lethalconnection

Im kind of new to the whole rifle world and im just curious as to the range of rifles from the least powerful to the most. I know it maybe a dumb question but its something id like to know. Thanks for the help and the info guys.

Soilarch

http://www.chuckhawks.com/game_range_caliber.htm

Try that page. Scroll down and there's a table that puts things into perspective. There's actually alot of stuff on that page that is good general gun knowledge. Just click the "back to the rifle information page" on the bottom...then read your brains out

bigbulls

If we are talking about shoulder fired cartridges suitable for big game then we can start with the .223 and go up to the super magnums.

The .223 would have an effective range of about 250 yards on deer sized animals. Where as something like the 30-378 Weatherby, 338-378 Weatherby, or .338 Lapua then their effective range would reach about 1500 yards on a deer and about 1000 yards for elk and moose.

This is only refering the cartridges ability to fire a relatively heavy and stream lined bullet at high velocity and the bullets ability to retain that velocity and energy to extreme ranges.

These numbers do not reflect the ability of any human behind the trigger and their ability to hit the broad side of a barn at 200 yards.

saladin

at the bottom of the ladder lives the classic .22LR
at the top dwells the fearsome .460 weatherby mag

you wouldn't know that you'd fired a .22LR
you wouldn't know that you'd fired the .460 either - until you wake up in recovery and the doc tells you the jaw should be fine in 4-6 weeks!

hathaway capstick tells the tale of one client who turned up on safari with one of roy's .460's. a cape buff absorbed the whole magazine,the shooter looked like he'd gone 10 rounds with Ali

DM

I Hope you don't believe everything Capstick wrote....

I've fired the 460 enough times in a row to know that "that's" a pile of BS , and i don't like heavy recoiling rounds.

The 460 Wby. just isn't as bad as you may think, but personally i wouldn't want one.

Drilling Man

bigbulls

I think I may have misunderstood the question the first time. When you said range I was thinking distance instead of range of power. [8D]

If we are still talking about a rifle light enough to be carried hunting and shoulder fired............

The least powerful cartridge I know of is the .22short CB with a whopping 32 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle.

The most powerful I know of that you could actually get if you had the money and not just an experimental cartridge would be the 577 tyrannosaur. It can generate over 11,000 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle.

The 460 Weatherby can only generate about 7500 - 7600 foot pounds. Sorry but it is a pipsqueak compared to some others. Can you call a 460 WBY a pipsqueak? [8D]


If we look at shoulder fired guns but too dang heavy to hunt with I would think that SSK Industries 14.5mm JDJ would be at the top of the list somewhere. It fires a 1173 grain bullet at 2600 - 2700 fps and a 750 grain bullet at aproximately 3000 fps. Energy levels with the 1173 grain bullet are hovering somewhere in the 17,000 - 19,000 foot pounds range.

Dan in Alaska

I've shot the .460 Weatherby - with and without the muzzle brake.

The difference?


Three steps!

James B

BB. Would that 17-19000 LB ME be enough for elk?

Vapodog

You have asked about range and your getting answers about power.

Power does not equal range.

Velocity plus bullet weight and shape are bigger factors.

basically the 22 rimfire is a 50 yard cartridge for rabbits and squirrels and other small game. Velocity is about 1,100'/sec

There are a few short range rifles in centerfire such as the 30 carbine, the 32-20, 25-20, 22 hornet, 30-30 win, and others that vary in power but have a range of about 150 yards. Velocity is about 2,000'/sec here

There's a lot of 22 centerfires that are mostly used as varmint rounds such as the 222, 22-250, 220 Swift etc and their range varies from 250 to 400 yards. That said thy aren't terribly powerful but most can be used for deer hunting in stayes where they are legal. Velocities run 3,000 to 4,000'/sec

The big game rifles including the 270, 280, 30-06, 300 mags, 338 mags, 375 H&H are all very powerful and all have about 400 yard ranges. They all have the power to kill anything on the planet but are not allowed for dangerous game in Africa....except the .375 H&H. Velocities run from 2,500 to 3300'/sec

Then we move up to the 40 calibers and larger. These are classified as the dangerous game rifles. They shoot much heavier bullets...usually from 400 grains and up to 1,000 although most don't shoot over 500 grains of bullet.

They are immensely powerful but their velocity often times reduces the range and most of these are shot at 150 yards and less. Velocities average about 2,400'/sec

All of these categories has it's exceptions and exemptions as well.

Understanding the firearms industry is like understanding women. Give up.....you don't have a chance.

RedAllison

For sporting rifles it begins with the lowly lil .22LR (or short and CBs) and ends with the "ma duece"... 50BMG. One will stops squirrels and the other stops light armored vehicles!


RA

ps
Vap I don't think he meant range as in distance but as in the range of available calibers and their respective power in relation too each other.