One of these days I will buy a chronograph but until then I was curious what was the deviation in muzzle velocity from the published muzzle velocity for a load or factory cartridges?

So what I am asking is if the load is suppose to be 2700fps did your load in your rifle come in at 2650 or some other number.

Thanks,

Jim

I know it is different for each rifle, temperature, altitude......

Many custom chambers are "faster" than the published number. Minimum chamber specs, throat, freebore, bore diameter, etc. affect velocity. With factory rifles and ammo you never know until you check the velocity.

I have been using a chronograph now for 20 years now. I have seen all kinds of different velocities. Pick one up you will have tons of fun chronographing your loads.

Jason

Each rifle and load combination is different. Couple that with variations load to load, cold/ hot day, etc.etc..
So to answer your question. There is no one answer for all rifles.
When you do get your chronograph you will have an eye opening experience. Then the fun begins.

muck

I been using chronograph from the early 80's hundreds of loads, dozens of differant firearms.

One of the best factory loads was 165gr 30-06 federal premium it had a SD of just 8

I have had handloads do close to the same but also had handloads and factory loads in the 30 to 50 fps SD.

Each firearm is its own and each load has it own.

The best way to ruin your perfect hunting rifle is to chronograph it. It a good possiblelty that its not shooting as fast as you thought.

I don't have that trouble because I chrongraph all of them before I use them seriously.

Yes, I understand each rifle is seperate but I was wondering what difference from the published standard.

Like P dog shooter metnion he has some close and some loads in the 30 to 50 fps difference,

I just think for us without a chronograph we buy or reload ammo and look at the trajectory or drop in bullet for the published muzzle velocity thinking it is one thing at 300 yards and it may be something quite different.

Is the difference in published muzzle velocity and actual going to cause a miss at 300 yards when you are sighted in at 100 yards?

quote:

Originally posted by Singleshot03:
Yes, I understand each rifle is seperate but I was wondering what difference from the published standard.

Like P dog shooter metnion he has some close and some loads in the 30 to 50 fps difference,

I just think for us without a chronograph we buy or reload ammo and look at the trajectory or drop in bullet for the published muzzle velocity thinking it is one thing at 300 yards and it may be something quite different.

Is the difference in published muzzle velocity and actual going to cause a miss at 300 yards when you are sighted in at 100 yards?

Why don't you shoot your loads @ 100yds/200yds and 300yds and compare those drop tables to what ever data you want to use? You don't need a chronograph to do that.

Tom, so I see what you are saying. I never thought of that. You might be able to infer a muzzle velocity from that data; which would give you the drop at 400, 500....

Jim

Frequently loading manual velocity quotes will be 250 or 300 fps higher than actual velocities achieved by the reloader in his firearm. They use tight chambers and tight bores which create higher pressures. By firing out to 300 yards you can get some idea of your actual velocity but a chronograph is the only way to know for sure. To answer singleshots question: Yes, frequently only a 100 yard zero is insufficient for shooting at longer ranges.

Once you have the Vel the BC I find that the tables can be really close. But with out that information they don't work.

I have my own 700 yard range I found that the tables are a good place to start but I wouldn't relay totally on them.

The farther the range the more chance they have to be off. Being a bit off at a hundred dosen't mean you well miss a deer at 300 but could mean a miss at 500.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
I been using chronograph from the early 80's hundreds of loads, dozens of differant firearms.

One of the best factory loads was 165gr 30-06 federal premium it had a SD of just 8

I have had handloads do close to the same but also had handloads and factory loads in the 30 to 50 fps SD.

Each firearm is its own and each load has it own.

The best way to ruin your perfect hunting rifle is to chronograph it. It a good possiblelty that its not shooting as fast as you thought.

I don't have that trouble because I chrongraph all of them before I use them seriously.

On the rifle cast loads I have perfected I have SD's in the single digits. Low SD's shows your powder is burning efficiently and consistent.

quote:

Frequently loading manual velocity quotes will be 250 or 300 fps higher than actual velocities achieved by the reloader in his firearm. They use tight chambers and tight bores which create higher pressures...

This is hardly universally true. Nosler for example uses special pressure barrels to obtain both pressure and velocity measurements. Hornady and Sierra however use factory hunting rifles for the vast majority of their chronographing, while Speer and Lyman use both methods. With the advent of Ohler's piezometric pressure instruments, more and more manuals are using factory rifles for pressure measurement too.

Much of the variation between listed velocities and chronographed velocities lies in the components. I have changed lots of the exact same powder and had velocities change by 100 fps - everything else the same.



.

quote:

Originally posted by Singleshot03:
Tom, so I see what you are saying. I never thought of that. You might be able to infer a muzzle velocity from that data; which would give you the drop at 400, 500....

Jim

I chronograph my load and I don't use ballistic table from a manual. I have a place that I can shoot to 1000yds and have access to couple other ranges to 600yds so I do real world bullet drop. Before I settle on a load I run them to 300yds and normally if I have any problems they show up 200/300yd.

I started reloading 1965 and I manage pretty good without a chronograph and my 7mag did drop tables out to 500yds. I used to take 4x8 sheet of plywood paint it white put black crosshair about 2/3 way up use that for a target out to 500yds.

Not quite that lucky for ranges. I test at a 100 yard range and shoot 200 to 600 and hope to have another 1K opportunity this year. With my chronographed velocity and Sierra's claculator in Sierra Suite I am gennerally on target when I get to the range, not X ring around no wind zero.

A chronograph is a good tool but not always the most important.

quote:

A chronograph is a good tool but not always the most important.

No but it along with a balistic table can save a lot of time and ammo.