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Re: Ballistic Coefficient (BC)- High vs. Low BC for hunting [Re: ChadTRG42] #7739699 02/07/20 01:43 AM
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I believe speed kills. I shoot light for caliber bullets and put them where they are supposed to go. I haven’t followed a blood trail from one of my shots in many years.

Re: Ballistic Coefficient (BC)- High vs. Low BC for hunting [Re: ChadTRG42] #7741256 02/09/20 03:00 PM
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Back in the early 2000's I started to reverse engineer ballistics programs to see what models and calculations the creator used. I liked the challenge and doing math. I really got hooked on them and especially BC's, more so with the G5 & G7 BC's. In the early 2000 teens these began to become more and more mainstream thanks to Bryan Litz. Brian and I used to chat a lot many years ago on lots of different topics.. One thing we discussed was the incisive need shooters had for the highest BC bullet. To some it would be the only answer to their quest. Looking at the big picture how many hunters & shooters are really shooting 500, 750 yards or beyond a grand. It's really not that many. Without getting too granular you have hunters, paper punchers and long range shooters. Yes we could expand this a gazillion groups, just trying to keep it simple.

For those that don't shoot really long distances which tends to fall to the hunters and paper punchers (bench rest gangs) high BC's are ok but shouldn't be the primary focus. For hunters it should really should come down to bullet performance for the type of game they're going after. BC's are really the least of their concerns. Most hunters don't shoot beyond a couple 100 yards, though western hunters can extend those ranges to 400 yard mark. Yes, some will shoot farther but in the big scheme it's usually not real long distances.

Paper punchers tend to look for the highest BC's bullets thinking they'll shoot the best. This comes down to what you're rifle likes and for gosh sakes they typically shoot 100 to maybe 300 yards. Back in the late 90's when I competed in tactical competitions, while working practicing for a competition with GAP tactical rifle I discovered something crazy. We had taken a break I found an old box of 170 gr round nose flat based bullets for my old 30-30 on the shelf. We were having fun shooting that day and I found a load for the .308 and loaded some up. I could never find another bullet that shot better out of my GAP rifle at 100 yards. I could shoot groups in the .2's all day long with it, it was astonishing. My 168 gr FED Match ammo shot in the .5's when I did my part. In most of our tactical competitions back then they always started off with a 5-shoot 100 yard group. Not many folks ever beat me on that leg of the competition. It certainly had nothing to do with high BC's just what my rifle liked. After that leg I re-adjusted my scopes zero and went back to 168 gr FED Match ammo.

Competitive long range shooters and tactical shooter are the ones who really need to start looking at higher BC's. Keep in mind the highest BC bullet may not shoot well or the best in a given rifle. It's all about finding the right combination of bullet weight and high (not always the highest) BC to really start stretching your distances.

At the end of the day, based on your shooting needs, it's not always about the highest BC bullet you can find.


Distance is not an issue, but the wind can make it interesting!
Re: Ballistic Coefficient (BC)- High vs. Low BC for hunting [Re: J.G.] #7741268 02/09/20 03:24 PM
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Originally Posted by FiremanJG

I look at foot pounds on arrival, as well as wind drift. B.C. can come into play, but sometimes it isn't a big factor.

As an example, one of thr most reliable <300 yard bullets for .308 is not all that great in the B.C. department, but it is decent. And that is the 165 gr Sierra Game King Spire Point Boattail. Not all that sexy, but dang they work when they pass through an animal.


Me as well. I'm not looking for a terrible BC bullet with. I want something with a BC to retain enough velocity
for expansion. I think the worst BC bullet I hunted with was a 155 Lapua Mega from a 6.5x55 but that bullet expanded easily and penetrated deep. The 155 Mega would be a great hog bullet for any 6.5 except the Grendel.



Re: Ballistic Coefficient (BC)- High vs. Low BC for hunting [Re: ChadTRG42] #7742301 02/10/20 06:39 PM
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The discussion brings to mind how some might believe a scope with only the highest level of light transmission is a must in order to kill a deer. Without having fired a shot, there will be those who believe an expensive, German-made scope, along with a bullet with a high BC, will automatically translate into a much greater chance for success.

Last edited by Texas Dan; 02/10/20 07:15 PM.

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Re: Ballistic Coefficient (BC)- High vs. Low BC for hunting [Re: ChadTRG42] #7742566 02/10/20 11:16 PM
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This is a good topic to discuss because sometimes I find myself getting caught up in the "bc hype". Especially since Im a numbers guy and I always start there when researching a new caliber. One of the things I've seen is that a higher velocity round with a lower bc can actually trump a higher bc round at a slightly lower velocity. In some cases it's very surprising. But that being said if your dealing with lower powered rounds a good bc bullet can make or break your caliber of choice, even inside the 200 yd barrier.

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