Mythbusters and Bullet Drop

[IXLR8]

I had a conversation with my friend, a habitual Mythbusters addict. He told me about an episode that tested a theory that a bullet shot, and one dropped, will hit the ground at the same time. At first, I did not think it was possible...

This is a simple physics equation that I never made the connection with. No matter what round is fired, at any caliber, it will hit the ground at the same time one was dropped at the bench. It is just a matter of velocity to figure the distance. This only works if the gun is fired in a perfect horizontal attitude.

Bullet Drop

I just thought that it was interesting enough to share. I am sure everyone already knew this, but it was an interesting observation for me. Enjoy!

 

[robin303]

Saw that yesterday on Netflix. Pretty cool.

 

[dobarker]

My Sophomore High School Physics teacher taught me that. He also taught me how to properly hunt alligator and parkerize a firearm. Benefits of a small town growing up.

 

[IXLR8]

But did he tell you how how to measure it? The part not shown in the included video is the difficulty they had simultaneously firing the gun and dropping the bullet. They were surprised to find that the bullet landed within a very small circle. This allowed them to move the bullet drop mechanism to the projected impact point so that both impacts could be shown in a single slow motion camera shot.

My physics teacher never did that for me...

 

[West Texas]

My high school physics teacher taught me how to make the perfect bong out of a coke can....

no, wait...

that was my high school govt teacher...

 

[texas_teacher]

The Mythbusters episode of trying to curve a bullet like in WANTED is incredibly interesting too. Also something to notice is in all these tests what are they using? An American Classic! 1911 45ACP

 

[Texas1911]

The Mythbusters episode of trying to curve a bullet like in WANTED is incredibly interesting too. Also something to notice is in all these tests what are they using? An American Classic! 1911 45ACP

I watched that a few days ago ... I was like ... damn that looks rather uncontrolled and dangerous.

One thing is true, if you shoot the gun in a movement like that, the bullet will take a different trajectory than if fired stationary. The motion is accelerating the bullet laterally, and that velocity vector is present when the bullet is fired. The bullet just moves at such a high velocity that the lateral movement is negated.

 

[Texas1911]

This is a simple physics equation that I never made the connection with. No matter what round is fired, at any caliber, it will hit the ground at the same time one was dropped at the bench. It is just a matter of velocity to figure the distance. This only works if the gun is fired in a perfect horizontal attitude.

Actually it is impossible for the fired bullet to impact the ground at the same time. If the bullet is fired at a complete horizontal plane, it is being fired at a tangent of the Earth itself. Since the Earth is a sphere, the curvature of the Earth will increase the distance that the fired round has to traverse by a fair amount. Given that the fired bullet would gain about 8" in drop height per every mile it traverses laterally, even at peak gravitational acceleration you could tell a difference.

The feather and bowling ball acceleration experiment in basic Physics is done on a level plane.

Factoring in a 6.5 Grendel fired from 5' of elevation that covers 450 yards before hitting the ground (flat trajectory).

440 yards = 0.25 miles

That bullet if fired perfectly tangible to the Earth is traveling another 2" in vertical displacement before it contacts the ground.

 

[IXLR8]

Well it looked like the floor of the building that they were in, was flat, architecturally speaking. Plus the ballistics of .45 could probably be checked in a 50 foot room... <jj> Seriously, what was the distance that the .45 slug hit the ground? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

 

[texas1willy2]

I didn't see the show and can't add anything to the thread other than I know for a fact that bullets shot (out of many different calibers) are still traveling fast enough to blast through metal roofs on the way back to earth. The holes are the same size they would have been if someone would have shot them through the roof from the inside of the building.

 

[cuate]

You guys & Physics amaze me....no better explaination of bullet drop needed....Rurals like me know how to leather windmills and remember from the old days in the military the cyclic rate of a 1918 Browning Automatic Rifle....But there is always something to be learned....Thanks

 

[txinvestigator]

I didn't see the show and can't add anything to the thread other than I know for a fact that bullets shot (out of many different calibers) are still traveling fast enough to blast through metal roofs on the way back to earth. The holes are the same size they would have been if someone would have shot them through the roof from the inside of the building.

They are not writing about a bullet shot UP into the air. They are writing about a bullet shot from a gun at a horizontal level. If you drop a bullet from the same height as the barrel is, the bullet fired from the barrel will strike the ground at the same time as the one dropped. Curverture of the earth or not.

 

[texas1willy2]

They are not writing about a bullet shot UP into the air. They are writing about a bullet shot from a gun at a horizontal level. If you drop a bullet from the same height as the barrel is, the bullet fired from the barrel will strike the ground at the same time as the one dropped. Curverture of the earth or not.

Don't I look like a dumbass for not reading the thread.
I assumed this was a version of the show they did where the bullet looses velocity on the way back to earth.....

TS sorry for the intrusion.