have been lurking in the background on these boards for about 5 or 6 months now trying to soak up as much info as possible. A few guns have been passed onto me recently which caused my interest in hunting. So I bought myself a rifle to hunt some bigger game other than gophers and partridge. I am the pround new owner of a .300 wby mag I am shooting accubond 180gr

this may be a noob question but I don't know the answer so....

The ballistics chart says the bullets path will be +2.9"@100yds, +3.9"@200, 0"@300, -8.4"@400, -22.4"@500 If I zero the gun in at 100yds what is the path at 200, 300, 400 and 500yds? Is it 0 at 100yds and still on the rise and how much is it dropping when it gets to 500yds?

If anyone can shine some light on this for me that would be great.

Thanks for your help.

[kissacoyote]

There is a free program for ballistics (for Windows users) you can download from the internet, called Point Blank. You plug in a few variables, and it will calculate the trajectory. You can read the results as a graph, or a list. It's easy to use and pretty accurate, provided you plug in the right numbers. Mac users can get one called GNU Ballistics. It's not quite as easy to use as Point Blank, but it does the same thing.

[Mad_Mikee]

Im not sure where the ballistics are based from but its very reasonable. The actual trajectory (bullet drop) will vary based on the ammo. If you're reloading, I dont know of any real way to determine actual bullet drop other than just shooting it yourself.

For a 300wby you probably wouldnt want to have a 100yard scope zero. Its made for those long range shots so leaving it at a 300 yard zero is probably ideal. Anything inside of 300 yards, just put the cross hairs on the animal and pull the trigger. Might be a tad high at 100 yards but definately still minute of deer.

I have a new to me 7mm RUM that I'm in the same boat as you with. Still trying to figure out at what distances its high and low.

For me with a new gun, half the fun is learning about it and getting out and shooting it.

Im not the kind of guy who takes his rifle out once a year, puts 3 rounds through it and puts it back in the safe until the next deer season.

I love getting out and shooting even if its just at paper targets or trying to hit a 4L milk jug full of water at 300 or 400 yards.

[BigT]

Thanks for the replies. I punched some numbers into Point Blank and it seems like Mad Mikee says, zeroing at 100yds is not what I should do. I'll head out this week and get it set for 300yds. Thanks for the help.

[Okotokian]

Could be wrong (and no expert here), but it sounds like you are a new hunter. Perhaps shouldn't be taking 300 or 400 yard shots at game for a while. The stats you quoted showed you nearly 4 inches high at 200 yards with a 300 yard zero. Throw in a little elevation up or down and it gets even trickier. I'm relatively new and am sticking with a 200 yard zero. That way I can aim pretty much directly at anything I'm shooting at within the range I appropriately (for me anyway) should be shooting at it. If it's 300 or 400 yards away, I'll stalk closer. Saw lots of game within 200 yards last year.

[Copidosoma]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

Could be wrong (and no expert here), but it sounds like you are a new hunter. Perhaps shouldn't be taking 300 or 400 yard shots at game for a while. The stats you quoted showed you nearly 4 inches high at 200 yards with a 300 yard zero. Throw in a little elevation up or down and it gets even trickier. I'm relatively new and am sticking with a 200 yard zero. That way I can aim pretty much directly at anything I'm shooting at within the range I appropriately (for me anyway) should be shooting at it. If it's 300 or 400 yards away, I'll stalk closer. Saw lots of game within 200 yards last year.

This is actually really good advice until you know the rifle a bit better. Having said that, you will likely need to be careful with bullet selection as anything hit with a 300wby at 2-300 is going to get walloped. You will need a sturdy bullet to hold together. I guess the accubonds should be alright.

[Mad_Mikee]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

Could be wrong (and no expert here), but it sounds like you are a new hunter. Perhaps shouldn't be taking 300 or 400 yard shots at game for a while. The stats you quoted showed you nearly 4 inches high at 200 yards with a 300 yard zero. Throw in a little elevation up or down and it gets even trickier. I'm relatively new and am sticking with a 200 yard zero. That way I can aim pretty much directly at anything I'm shooting at within the range I appropriately (for me anyway) should be shooting at it. If it's 300 or 400 yards away, I'll stalk closer. Saw lots of game within 200 yards last year.

I'm with you on this one. My 30-06 is zero'd for 200. For anything pretty much anything inside of 250 yards, I dont worry about reticle placement, just put the crosss hairs on the animal and pull the trigger.

300wby is a "big boy" for smacking poor harmless little deer at 100 yards.

I'm sure if you reload you could load some smaller bullets for deer..maybe a 165gr. or something like that.

No elk or moose would dare get in the way of a 180gr. out of that gun.

Sounds like you're off to a good start. Hopefully you're able to find something to knock down with it this year.