Folks, I need to see if I am right or not on this. I was playing around the other night with numbers on the 460 and 500. Using 200gr Hornady polymer tips and 300gr 500 polymer tips, both at factory loads, I found that the 500 actually shot flatter than the 460. Or, I suppose I should say that bullet drop was greater with the 460 compared to the 500- all the way out.

Is there something I am missing here or calculating wrong? The 460 no doubt runs faster, but it was in the dirt earlier than the 500 at those bullet weights. This confused me because virtually everything I've read on these two say "the 500 offers more power and the 460 shoots flatter." Thanks for your help.

Well I dont know about the 460, but with 350gr bullets (factory loads) my 500 has virtually no drop at 100yards. I shot at 25yrds and then at 100 and just aimed (and hit) horizontal centerline of target at both distances without compensating

The Acceleration of Gravity knows no weight.

Ballistics isn't one of my long suits by any means, but IIRC, the distance a projectile fired level with the ground will travel before it hits the ground is determined solely by its velocity. However, how quickly a projectile slows from its initial velocity is determined by many things, air resistance and momentum being two of them.

Using my vague memories of High School physics, that means if bullets having the same Ballistic Coefficient were launched at the same velocity, the heavier one (having more momentum) would loose velocity slower and travel further.

Of course I could be wrong, but it does explain what you are seeing.
John

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@JohnnieB- that actually is helpful in understanding what my calcs are seeing because the 500's 300gr bullet has a much higher bc (.200) against the 460 with 200gr Hornady. Even though the 500's velocity is slower and its heavier, that bc could be what's making all the difference. I guess I just never thought it would make that much difference.

Like most generalizations, "the 500 offers more power and the 460 shoots flatter" hypothesis may not be 100% true all the time.

Try plugging the formula into multiple rows in a spreadsheet, vary the BC for both calibers at the same velocities and graph it so you'll be able to see where the lines intersect. Might be an interesting project when it's too cold to be at the range and you've reloaded all your empty brass.
John

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Age + Treachery = JohnnieB

I reload the 500 grain hard cast gc and the drop from 25-100 is virtually non existant..same sight picture with the irons

I would suggest trying to find ammo with equal bullet weights to do that test again. (and hopefully the same bullet profile)

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SWCA #3437

I took your suggestion and looked around for equal bullet weights and designs. I couldn't find a real match. What I did find was a 300 gr buffalo bore load (lead, flat point, bc .199). Even at 2400fps its drop still exceeds the 500 load. Admittedly, this is still not an "apples to apples" comparison.

Hey, you can only do what you can do. I thought it would be hard to find the same bullet weight in ammo for both. Thanks for the update...

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sbcman - Don't know what you are crunching numbers with, but I plugged some into this on-line Ballistics Calculator:

Ballistics Calculator - Hornady Manufacturing, Inc

I guess I'm wrong about weight, or at least it doesn't seem to matter at 1000yrds and under.
I got the same speeds decreases for 100gr and 500gr with all other parameters the same.

On the other hand, changing BC with all other parameters staying the same, changed the velocity decreases at the ranges given.

It appears that two bullets having the same BC and MV will have the same hang time, regardless of weight or caliber.

Therefore, at some velocities, a slower 500 with a better BC could have a flatter trajectory than a 460.

Ain't number crunchin' fun...

John

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Age + Treachery = JohnnieB

Thanks JohnnieB. Number crunching is fun, and in this case has seriously lead me to take another look at the 500 before I purchased a 460. For my intended purposes (whitetails) it probably wouldn't matter much with either. Nevertheless, it has given me a whole new outlook at bc. I never would have guessed it would really make THAT much difference as close as they are, but I guessed wrong. Not the first time