OT How Far Will A .308 Shoot????? - Trapshooters Forum

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ONE EYE O How far will it shoot and still be deadly. What degree of elevation would you have to aim in order to get the bullet there? Our gun club has a county road 1.6 miles from us and some are worried the bullet will travel that far. I say no way!!! I shoot long yardage regularly 600 meters and i have to put about 40 minutes to get out to 1000 yrds. So this road is 1.6 miles plus 24 feet in elevation and I dont think you could ACCIDENTLY get there. I would think you would have to load maximum velocities and aim way above the berm to get there. So if anybody can crunch the numbers and end this confusion. Thank you Status Not open for further replies. #1 · Mar 28, 2008 How far will it shoot and still be deadly. What degree of elevation would you have to aim in order to get the bullet there? Our gun club has a county road 1.6 miles from us and some are worried the bullet will travel that far. I say no way!!! I shoot long yardage regularly 600 meters and i have to put about 40 minutes to get out to 1000 yrds. So this road is 1.6 miles plus 24 feet in elevation and I dont think you could ACCIDENTLY get there. I would think you would have to load maximum velocities and aim way above the berm to get there. So if anybody can crunch the numbers and end this confusion. Thank you Sort by Oldest first Oldest first Newest first Most reactions #2 · Mar 28, 2008 The maximum range of most high power rifles is way over 1 1/2 miles. I don't remember the exact number but 22 long rifles will carry that far with the right elevation. #3 · Mar 28, 2008 The humble 22lr boxes used to read "Range one mile, be careful". I believe I was told that the 7.62 NATO (.308 Winchester) had a 4 mile range. (edited the typo of 7.72 NATO) #4 · Mar 28, 2008 I think the correct designation is 7.62NATO which equates to a 30 caliber projectile. A .308 is 7.62 X 51 if I remember right. #5 · Mar 28, 2008 Depending on bullet weight and shape the max range will vary from 3500 to 4500 yards. This is according to the tables in the Lyman 46th edition reloading hand book. Jim #6 · Mar 28, 2008 A lot depends on which way the wind is blowing and the weight of the bullet. HMB #7 · Mar 28, 2008 First off MR Ducks a 7.62 nato is 7.62X51 the .308 Winchester is 7.62x51 Winchester came out with the .308 before NATO adopted the 7.62x51 My .308 which is a Rem.40X with a 30 in barrel will launch a 175 grain SMK at 2,800 FPS. at 5,000 feet above sea level and the gun elevated to 45 Deg. the terminal distance is over 5,000 yards and when it strikes the ground it will hit at 550 feet per second. Yes it will still kill you at 3.25 miles away. George #8 · Mar 28, 2008 M R Ducks, One Eye asked a question on how far a 308 would travel. He never mentioned anything about factory loaded ammo. What does your statement suppose to mean? If a member of One Eye's club decides to reload with long range bullets there going to go alot further then your 1.6 miles if there is a accidental discharge when the gun is elevated. #9 · Mar 28, 2008 I had a few in the trunk of my car that went to west VA. and back from Ohio ! :eek:

