Flight time vs recoil for Spotting impacts

[TimberHunter]

Wanted to share what I’ve seen in my limited experience and see what others are seeing.

Most of my longer range shooting takes place with a 6.5cm. Before last year that was the 143/147 around 2650fps. After chopping barrel to 18”, velocity is just over 2500fps now.

I then jumped on the 22 cal wagon and tried out a 22-250 tikka 1:8 with 75 ELDM. Recoil was substantially less but my ability to spot impacts was similar to the 6.5cm despite being 50% less recoil (both rifles are tikka so sticks are the same).

Now I’m putting together a 6 arc with the hope that is the happy medium of slow enough to spot and light recoil (108’s around 2650 fps)

So what I’m seeing is there may be a fine line between recoil and velocity to be able to spot impacts/misses. Can’t push it to fast otherwise you won’t be able to see the impact (assuming to an avg dude with less than perfect form)

Anyone else experience the same?


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[Macintosh]

What are you not seeing with the 22-250 that you are with the 6.5? Is it bullet trace, splash from impact in dirt, steel target reaction or animal reaction?
Wondering if its a function of bullet size as much as velocity.

 

[TimberHunter]

What are you not seeing with the 22-250 that you are with the 6.5? Is it bullet trace, splash from impact in dirt, steel target reaction or animal reaction?
Wondering if its a function of bullet size as much as velocity.

Interesting thought… it’s not trace since these rifles are hunting rifle weights and do move when shot. It’s the hit on the rock or the miss in the dirt that seems to be the difference. Size of projectile could probably explain the difference.

I had assumed it was the bullet getting there too fast and me seeing the tail end of the bullet/target interaction but it could also be the smaller interaction due to a smaller bullet

Wonder what the happy middle ground of be? I know a lot of PRS guys like the 6mm stuff


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[Stinky Coyote]

seen it mentioned several times in threads like 6mm vs 6.5mm etc. and who goes from one to the other and back etc. and several times I see guys go back to 6.5 for spotting impacts better and getting better audibles on steel and having enough wallop factor to knock the 1000 yard rams over lol....

now, we hunters don't need to hear or knock over the 1000 yard rams but they do also corroborate the better splash spotting, bigger (and or, heavier?) pills seem to help here, not a lot of discussion on the subject though as relating to hunting vs the high volume range shooters and competitors that pick up on this more than the hunters tend too

several reasons and not fully explainable rationally my minimum bullet weight is 120 gr for big game hunting, it's a personal comfort thing, but it goes with my minimum .25 sd goals and .5 g1 bc goals and also construction type preferred, this puts all the 6mm/.22 cal in my review mirror and not allowed to hunt with .22 here anyway...subjectively; when I shed half a bullet I still want something weighing a reasonable amount and looking like a bullet or what's left of a real bullet comfort but take a little comfort in it likely easier to spot misses with also, there's gotta be a happy medium in there somewhere

I do like the question here though in tof and 'recovery time' to spot as a factor also, interesting observation or question. The recoil control, once to a certain point, maybe being less of a factor and balance point allows one to move up in bullet size/weight and tof allows enough recovery. I like it. Maybe we've chased the small light stuff far enough and moved past the balance of efficiency considering all the factors?

an interesting thread about going from 6 to 6.5 and he talks about some of these things

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/18387162/1

I'd love for this to spin off the 6GT with hornady and some 123-130 eldm stuff, I like off the shelf white box match and nicer rifles than howa mini's and ruger muricans etc. so would quickly shift off x39 case grendels etc. to a factory available 6.5GT as my light hitter, few other reasons than just short action rebarrel but barrel life light hitter which I love about grendel and also a full pressure load from factory ammo vs the AR pressure grendel/arc stuff to get that 100 fps back without needing to reload. Will be fun to watch the gt and see if it grows off the shelf regular. It looks to be the answer to a lot of things I don't like about the x39 case stuff.

 

[Castle Rock]

Work on your technique squaring up behind the rifle and controlling recoil so you can watch the trace

 

[General RE LEE]

22-250 is getting to target much faster than 6.5 CM. Even with less recoil, the bullet is already at the area of the target with the 22-250 by the time you’re recovered to see what happened.

My 6 ARC Howa Mini 22” barrel is awesome for spotting impacts. I’ve got a Varget load and 108 ELDM going 2650. Great velocity to see what’s going on down range.

My 20” 6.5 Creedmoor also shoots 2650 with 143 ELDX and I can spot impacts easily with it as well.

 

[Justin Crossley]

Wanted to share what I’ve seen in my limited experience and see what others are seeing.

Most of my longer range shooting takes place with a 6.5cm. Before last year that was the 143/147 around 2650fps. After chopping barrel to 18”, velocity is just over 2500fps now.

I then jumped on the 22 cal wagon and tried out a 22-250 tikka 1:8 with 75 ELDM. Recoil was substantially less but my ability to spot impacts was similar to the 6.5cm despite being 50% less recoil (both rifles are tikka so sticks are the same).

Now I’m putting together a 6 arc with the hope that is the happy medium of slow enough to spot and light recoil (108’s around 2650 fps)

So what I’m seeing is there may be a fine line between recoil and velocity to be able to spot impacts/misses. Can’t push it to fast otherwise you won’t be able to see the impact (assuming to an avg dude with less than perfect form)

Anyone else experience the same?


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Train yourself to keep your eye open through the shot and recoil. It takes time for your eye to blink and then refocus so the faster 22-250 is getting to the target while your eye is still closed or not yet focused.

This is something I've been working on for spotting shots when the targets are closer and I have the same issue.

 

[General RE LEE]

FYI

My Tikka 6.5 PRC is shooting dimes with H4831SC/143 ELDX at only 2800 FPS. I could switch powders to get an extra 100-150 FPS, but I can spot my impacts at longer distances at 2800 FPS. I probably won’t do much further load development.