About Hornady ballistics
Was starting out, it confused me, too, because I was taught that MOA, minute of angle, meant 1 inch at 100 yards. What I didn’t get right away was that MOA is a measure of angle, a degree of angle, and at a distance, angles spread. Thus, the 1.047-inch MOA at 100 yards becomes a 2.094-inch spread at 200 yards, 3.141-inch at 300 yards, etc. So the 2.5 inches of wind deflection at 200 yards is only 1.19 MOA because 1 MOA at 200 yards is already 2.094 inches. MOA numbers are quite useful for shooters who use MOA dots or sub-reticles on their crosshairs for holding into the wind. A spotter’s command of “Give me 3 MOA wind” is easier for the shooter to measure and put into effect than “Give me about 12 inches of wind” at 450 yards. Come Up in MOA works similarly. Instead of guessing a 37.1-inch hold over a target at 500 yards, you hold the 7 MOA dot of your reticle right on target. All of this computer-generated data assumes you are shooting a bullet with a BC of .460 at a precise 3,060 fps. You might not be. Muzzle velocities of any given load vary slightly, sometimes as much as 200 fps. And every rifle changes the BC of a bullet, sometimes significantly. So wise shooters use ballistics charts as a starting point and check them against real-world performance at a range. Extensively. Does your bullet really and consistently drop what the table predicts at 500 yards? In lieu of a computer program, you can find ballistics tables in manufacturer catalogs and handloading manuals. Neither these nor all computer programs are the same, but they should all yield the same numbers if their math and algorithms are correct. A few aren’t, so it’s good to check them against one another. Not shown is the information entered about bullet BC, muzzle velocity, etc, the same as entered in the Hornady program. This time, I requested calculations out to 1,000 yards, which I could have done with the Hornady program. This program, like many, lets you choose data for every 100 yards, 50 yards, 25 yards, even 10 yards. Notice this table has no MOA data but adds a ToF (time of flight) column. Interesting to see how quickly a bullet gets downrange and the relationship between time of flight and wind deflection, called Drift here. But why is there an Impact column and Drop column? Impact shows where the bullet hits based on the sight-in range. Drop is the pure amount of drop of the bullet if it is fired from a perfectly level barrel. In real world shooting barrels are tilted slightly
Key features of the Hornady ballistics that are enabled through these drivers include:
- Hornady Ballistics on the App Store
- Hornady Ballistics App ‑ with 4DOF
- Hornady Ballistics App ‑ with 4DOF ‑ Hornady Manufacturing, Inc
- Hornady Ballistics App with 4DOF Hornady Manufacturing, Inc
- Marketing Hype in Ballistics - The Hornady 4 DOF Ballistics
- Learn more about the Hornady 4DOF Ballistics Solver - Hornady
- The Hornady 4DOF Ballistic Calculator
Norma26 NoslerSpecs (Nosler Match Grade)Bullet: 140-grain Custom Competition Match HPBTMuzzle Velocity: 3,200 fpsMuzzle Energy: 3,183 ft.-lbs.G1 BC: .529Website: nosler.comDid the world need another 6.5 option? One look at the numbers of the 26 Nosler, and the answer is obvious. Introduced just a few years ago, it is a blazing-fast, super-flat, sweet-shooting cartridge that may be one of the best long-range cartridges ever. Since it is Nosler’s own cartridge, the Bend, Ore., company is one of just a handful of manufacturers offering factory-loaded ammo.The good news is that Nosler has fine-tuned the bullet, powder, primer and case to make a near-perfect round. The Match ammo is loaded with a 140-grain Custom Competition HPBT bullet, which has a BC of .529. Rifles are also limited to a handful of manufacturers, including Nosler, but as the cartridge grows in popularity, so will the gun options.Read More: 26 Nosler – The Flattest Shooting 6.5 Ever?7mm Remington MagnumSpecs (Black Hills Gold)Bullet: 154-grain Hornady SSTMuzzle Velocity: 3,000 fpsMuzzle Energy: 3,077 ft.-lbs.G1 BC: .530Website: black-hills.comIt’s not necessarily a go-to round for match shooters, but the 7mm Rem. Mag. does have excellent ballistics, along with a number of great options for reaching targets at ranges exceeding 500 yards. It also has a great selection of bullet weights and styles. That’s why it ranks high for long-range target shooting and hunting. Introduced in 1962, this belted cartridge also has less recoil than a .300 Win. Mag. — while offering nearly similar ballistics.Black Hills offers a good long-range load in its Gold ammo with a 154-grain Hornady SST bullet. The BC is .530, and the muzzle velocity is 3,000 fps.6mm Norma BRSpecs (Norma Diamond Line)Bullet: 105-grain Moly-coated Berger Hollow PointMuzzle Velocity: 2,789 fpsMuzzle Energy: 1,814 ft.-lbs.G1 BC: .517Website: norma-ammunition.comAs its name implies, the 6mm Bench Rest is a top choice among match shooters, scoring high in long- and medium-range competitions worldwide. It’s incredibly accurate, it has minimum recoil, and it’s available in a wide variety of bullets for handloaders.Factory ammo? Not so much. Just a few options are available, but most all of them are made with precision shooters in
