7mm bullet drop
03-17-2010, 01:42 PM
#1
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Southern Indiana
Posts: 39
7mm bullet drop
I am looking at buying a new 7mm for my encore and was wondering how much bullet drop there is from 200 yds to 300 yds and so on. I was wanting to know this because the scope i was looking at is the Nikon BDC and was trying to figure out if i should go with it or just stick with the regular crosshairs. Im pretty new to rifles so any help would be very much appreciated. thanks
03-20-2010, 01:12 PM
#3
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 201
It all depends on how fast the bullet is going...
All bullets drop at the same amount of time...faster bullets simply travel farther as they drop...
Point blank range for the 7mm RM (3100 ft/s) is just past 300 yards, so you do not need a BDC for shots out to that distance...
My rifle is sighted in at 200 yards and I have the mil-dot scope marked out to 500 yards...furthest shot I have taken is 275 though...
All bullets drop at the same amount of time...faster bullets simply travel farther as they drop...
Point blank range for the 7mm RM (3100 ft/s) is just past 300 yards, so you do not need a BDC for shots out to that distance...
My rifle is sighted in at 200 yards and I have the mil-dot scope marked out to 500 yards...furthest shot I have taken is 275 though...
03-24-2010, 10:31 AM
#4
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: USA
Posts: 868
The bullet, if fired perfectly horizontal will have the same time of flight, regardless of the caliber or how fast the bullet is shot. In this condition, if you dropped a bullet from the same height at the muzzle at the same time the gun was fired, both bullets will hit the ground at the same time.
That being said, when you sight in your rifle, the bullet is not fired perfectly horizontal to the ground. The barrel is angled slightly upward to provide a ballistic trajectory and have the bullet impact the target at the sight plane at the specified zero distance.
For something like a .270 Win zeroed at 200 yards, when the bullet is fired, at the muzzle it is about 1.5" low (distance between the muzzle and the center of the scope optics. The bullet will continue to rise, passing the optic plane just shy of 50 yards. It will continue to rise until it hits it's ballistic apex at about 120 yards. At this distance the bullet is about 2" high. It will start to drop from this point on, passing through the sight plane at 200 yards (zero mark) and dropping progressively faster as you go out. At 500 yards, the bullet is about 50.8" below the sight plane.
That being said, when you sight in your rifle, the bullet is not fired perfectly horizontal to the ground. The barrel is angled slightly upward to provide a ballistic trajectory and have the bullet impact the target at the sight plane at the specified zero distance.
For something like a .270 Win zeroed at 200 yards, when the bullet is fired, at the muzzle it is about 1.5" low (distance between the muzzle and the center of the scope optics. The bullet will continue to rise, passing the optic plane just shy of 50 yards. It will continue to rise until it hits it's ballistic apex at about 120 yards. At this distance the bullet is about 2" high. It will start to drop from this point on, passing through the sight plane at 200 yards (zero mark) and dropping progressively faster as you go out. At 500 yards, the bullet is about 50.8" below the sight plane.
03-24-2010, 11:50 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Garfield NJ USA
Posts: 3,067
I'm with RR on this one, there are way too many variables to say that the time of flight will be the same. You have to know what the true muzzle velocity is then you can get an estimated bullet drop. The only way to know for sure though is to actually shoot at those distances. Try educating yourself on ballistics then come back and tell us we're wrong.
03-24-2010, 03:29 PM
#7
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: USA
Posts: 868
It ihas the exact scenario you describe discussed at the end of the first section (Trajectory).
Last edited by 98Redline; 03-24-2010 at 03:51 PM.
03-24-2010, 03:34 PM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Wherever liberalism must be eradicated.
Posts: 2,734
03-24-2010, 04:10 PM
#9
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,679
would you mind explaining why 2 bullets the same weight, but different BC.s at the same velocity don't drop the same? keep it simple I'm a lil slow.
RR
RR
Take a look at this page on the Hornady website (External Ballistics)
It ihas the exact scenario you describe discussed at the end of the first section (Trajectory).
It ihas the exact scenario you describe discussed at the end of the first section (Trajectory).
03-24-2010, 05:04 PM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location:
Posts: 1,408
In REAL LIFE conditions, the amount the bullet will drop at extended ranges will depend on MV, BC, atmospheric pressure, temp, and numerous other factors. For ranges anyone asking these questions should be considering, you at least need to qualify what bullet you are shooting (to define BC) and the muzzle velocity at which it will be launched. As distance increases, any errors due to approximating either one will increase rapidly.
