I’ve been thinking a bit more about this question this wk, and it occurred to me this morning - I have a great graphical representation of why I focus so much on velocity.

The two targets below were shot at 875 yards, one with a 6.5 Grendel custom gas gun I’ve shown off here ad nauseam, the other by my 6 creed Seekins Havak with its original Rock Creek barrel. Both of these rifles shoot 1/2-3/4moa 10 shot groups at 100yrds. This wasn’t the first time shooting the Grendel at range, so I knew good DOPE for the hold. Alternatively, it was the first outing for the Creedmoor, so I took 3 shots to confirm POI, which hit low on target, so I dialed up .2mil, and sent the group.

What’s important to me: both of these rifles shoot the same size of group at 100yrds, and the relative wind error I shot in both groups is similar (same shooter, similar wind condition; same estimation error potential). But the 6 Creedmoor load only had 24fps ES, whereas the 6.5 Grendel, shooting Hornady Black factory ammo, exhibited 78fps ES. These targets are 66% IPSC’s, so 12” wide by 20” tall, including the head - such the 6.5 Grendel group is strung out about 14” tall, and the Creedmoor group is only about 6” tall. (Recognizing here - yes, variability in the slower round will cause a bit more drop than the same variability in the faster round, but not almost two and a half times as much vertical, as seen on the targets).

If I had only shot at 100yrds with no chronograph, I wouldn’t know what I do about the long range performance, and might consider the two loads to be equal in performance potential - both were ~1/2”-3/4” at 100yrds over multiple 10 shot groups. But at range, that Creedmoor load could place well at any precision rifle match (and did at several), whereas the vertical in the Grendel load would have caused enough misses to drop dozens of places in rank at a 2 day match.



It’s not magic, and there are multiple ways to reach the same conclusion. I could have fired ten 10 shot groups at 600-800 yards to identify the load with the least vertical, or I could have shot 30 rounds at 600-800 yards as a Ladder test, or I could fire 10 rounds across a chronograph to learn the same information. All 3 methods would work, but one would take up at least 100 rounds per bullet or powder section, while one option would only take 10 rounds. I won’t win any 600/1000 yard benchrest matches with such little work up, but I can place well at the precision rifle matches I’m shooting. It’s good enough to know that when I miss, it’s because I missed, not because my group size was bigger than my target and the odds didn’t favor me for that shot.