Best offhand caliber

At our clubs first blanket shoot (for this year) a bunch of us sitting at the picnic tables got into a heated discussion about "the best caliber for shooting offhand at 100 yards" I think there were 8 of us in this discussion and obviously they were eight different opinions. Several of the guys said that 40 caliber was best because of the number of national matches it's won, another one of the guys claimed 54 caliber was the best because it would buck the wind better. We all agreed that 40 caliber was the minimum (36 caliber is a great gun but lacks consistency at 100 yards). Several of the guys said 50 caliber was the most accurate.

Currently I'm doing all my match shooting with a 45 caliber GPR not because I think it's more accurate than the other calibers but because I had ball molds for the 45 and none for the 40, when I ordered the barrel.

IMO it's not that the 40 caliber is more accurate, it's because the 40 is as consistent at 100 yards as the others but has the least amount of recoil , if you can remove some of the recoil it helps to reduce one of the Variables .

Several of the guys claimed that the 40 caliber was ballistically superior to the 45, 50 or 54, I let that go in one ear and out the other knowing that when it comes to the ballistic coefficiency round balls (which isn't very good) the worst one being # 9 shot and it slightly increases as the diameter increases (but not by whole lot).

I better stop here and let somebody else do the talking

 

Absolutely LOVE your new look. Nice red cape too! ::
This is an interesting topic and I have NO experience at offhand shooting except at rabbits, deer, squirrels and such.
Offhand target shooting is something I want to get into, that's one reason I bought a birddog6 Bucks Co. in .40.
I don't have a degree in ballistics science, but I have an opinion and as you all know I'm not bashfull about expressing myself. ( I do have 2 science degrees, but that don't make me smart neither :
I have studied ballistics, interior, exterior and terminal. The roundball is horrible as a projectile in ANY size. The only thing worse would be a cube.
I think the .40 is so popular in matches is because recoil is very manageable, powder charges are stingy and it bucks the wind well because it's- SMALL !
Within reason smaller, faster projectiles offer LESS wind resistance than bigger slower one.
There! That orta fire up some heated debate. ::

 

If you shot a 32cal.roundball and 1 in. roundball @ 1000fps @ 45% angle which one would go the farthest?

 

[vanstg]

I think the 1 inch roundball would go farther. For lead roundballs, the larger the caliber, the higher the ballistic coefficient.

 

I may be mistaken, but I think a guy named Gallilio tried this several hundred years back (big cannon ball, little cannon ball, tower of Pizza ect.). Same velocity, same angle, they land at the same time. His work is the basis of our present balistic science I believe. Variations in range result from variations in trajectory, velocity and ballistic Coificient.
In modern shooting some calibers are intrinsically more accurate than others due to BC, velocity and bearing surface contact available in given calibers,.40 is one of the "magic numbers".
In BP guns I agree with the consisus, all other things being equil, the lighter recoil is the key. Most shooters are not as good, or as tough, as they think they are and "flinch control" becomes the dominant aspect of their true shooting skill. Sometimes sanding at the fireing line and watching the movement associated with hang fires and misfires and pan flashes is hilarious.

 

 

Here's 40, 45 and 50 /1000fps/sight-in @ 100yd/10mph crosswind/

 

[Stumpkiller]

Several of the guys claimed that the 40 caliber was ballistically superior to the 45, 50 or 54, I let that go in one ear and out the other knowing that when it comes to the ballistic coefficiency round balls (which isn't very good) the worst one being # 9 shot and it slightly increases as the diameter increases (but not by whole lot).

A sphere, is a sphere, is a sphere . . .

Ballistic Coefficient (BC) is basically a measure of how streamlined a bullet is; that is, how well it cuts through the air. Mathematically, it is the ratio of a bullet's sectional density to its coefficient of form. Ballistic Coefficient is essentially a measure of air drag. The higher the number the less drag, and the more efficiently the bullet cuts through the air. So for purposes of flying through the air efficiently, the bigger the BC number the better.

AND

Sectional density (SD) is the numerical result of a calculation that compares a bullet's weight to its diameter. To calculate a bullet's sectional density divide the bullet's weight (in pounds) by its diameter (in inches), squared. The higher the SD number the better the SD, and the heavier a bullet is in proportion to its diameter.SD is important because it has a significant effect on penetration. Other things being equal (like impact velocity, bullet design and material, etc.) the higher the SD number, the better the bullet's penetration.

