.270 trajectory when shooting from tree stand?

chevychris · by **chevychris** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 6:57 pm

Hi guys, I've got a Sako .270 with scope that shoots tite groups at 100 yards inch and a half high. At my new hunting spot my tree stand will be 20 feet high overlooking an open field. I have been told sometimes the deer will cross along the far fence line which is 300 yards away. My question is considering 150gr. bullet, 20 feet up, figuring the drop from gravity affected differently because of my height, where do you think my bullet would be at that point? This is something I have always wondered about but most of the deer I shoot are close and from the ground. I just know that a 12 pointer will come out and can't get closer or set up on the ground there.Any help would be appreciated. Chris.

KwackWacker · by **KwackWacker** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 7:21 pm

I don't think your trajectory will be affected much from just 20 feet up. I have shot a lot of deer on power lines and gas lines at that distance and never worried once about the height of my stand. My .270 is sighted in for 2 inches high at a hundred and it is about 5 inches low at 300 yards.

doogie494 · by **doogie494** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 7:22 pm

without knowing what your using for a bullet i can offer this. Federal Vital-shok Nosler Partition is as follows.

100yds= 1.7, 200=zero, 300= -7.5, 400= -21.6
velocity= 2345, 2023, 1737, 1483

all this means is that from 20 yds your bullet will drop probably a little more. so either aim a little higher or drop some grains to get a flater trajectory. hope this helps

chevychris · by **chevychris** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 7:40 pm

I use 150gr. winchester superX cxp3 which I have shot 3 moose with. So it is good that you do not think I have to hold much higher then. I just wondered what the 20 ft. height difference would do whether it would reduce the drop or increase it.

KwackWacker · by **KwackWacker** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 7:52 pm

It will reduce it but not a very noticeable amount. Shooting uphill increases the bullets drop shooting downhill decreaces it.

chevychris · by **chevychris** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 8:22 pm

Thanks for the help guys!! I am now more confident about this spot and where my bullet will be I have a good rest attached to my treestand to help me. I would probably have held higher than I needed to and might have blown it. Thanks again! Chris.

DocHolladay · by **DocHolladay** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 3:35 am

Me personally, wouldnt worry about it at 300yds as long as you know what your rifle will do accuracy wise at that distance. If you know that it hits 5in low(just as an example) at 300yds, when zero'd at 200yds, then aim 5in. high at 300. I dont see that much difference in being 20ft. off the ground and shooting 300yds, than I do being at ground level and shooting 300yds. Just make sure that you have a good rest available and do your part when shooting the rifle at that distance. As I stated, if you know your rifle, there shouldnt be any difficuties making this shot. I would also try and think about how the bullet is going to drop in on the deer. Think of where the bullet is going to exit the deer based on where you hit it and this should also increase your chances of making a better shot.

Just my .03 cents worth

chevychris · by **chevychris** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 7:20 pm

Thanks for the info guys! Now I know where to aim at 300yds. from my stand. I have a good solid rest and now the confidence to take the shot! Chris.

progers · by **progers** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:14 pm

Just remember that when you are hunting high and you are a considerable amount higher than the deer then, compensate on the point on the body that you shoot at because if you put it on the same "sweet spot" that you would shooting flat, the bullet will come out the gut. Just remember that the heart is about 8 inches inside and you should aim a little higher than normal to catch the top of one lung, go thru the heart and come out the bottom of the lung on the other side.

DocHolladay · by **DocHolladay** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:20 pm

I dont think so at 20' high and 300 yards. I have shot deer at 75yds. from 20' up and only aimed maybe 2" at most high. I have also shot deer at approx. 150yds. and aimed dead on and hit both lungs. The farther out the deer is, the less I worry about aiming higher.

doogie494 · by **doogie494** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:39 pm

at 75 yards your bullet hasnt even really slowed down yet. and if you zeroed at 200 then you will hit high of your mark, the further out you go the slower the bullet goes and because gravity is pushing down on it, you better aim high. as per my ballistics above the bullet will drop 7.5 inches at 300 yds. thats quite a bit if you think about it. the only time you should hold dead on at 300 yds is if your zeroed at 300 yards. now at 20 feet up in a stand shooting that distance i would hold at least 5" high

DocHolladay · by **DocHolladay** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 8:45 pm

No problems on my end from a stand and no lost deer. Either I'm lucky or doing something right.... The only reason I am aiming a little higher is to compensate for the angle of entry. The closer the deer, the smaller the vitals. Same thing appies in archery.

chevychris · by **chevychris** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 10:00 pm

I am considering sighting in my gun to hit 2.5 inches high at 100 yds. now to increase my point blank range. I am using a 4x12x40 Bushnell scope. If my bullet drops 7 inches at 300 yds. then I might want to hold like 5 inches high at that range from all the different opinions I'm getting. What do you guys think?Chris.

KwackWacker · by **KwackWacker** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 10:09 pm

Sounds like a good plan, but you need to shoot your rifle at 300 yards to see what the trajectory for YOUR rifle is. Then make your adjustments. My rule for deer out past 250 yards is to draw an imaginary line lengthwise on the deer. This line should be about 1/3 of the way down the deer's body horizontally. This line is at the top of the lungs. Aim for that line, right behind the shoulder. For my setup the bullet will drop right into the lungs at 250 yards and over. If I misjudge distance and it is farther than I thought then the bullet will still hit the heart and lungs.

chevychris · by **chevychris** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 10:15 pm

Now that sounds like a good idea!! It makes alot of sense to me!!

carbine100 · by **carbine100** » Sun Oct 29, 2006 9:41 pm

Shooting uphill or downhill your bullet will drop less. This is only a big factor for higher angles. (mountains) or extreme ranges. A bullet's drop is affected by the horizontal distance traveled. Imagine a right triangle where the longest angled side is the actual distance the target is away from you. Hold for the distance of the base or bottom length of the triangle. As the angle gets steeper, the differance get bigger.

chevychris · by **chevychris** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 5:59 pm

Hey guys, as it turned out, a nice 6 point buck came by opening morning at 100yds. It was chasing 2 does across a field behind my treestand. I took him with the .270 and thats all I saw all week. But thanks for the info on the long shot that I didn't use this year but will remember for next time! The big one that I had seen before the season never appeared.Chris.

progers · by **progers** » Sat Nov 11, 2006 6:13 pm

DocHolladay wrote:I dont think so at 20' high and 300 yards. I have shot deer at 75yds. from 20' up and only aimed maybe 2" at most high. I have also shot deer at approx. 150yds. and aimed dead on and hit both lungs. The farther out the deer is, the less I worry about aiming higher.

Oh Doc. You've only killed about 10 or 15 deer in your life. :twisted:

And besides, the further a deer is from you, the higher you have to aim to hit it. :shock: