there is some contention that some bullets settle down the further rout they get. Its not unstable as it is sort of wobble.
Who told you that? Here's some 77 gr SMKs I shot yesterday out of a 1-8 twist AR @ 100 yds. The squares are 1". Now a 1-9 may not even shoot 69 gr....depends on bbl & rifle.Hi all. I need to test some 77's and 80's and have been told they don't stabilize at 100 yards. Is this true and at what yards do they if so? Shooting out of 20 inch 1:8 twist RRA LAR15. Thanks.
supposed the first 5.56 was there and would tumble on a hit (people not targets)
There's no "supposed" about it. That was the 55-grain M193 we used in Vietnam, which is the same 55-gram M193 you can buy today. Many people use the word "tumble" (that's what word was used in RVN) but I believe the better term is "upset." When the spire point hits a somewhat solid target, the heavy tail of the bullet has a tendency to flip tail over teakettle. If the bullet is traveling fast enough, the rotational velocity when it flips (not the annular rotation, or spin) is great enough to cause the bullet jacket to fracture along the line of the cannelure, which allows the bullet to fragment. This results in multiple wound channels. And that's why the 5.56x45 round is fairly effective against humanoid targets despite being only .22 caliber. (Yes, I know it's .223, but so is .22 WMR and .22 LR.)RC20 said:Various combo can be on the edge of stability, supposed the first 5.56 was there and would tumble on a hit (people not targets)
What JMR40 said. Bullet stability, as I understand it has to do with 3 primary factors, bullet length, bullet diameter, and twist rate, and velocity.I think 77-80 gr bullets are on the upper end of what will work with an 8 twist barrel. But it just depends on the individual bullet. It is bullet length that determines the correct barrel twist, not necessarily the weight. Some 80 gr bullets are longer than other 80 gr bullets. Some may be stable, some may not be.
You can play around with this website to get some ideas. You can select various bullets made by Berger and get a calculation on whether or not that bullet will be stable. If using another bullet you need to know the length and BC of that bullet.
https://bergerbullets.com/twist-rate-calculator/
I think you might be missing the point.I think you guys are missing the point. All I am asking is are 100 yards adequate for load testing these larger bullets?
Thanks. My issue is I don't have access to that kind of distance. When I do finally shoot it will be under match conditions. I have not done it before but I am prepping for NRA XTC as well as 3x600 matches.A 100 yard target will get you started but you should test at the range you mean to shoot at. Assuming you are getting bragging accuracy, 100 yards may not be enough to tell a difference in two loads with "one ragged hole." Where at midrange, 300-600 yards, the natural spread will show the difference.
When I was shooting F class, I had ready access to 600 yards and did my detail testing there. I did not get a look at 800-1000 yards until a match and it was just a matter of plugging in the comeups and hoping for the best.
A 100 yard target will get you started but you should test at the range you mean to shoot at. Assuming you are getting bragging accuracy, 100 yards may not be enough to tell a difference in two loads with "one ragged hole." Where at midrange, 300-600 yards, the natural spread will show the difference.
When I was shooting F class, I had ready access to 600 yards and did my detail testing there. I did not get a look at 800-1000 yards until a match and it was just a matter of plugging in the comeups and hoping for the best.