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How important is it?
- Thread starter mtmuley
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Potsie
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It’s important, but not the end all, be all.
I’d rank it in behind terminal ballistics and availability.
I’d rank it in behind terminal ballistics and availability.
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Forkyfinder
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For most hunting situations - not very. Like caliber choice - not significant for most game 300 yards and in.
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Wind Gypsy
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You start getting past 300 yards i've noticed lousy BCs like frequently shot in 223s getting blown around more. The vast majority of hunters don't have any business shooting at game at 300 yards or longer though - so in that case BC really doesn't matter much.
A ton of bullet options should perform well enough terminally for me. Next thing in the selection process is picking a bullet that helps in hitting where you want. BC helps with that so when comparing bullets that can be pushed at like velocities and perform adequately terminally, the one with the highest BC is more attractive. Velocity is great but it can be shed quickly with dismall BC.
A ton of bullet options should perform well enough terminally for me. Next thing in the selection process is picking a bullet that helps in hitting where you want. BC helps with that so when comparing bullets that can be pushed at like velocities and perform adequately terminally, the one with the highest BC is more attractive. Velocity is great but it can be shed quickly with dismall BC.
Point Creep
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If you're interested in shooting far, and not burning your barrel out trying to hit what you're shooting at, you have to know what it is. If you're shooting far a lot and want to have a good bullet that doesn't drift as much, you should consider higher BC options. If you enjoy shooting at and hitting rocks, targets, or whatever, extra far, then it's pretty damn important in knowing, picking a higher BC option to shoot, and using correctly as an input to your dope. If you never intend to shoot past 300 yards ever, it probably doesn't matter at all.
VikingsGuy
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While most of the attention (rightly) is on 300+ discussions, I will note that better BC (like some of the bullets in the “levolution” line) can add a good 40-50yds to the effective range of the 30-30 in the woods and fields that cartridge is common. Depending on the land one hunts that can be a big boost.
Sheltowee
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I suspect this is the beginning of an infomercial for Hammer 
BC should be *a* factor but not the sole determinative factor in selecting a hunting projectile. I'm primarily interested in consistent accuracy and retained downrange energy to 500 yards. BC would also be a consideration for wind drift if certain environments.
But yeah, driving a 92grain .375 bullet at 7000fps seems pretty cool. I think I'm going to test some of the 97 grain Hammer Hunters in my .257 Ackley during the off-season.
BC should be *a* factor but not the sole determinative factor in selecting a hunting projectile. I'm primarily interested in consistent accuracy and retained downrange energy to 500 yards. BC would also be a consideration for wind drift if certain environments.
But yeah, driving a 92grain .375 bullet at 7000fps seems pretty cool. I think I'm going to test some of the 97 grain Hammer Hunters in my .257 Ackley during the off-season.
sneakem
Well-known member
Cliff notes version: Does ballistic coefficient really matter?
Throw it at close range… meh
Throw it 50 yards… hmm..
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Dougfirtree
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Yup. And, similarly, it has been the deciding factor for me in some bullet choices for the 7mm-08. Extending your effective range from 300 to 350 is meaningful if that's what you're taking on a hunt for open-country elk, etc.
To answer the original question: I think it's one of several considerations worth your time to think about. The numbers will tell you how important it ends up being.
rjthehunter
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Depends how far you're shooting. Over 300 yards I'd start paying attention. The bullets ability to maintain velocity is nice, but with modern scopes and rangefinders, it's not quite as important as it once was.
I think the more important piece is it's resistance to wind drift. That's more of the wild card with long range shooting. Elevation is easy compared to wind drift. More forgiveness on wind calls would be more beneficial in my opinion!
Here's some #s I pulled for my 338 Win Mag.
230gr ELDX (.616 BC) - 800 yards @ 2,840 FPS
7 mph wind - 3.92 MOA
10 mph wind - 5.31 MOA
Difference of 1.39 MOA (11.68 inches off)
185gr CX (.407 BC) - 800 yards @ 3,080 FPS
7 mph wind - 5.39
10 mph wind - 7.36 MOA
Difference of 1.97 MOA (16.55 inches off)
A higher BC is a little more forgiving in this scenario, by about 5 inches.
I think the more important piece is it's resistance to wind drift. That's more of the wild card with long range shooting. Elevation is easy compared to wind drift. More forgiveness on wind calls would be more beneficial in my opinion!
Here's some #s I pulled for my 338 Win Mag.
230gr ELDX (.616 BC) - 800 yards @ 2,840 FPS
7 mph wind - 3.92 MOA
10 mph wind - 5.31 MOA
Difference of 1.39 MOA (11.68 inches off)
185gr CX (.407 BC) - 800 yards @ 3,080 FPS
7 mph wind - 5.39
10 mph wind - 7.36 MOA
Difference of 1.97 MOA (16.55 inches off)
A higher BC is a little more forgiving in this scenario, by about 5 inches.
Forkyfinder
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Missing piece to this is retained velocity (arguably more important than energy). Without enough velocity - the bullet can't expand - and can't transfer the energy into the tissue successfully.
rjthehunter
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I glossed over it right away at the beginning, but don't think it's as important as wind drift to most people. Yes, retaining velocity is important, but I am looking at this more as shooting over hunting. I'm not shooting animals at a range where I have to worry about having enough energy from my bullets.
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sclancy27
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For 90-95%+ of hunters, it doesn't matter at all.
For me, being strategic with BC (and bullet type) has allowed me to be confident with my .270 Win to ~600yds on everything elk and below. So, there's that.
Wind Gypsy
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In that case the 185 cx would be way below min desired velocity for terminal performance and the ELDx would be close to it's limits but significantly faster than the CX that had a 240 FPS head start. So yes, retained velocity matters.
rjthehunter
Well-known member
The 185 CX has 992 ft-lbs of energy and 1554 fps at 800 yards.
The 230 gr ELDX has 1,639 ft-lbs of energy and 1,792 fps at 800 yards.
Yes, velocity and energy matter when hunting. I'm assuming this theoretical 800 yard shot to be at non living things.
That being said, I had an SST poke a hole right through a whitetail with no expansion. Wasn't much of a blood trail, but the deer only went 50-60 yards before it died. I'd argue shot placement is more important than energy/velocity.
rogerthat
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It only matters if you want to actually hit where you’re aiming which in that case you shouldn’t be using a leupy or a 300 RUM anyway right muley?
