altitude

[prairie flinter]

 I have an elk hunt booked for this fall in Montana. I'm planing on using my .54 flinter if conditions are favorable. I was wondering how much a change in altitude will affect ballistics. 

[Herb]

It makes a difference.  Go to Hornady Ballistics Calculator.  From that page select Advanced Ballistics Calculator.  When that comes up, select from Basic to Advanced.  Your Ballistic Coefficient for a .54 roudball is about .075.  Weight of ball about 225 grains.  Velocity- if you don't know, I can give a close estimate from your powder and charge.  Maximum range- I'd go 200 yards.  Interval- use 25 yards.  Zero range- 125 yards.  Sight Height- .75 inches.  Wind speed- use 10 mph.  Temperature- 40 degrees.  Altitude- whatever.  I just hunted at 7200 feet.  Here you can change it and see what difference it makes.  My range is about 6000 feet, but the extra 1200 feet lessened the drop at 200 yards.  You try out some different inlputs and you will see.  This is a wonderful calculator, you can print out your results.  Try different sighting ranges, velocities, and so on.

[prairie flinter]

   Thanks Herb for the great tip.  My load is 105gr. goex ff, 530 ball, 10oz. denim patch in a 38in. sq.rifeling Rice barrel.  I used 1750 for velocity.  Was suprised at the differance in wind drift.  2in. at 100yards.  I was planing on limiting my shot to 125 yards,but maybe thats to far looking at those energy numbers.   Thanks again.

[Daryl]

PFlinter- don't worry about book numbers - they are only there to impress people who don't know they are usless in determining the actual killing power of your load.

I observed the results of a fellow's shot at a big bull moose at a lasered 170yards.  He was using a 28" barreled TC with patched .530" RB and 100gr. (stricken measure)Pyrodex.

The ball had around 200fpe at impact, yet holed the on-side rib, coursed through the left lung, centered the heart, then the right lung through another rib and was against the hide on the off side.  The bull ran like a racehorse for 40yards and dropped dead while running.

It is where you hit them that counts. Once must stay withing one's comfort zone - whatever is good for you, is just great! Just don't worry about paper numbers that mean nothing.

[navygunner]

Nice post Daryl. Too many people get caught up in the numbers game i.e magnum this or that. I know I did and suffered a broken collar bone for it. I now just shoot Remington 405s  in my 45/70.

[Hungry Horse]

 As we say in California, ballistics are hard to judge when you are high.

                  Hungry Horse