RECENTLY , a seasoned deer hunter told me he didn ’ t know the difference between a . 243 , a . 308 , and a 30-06 cartridge . Despite decades of great hunts , he had no clue . And he ’ s not alone . My guess is about 80 per cent of hunters have only a general understanding of their ammo , at best .

There ’ s ballistic information for your chosen

ALLEN MACARTNEY

cartridge on cards , on a box of ammunition , and online , as well as comparison statistics for a wide range of cartridges . It pays to choose a cartridge and rifle combination knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each . You can weigh the differences so you end up with the near perfect cartridge for your hunt or target shooting . All you ’ ll need is that ballistics card and a clear idea of what type of shooting you ’ re planning .

I ’ ll look at six popular cartridges : . 223 , . 243 , . 308 , 30-06 , 300 Winchester Magnum , and 7-mm Remington Magnum . We ’ ll evaluate these using the ballistics table below , and you can follow the pattern for any other cartridge . We ’ ll consider three scenarios and work them through .

SCENARIO 1

A female shooter wants a cartridge for deer hunting and long-range target shooting ( out to 900 metres ). Her biggest requirement is the least possible recoil .

Magnum cartridges are for long-range shooting or very big game like moose or elk , but they pack a heavy recoil punch – not something she wants . So we look at the table below and drop the 300 Win Mag and 7 mm Rem Mag off our list . That puts us down to four cartridges .

The . 223 comes in a variety of very small bullets , ranging from 40 to 75 grains . But bullets that small are for much smaller animals than deer . And , according to our ballistics card , the . 223 bullet drops below supersonic speed at 800 metres . A bullet slower than supersonic is less stable and less accurate . It ’ s easily blown by wind – not good for precision target practice out to 900 metres . Drop it off the list .

The 30-06 is a heavy-hitting round for moose or deer , and the . 308 is particularly good for deer . ( A deer bullet needs to be at least 105 grains .) According to our chart , both bullets stay above supersonic speed beyond 1,100 metres . That ’ s good for this lady . And at long range , both cartridges deliver about 500 foot pounds ( ft / lbs ) of energy or more – the bullet ’ s knock-down power . ( A clean kill of a deer-sized animal requires at least 400 ft / lbs of energy .) So far these cartridges are looking good , but both kick pretty hard , especially if the shooter weighs only 125 lbs . or so . Drop them off the list . Only one cartridge remains – the . 243 .

According to the chart , the . 243 maintains supersonic speed out to 1,100 metres , providing good stable flight . The bullet energy ( i . e . knock-down power ) at 1,000 metres is 388 ft / lbs – below the minimum 400 ft / lbs needed . However , at the woman ’ s maximum chosen shooting range of 900 metres , bullet energy will be well above the 400 threshold . And the . 243 has gentle recoil . This cartridge is the right choice , providing outstanding longrange accuracy , and knock-down capability for the lady when she ’ s hunting .

SCENARIO 2 A farmer wants the best cartridge for him and his teenage son to keep coyotes and other varmints away from sheep and cattle . He ’ d also like a cartridge good enough for target shooting out to 300 metres .

Looking at the ballistics table , all our cartridges stay above supersonic speeds well beyond 300 metres , and they all maintain energy above 400 ft / lbs at that distance . A coyote-sized animal can be killed cleanly with a well-placed bullet as small as 45 grains . Either the . 223 or . 243 would provide the power and accuracy the farmer needs . Larger cartridges would be expensive , and either shooter might flinch from their sharper recoil , making coyote hits less likely . Besides , the . 223 and . 243 are fun cartridges to fire !

SCENARIO 3 You ’ re interested in extreme long-range target shooting of 1,200 metres , and possibly moose hunting at close to medium ranges .

Long-range shooting requires a magnum cartridge to reach out accurately . Our ballistics table shows that you ’ re limited to the 300 Win Mag , 7mm Rem Mag or 30-06 ( though the 30-06 isn ’ t an “ official ” magnum round ). All three stay above supersonic speed at 1,200 metres .

A clean moose kill requires at least a 150 grain bullet ( a bigger one is better ). All three of these cartridges offer bullet grains above that limit . Perfect !

Now that you ’ ve chosen the perfect cartridge for the next shoot , just find the right rifle . Knowing how to use a ballistics card or comparison table means an informed choice based on statistics , not guesses . Check out the whole process on the Sniper 101 Part 3 YouTube video series .

LONG-RANGE CARTRIDGE COMPARISON

“ Max supersonic speed ” is a ballistic card phrase that is time-honoured , but misleading . In the chart below , it means the distance in metres at which a bullet slows below supersonic speed .

Cartridge Energy ( ft / lbs ) Max supersonic Bullet weight at 500m at 1000m distance ( m ) ( grains )

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