)~ (OH WELL) #10 · Mar 28, 2008 This outfit explains it quite well. http://www.loadammo.com/Topics/May01.htm #11 · Mar 28, 2008 M R Ducks, I was just confused about the factory and reload distance.You did not create any stir. I know a club in Pa where a major route is directly in line with the 100,200 and 300 ranges about 1/2 mile away. only the road is elevated a few 100 feet above the berm. I would not have a problem with shooting where the back stop is a mile away from a road. There is a club near where I live in Pa. where a 30 cal. round left the range and wound up in the bedroom close to where a young child sleeps. It made all the news channels. #12 · Mar 28, 2008 ONE EYE, quote: "OT How far will a .308 shoot????? How far will it shoot and still be deadly. What degree of elevation would you have to aim in order to get the bullet there? Our gun club has a county road 1.6 miles from us and some are worried the bullet will travel that far. I say no way!!! I shoot long yardage regularly 600 meters and i have to put about 40 minutes to get out to 1000 yrds. So this road is 1.6 miles plus 24 feet in elevation and I dont think you could ACCIDENTLY get there. I would think you would have to load maximum velocities and aim way above the berm to get there. So if anybody can crunch the numbers and end this confusion. Thank you Maximum range for 7.62x51 NATO, which is the all but twin brother of the 308 Winchester, is 3600 meters. That's about 3900 yards, or 11700 feet. Divide that by 5280 and you get 2.21 miles. As far as maximum EFFECTIVE range goes, the Army considers it to be 800 meters and the USMC considers it to be 1000 meters. That's the maximum range that they consider the cartridge to be an effective, aimed killing shot. Note the word "aimed". The cartridge WILL kill at ranges far in excess of that. Unless your club has a limit on cartridge size, there are hunting cartridges that will shoot even further. Up to 5 miles with enough powder and a heavy enough bullet. The old 45-70 Gov't with the 500 grain blackpowder Trapdoor load can easily go 2 miles, and is deadly at that range because of bullet mass. In fact, the military tested the 45-70 for such purposes in the Sandy Hook Trials of 1879, and found the 500 grainers would penetrate 5-1/2" of wood. The military considers 1/2" penetration of wood to be enough to kill a man. #13 · Mar 28, 2008 I found another source that states some of the heavy boat tail match bullets in a .308 will go out to 4.2 miles. #14 · Mar 28, 2008 If I remember the .308 held the world's distance record per group shot for a very long time....correct me if I am wrong. Forrest #15 · Mar 28, 2008 At 500 yds: aiming at the bullseye, gun sighted in to shoot 1" high at 100 yds, my .308 with 180 gr. bullets, drops just over 60"(5')... #16 · Mar 28, 2008 Always know whats beyond your target...where have we heard this before? #17 · Mar 29, 2008 Ah, come on, any lead moving fast, say even 100 mph like a baseball could maim hitting soft tissue...like an eye. I once was hit in the thigh at a semi-controlled shooting range in the desert from a .22. Now that left a bruise and hurt..through Levis. Some projectile may not kill, but sure can do damage 'cause the projectile is made of a dense material, lead. Would you let a major league pitcher throw a 160 gr. bullet at 90 mph at you? I think not, it would really hurt big time and likely do something serious. #18 · Mar 29, 2008 I would guess 3.08 miles and if you have a mile of trees between the 1.2 miles before the road , id say the 308 bullet has a slim to none chance of making the road, dont you think?? Bill #19 · Mar 29, 2008 The 7.62/308 round is loaded to near 60,000 PSI. It always has been, and will be for a long time. The 7.62X51 project began shortly after World War ONE. With typical government efficiency, it FINALLY was introduced shortly after World War TWO. Actually, the two cartridges ARE different, but are close enough to generally be interchangeable. The 7.62 Nato typically has a little more headspace than the 308. Probably by design, the vast majority of rifles have the 7.62 chamber. The 30/06, which has rifles over one hundred years old chambered for it, HAS been watered down, to around 58,000 PSI. Powder, made for the task, allows the smaller 308 to equal military 30/06 loads. If modern bolt action rifles and certain powders are used, the 30/06 can push a 165 gr bullet at 3000 fps. If bolt action rifles loaded with maximum loads of certain powders are used, the 308 can push a 150 gr bullet at 3000 fps. These speeds are attainable in a 22" hunting barrel. Either of these loads are POISON in military auto rifles. The 30/06 factory 165 at 2810, or the 308, with a 150 at 2860, will do the job very well, thank you. LOL Being very old, I prefer the stodgy 30/06. It overshadows the 308 with bullets over 175 grains. It is very suitable to launch a premium 220 gr bullet for heavy game that can bite or stomp you. My favorite bullet weight in my region of the Southeast is the 165 gr. I prefer the 150 gr in the 308. For Match, I like the 168 SMK (Sierra Match King) in either, although the '06 can do well with the 190 SMK. BTW, military charts show the MAXIMUM range of the 7.62 is 4666 yards. This is undoubtedly under the best conditions of wind and muzzle angle. #20 · Mar 29, 2008 Go to the NRA site and order the 'range source book' in a cd form for about twenty-five dollars or so. In the book form it is or was 476 pages and costs more. It has all the info you need to design a safe range with sound mitagation and over head timbers to contain any errant shots. Yes a 308 will travel that 1.6 miles. Do what you can now to make that range safe while you still have it. Sooner or later some Nimrod will put one off into the wild blue while messing with some sort of malfuntion and it will hit somewhere not intended and you will be shut down. Our high power range was shut down years ago as a result of a'magic' bullet that supposedly did a 90 degree turn in midflight and hit a house a mile or so away. Of course after the range got shut down some axxhole up town at the bar fessed up to shooting at a wood chuck with some 30 caliber something or other while he was directly inline with mentioned home. Too late we were shut down as far as centerfire rifles and will not probably ever get back to it. Bill #21 · Apr 1, 2008 Thanks everybody for your input, but I have to say no matter how much money we spend to baffle and change the direction were shooting we still have some liability from just stupid things. #22 · Apr 1, 2008 Was it Einstein who said that the only infinite things were the Universe and stupidity? He then said he was not sure about the Universe. LOL #23 · Apr 1, 2008 I just hooked up with a ballistic program and keyed in the 175 SMK at 2550, which the 308 will do. The maximum range is, and hold on to your hat, FIVE THOUSAND, ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN YARDS. This is TWO POINT NINE MILES. I knew the 175 Sierra was slippery, but DAMN! This is the standard load when shooting a 308 over 600 yards. I remember, when I was a kid, reading that boat tailed 30/06 military out of a machine gun had a maximum range of 5500 yards. Yes, when I was a kid, the 30/06 was still the US Military round. The site is above. #24 · Apr 1, 2008 When I was in the Army back in 56 or so, our M-1 Tanks had a 90mm gun. They told us it reach out, at it's highest trajectory to somewhere around 22 to 25 miles. Hauxfan! #25 · Apr 1, 2008 And the normal loading for the 308 Winchester Palma round will go 3.145 miles or 5,536 yards. #26 · Apr 2, 2008 The road is in range of most any hunting rifle caliber. The best way to assure no one will launch on over the berm is to install some type of baffle above the shooting position so the rifle can not even see over the berm from the shooting position. If a shot was headed for over the berm it would have to first go through the baffle witch would slow the bullet down so that it would fall way short of the road if an accident happened. On club I shoot at uses plastic drain tile at each shooting position, another commercial range uses wood 1x12's in front of the shooting positions. Both ranges you can not see the top of the berm when in the shooting position. The NRA book would be a good read on the subject. tom Status Not open for further replies. You have insufficient privileges to reply here.

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