Ammo: Choosing the Right Grain and Type for Every Shot

Target Practice

Introduction: 

Have you ever walked into an outdoor store looking for ammunition for your firearm and felt overwhelmed by the numerous choices available? Selecting from various brands, types of bullets within those brands, different grain weights, ballistic tables, and pricing can be daunting. This article will cover the basics of grain weight and how to choose the correct grain for your caliber based on your intended target or purpose.

Breakdown of a “cartridge”: 

First, let's examine the components of a cartridge. A cartridge consists of the bullet (projectile), casing, primer, and powder. Many people mistakenly refer to the entire cartridge as the bullet; however, the bullet is merely the projectile part of the cartridge. See the Field & Stream diagram below for reference.

Field & Stream Diagram: What Are the Basic Parts of Ammunition?

What does the grain mean? 

A grain is a unit of measurement, just like pounds or ounces. One pound is equal to 7000 grains. In the ammunition world, bullets and the amount of gunpowder in a casing are measured in grains. Gunpowder grain weight is usually only relevant if you’re handloading your own ammunition. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on grains as they pertain to bullet weight. When you read a box of ammo that states, for example, 150 gr, this tells you the bullet, or projectile, of that cartridge weighs 150 grains.

Why does bullet weight matter? 

Bullet weight can be important depending on your firearm’s intended use. Bullet weight changes the impact and velocity, affecting accuracy, penetration, and overall performance. A light bullet (lower grains) will generally travel faster, and a heavy bullet (higher grain) will generally travel slower. Heavier grains will also have a higher impact, which means they have more energy when hitting a target, making them better for penetration. However, they will also have a higher drop rate over distance. Lighter bullets will stay flatter at farther distances. The ammo box will tell you the ballistic coefficient for that ammo, which measures how well a bullet retains velocity as it flies downrange or, more easily understood, the rate at which the bullet drops over distance.

Which grain to shoot? 

There is a lot to consider when choosing ammunition. First, you will need to know what caliber you will be shooting. Make sure to buy the correct caliber ammo! The gun's caliber is the bore's diameter or the projectile’s diameter fired from the gun. The correct-sized caliber must be shot with the corresponding gun. 

Other factors you will need to consider when choosing the best ammunition:

What do you plan on shooting? Are you hunting? And if so, medium or larger game? Are you just wanting to target shoot? Are you into long-range shooting? All of these factors can change which ammunition is the best choice. 

Generally, lighter-grain bullets are preferred for long-range shooting since they have a flatter trajectory over long distances, and heavier-grain bullets are preferred for hunting because of their higher impact. A general rule of thumb for hunting is 115gr-150gr for medium-sized game (deer and antelope) and 180gr for larger game (elk and moose). This will still depend on how far you plan on shooting the animals and what ammunition shoots best in your specific rifle. Most calibers will also have an “optimal grain range,” which can be a good all-around choice for that caliber. This can be a good place to start. However, it will still depend on how well that grain shoots out of your specific firearm. 

Another way to choose ammunition is to look into ballistic gel tests of the specific brand and bullet type to see how the bullet mushrooms upon penetration, as this can be very important when shooting an animal. The ammo box will also give you an idea of ballistics. Finding the best ammo will take research and experimentation with your specific rifle.

Conclusion:

This is indeed a complex topic. If you are still unsure about your ammo choice, it can be beneficial to seek advice from someone with experience that you know and trust. If possible, try purchasing different types and grains of ammo; experimenting with your rifle can be the most effective way to determine the best cartridge! Remember, changing the brand and grain of ammunition can affect how your rifle performs, so if you find a specific brand and bullet grain that works well, stick with that cartridge!

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