Uphill/Downhill Shooting

[jtstoner]

Can someone explain the intricacies of uphill and downhill shooting in regards to bullet placement. Some say there is no difference and others say you always shoot high or always shoot low. Help!?!

[MNHunter]

There was a great article in I think it was deer and deer hunting or bowhunting mag.....I wish I remembered which one it talked about the theory involved in shooting at angles

I found something real similar for rifles on this website

http://www.wildsheep.org/magazines/article_uphill_shooting.htm

[Yooper]

Maybe we can get some further discussion on this but I'll throw out what I know, or at least have heard.

The biggest consideration is true distance vs. perceived distance. Rangefinders are really nice for eliminating this. Then you need to take into account the effects of gravity vs. the enertia of the bullet as it travels. I've never really experienced this, but I have friends who hunt in the mountians all the time and when taking an uphill shot over a long distance, they claim there is an added effect on the path of the bullet. Just like with a car, it takes more energy to keep that car going 55 mph up a hill. This really shouldn't be a big deal due to the size of a bullet vs. a car, but there has to be "some" effect. Anyone want to shed some more light?

I'd be more than happy to go out and do some field tests for you. If you could just send me some money for tags, I'd run off and see what happens on an elk or other game...

[Todd G.]

Whether shooting uphill, or downhill, you always need to shoot lower than if you were on a level field. This is due to the actual flight path of the bullet being shorter, in vertical distance, than linear distance. In essence, gravity affects the bullets as it travels in a horizontal distance, not linear.

Now, to be realistic about it, its doubtful you will find many situations where you are shooting at a severe enough angle, or long enough distance to warrant holding your point of aim anywhere other than dead center. Especially if you are in a hunting situation.

[grayling]

I think the information you have recieved is really the most practical. Hold dead center and if you have sighted your weapon in properly you should have no problems.

What I do know about shooting up/down hill is that you are more prone to getting "scoped" because your body position has changed to the relative position of the rifle and relief from the scope.

I have had this happen twice with smaller calibers, both were on up hill shots which is the least forgiving for shooting position. Big or small caliber has literally nothing to do with it. I have hunted with plenty of guides using .270's and such and it happens not because of kick but because of body position.

Good luck,

Grayling

[sw41mag]

Gravity effects [pulls the bullet downwards] over the horizontal distance that the bullet travels. So... in theory, it doesn't matter what your angle is...up or down, it's how far the bullet travels from the barrel in the horizontal axis that will effect your point of aim.

[digger]

Inexperienced shooters will likely shoot high on medium range uphill and downhill shots. When adjusting for elevation, only the horizontal component of your range should be used. The variation between actual range and effective range increases with the steepness up or down hill. Taking a 300 yard poke up a 20 degree slope yields an effective range of only 281 yards, or 94%. A 200 yard shot up a 30 degree grade equates to a 173 yard shot on level ground (87%). A 150 yard shot up a dramatic 45% hill will hit where you aim if you are zeroed at 100 yards -- 71%.

Drop will be exaggerated by slower moving bullets. Consider how fast shotgun slugs start to fall off at 100 yards and it easy to see how someone reaching a little for that 150 yard uphill shot at a trophy whitetail would end up shooting tall by holding just above the animal's back, as they would at 150 yards on level ground.

Also note that the same trigonometry stands firm when shooting either up or down hill.