So . . .

.440 ball = SD 0.1012
.490 ball = SD 0.1065
.530 ball = SD 0.1149

The larger the ball, the larger the sectional density. Bigger = better.

In addition to wind bucking; the target is the same size for all calibers. A ball striking .25" beside a line will cause the 45 caliber to score in the lower region, while the .54 will cut the line and score in the higher region (unless you're using a scoring plug that shows center)

 

the target is the same size for all calibers. A ball striking .25" beside a line will cause the 45 caliber to score in the lower region, while the .54 will cut the line and score in the higher region

With this in mind I used a .54 in match for the last 12 years.

 

I'm still waiting for the 36 lovers to come looking for my head :: :: ::

 

[TwoShadows]

Our club has shooters ranging in caliber from .29 to .62. I will go ahead here and state that "dink" counts just as much as "BOOONG" on woodswalk type gongs, which is a normal activity for us. HOWEVER ( there's always a however isn't there?), It is much easier to register a hit from the bigger bores than the small ones. One cannot always rely on sound to say the shooter has a hit....but a swinging target is prety much a dead giveaway. Our targets must be built heavy enough to withstand the larger calibers, hence they are heavy and sometimes harder for the smaller caliber guns to move sucessfully. Targets such as splitting the ball on an axe blade or card cutting etc, are simpler with the larger caliber also because you are slinging a broader ball at the target...meaning you have a greater chance of making the shot with a wide ball than a smaller one...Hail Mary shooting as it were, but when this shooting is all done offhand while traipsing across the hillsides, it does make quite a difference in the final outcome.

 

[Ohio Joe]

I don't believe there is a "best" offhand caliber... I believe we all have our favorite caliber's that we like and we work hard to learn those caliber's like's and dislike's so we are capable of shooting good scores... I have heard shooter's refer to the "magical" load which creates 2000 fps so their rifle will shoot flat... We all know that's not so... I have heard shooter's talk about loading lite, and that does make sense, since you reduce recoil, assure yourself of complete powder burn, less fouling, more even barrel temperature, and your only punching a hole in paper, or ringing a gong... (Yes, you would load heavier if your trying to knock over silhouettes) You still need to know how to read the wind, and control your shooting mechanics... These are my thoughts on this subject, but I'm not always right either. Everyone has their own opinion of best caliber, and if it works for you, keep that caliber working for you...

 

[Stumpkiller]

Thats all very true. I do 85% of my shooting offhand. Most of the rest sitting with my arms resting on my crossed legs. I can't tell you the last time I sat at a shooting bench. It's been at least 15 years. I also shoot few guns (I've never owned more that 4 M/L at one time), so the gun I am target shooting with is likely the gun I deer, squirrel and bunny hunt with. There's a lot to be said for being very familiar with the fit, feel and function of your gun, and especially with the ballistics of the projectile as fired by it over varying ranges.

 

[roundball]

I use a similar approach at the range...do all my shooting sitting in a small chair mainly to practice like sitting in a treestand...and it's amazing how solid that position is when you brace your arm down on your chest, etc

 

The reasoning I posted this topic was to debunk those who have told me that this caliber or that caliber is more accurate than the other caliber. Any caliber from 40 to 54 is capable of winning the 100 yard offhand match at nationals, it's not the caliber or the gun that wins, it's the shooter

Here are the numbers for everybody to crunch on. The chart below you'll notice that the precentral increase in frontal area does not keep up with the percentral increase in mass, when increasing the diameter of round ball. This explains increase in ballistic coefficiency of round ball when the ball sizes increased

 

[frontloader]

Hey Roaddog. Heard a saying once. Be afraid of the man who shoots only one gun.

 

[Ohio Joe]

Here is the NMLRA Official Rule (10560) for scoring a ringed number value target... "A shot takes the value indicated by the center of the shot hole. If this center touches one of the scoring rings of the target, it is credited with the value of that ring..." This scoring rule clearly gives no advantage whatsoever to any caliber of ball as it must split the ring 50/50 or better to be credited with the higher scoring ring value... Frontal area of a given ball diameter means nothing when shooting for high score on paper... As you said, roaddog, "it is the shooter that wins"...