
One of the most common myths in shooting is bullet weight alone resists wind drift. Flat trajectory and minimal wind deflection at longer ranges is all about bullet ballistic coefficient, not raw speed (although speed also helps). (Photo: Patrick Meitin)
Many factors dictate success in long-range shooting, including range and bullet velocity in relation to elevation adjustments, wind velocity and bearing as it affects windage corrections, as well as the effect of various atmospheric elements.
A bullet’s ballistic coefficient (BC) is influenced by every one of those variables. BC is a function of sectional density, a bullet’s diameter in relation to its length, and provides an indication of how well a projectile slips through...