Shoot .50 BMG straight up! Darwin Award contenders.

[HKShooter65]

I wish every Friday I'd find something as entertaining as these idiots.
Who ARE they???

 

[SQLGeek]

This guy's channel is awesome if not a bit crazy. I enjoy his videos.

 

[Lunyfringe]

Straight up is not as dangerous as it sounds... terminal velocity as the bullet free falls is not even close to what it would be if trajectory after being fired from say a 45 degree angle.

I still wouldn't volunteer to be nearby... but the sound it made was interesting.

 

[HKShooter65]

Straight up is not as dangerous as it sounds... terminal velocity as the bullet free falls is not even close to what it would be if trajectory after being fired from say a 45 degree angle.

I still wouldn't volunteer to be nearby... but the sound it made was interesting.

Indeed.

Innumerable arguments have been held over this issue.
Some would say that the falling velocity is the same as the initial velocity.
On the moon, with no atmospheric drag, that would be true.

I'm thinking the Mythbusters show did an episode on this.
Using a vertical wind tunnel they found that a 168gr .30 caliber projectile has a terminal velocity of something like 300 feet per second.

My scientific wild ass guess would be that a falling .50 BMG projectile would be traveling at 4-500 FPS, not that I really know.
A 660 grain .50 FMJ ball projectile at 450 feet per second would have more momentum than 45 ACP ball at the muzzle, albeit less kinetic energy.

A fatal potential incident.

 

[Younggun]

The bullets fall base first as well. Not exactly aerodynamic.


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[Bozz10mm]

What are the odds of that bullet coming back down to within a few feet of the point it was launched from? The safest place might be to stay with the rifle. Well, if you don't have a truck to hide under.

 

[Lunyfringe]

What are the odds of that bullet coming back down to within a few feet of the point it was launched from? The safest place might be to stay with the rifle. Well, if you don't have a truck to hide under.

The odds are roughly the same as it landing in just about any other spot you can reach on foot in that time.

What are the odds of a 6 number lottery drawing 1,2,3,4,5,6? (In any order)... EXACTLY the same as any other set of 6 numbers.

 

[benenglish]

The bullets fall base first as well. Not exactly aerodynamic.

They're falling at low subsonic speeds. It's entirely possible that a boat tail bullet will be more aerodynamic at those speeds.

 

[Renegade]

Looks like he is competing with the Fake Russian for the stupid factor.

500 mph back down, LOL.

 

[avvidclif]

The bullets fall base first as well. Not exactly aerodynamic.


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Just because it goes up butt down doesn't mean it falls back that way. Cites please. My guess would be atmospheric dynamics would cause the bullet to choose the path of least resistance, IE: nose down. Try to throw a dart backwards sometimes and see how that works out.

 

[Renegade]

Just because it goes up butt down doesn't mean it falls back that way. Cites please. My guess would be atmospheric dynamics would cause the bullet to choose the path of least resistance, IE: nose down. Try to throw a dart backwards sometimes and see how that works out.

Nose down or more precisely nose first in the direction of travel is ballistically unstable, and why there is rifling. Numerous physics show an object will come down mass first, which in most bullets is base first.

 

[Younggun]

Just because it goes up butt down doesn't mean it falls back that way. Cites please. My guess would be atmospheric dynamics would cause the bullet to choose the path of least resistance, IE: nose down. Try to throw a dart backwards sometimes and see how that works out.

The dart is a bad analogy. All the weight is up front pulling the draggy rear half along.

Aside from what others have said, the spin of the bullet will barely slow at all as the bullet velocity drops to zero and it begins to fall back to the ground. It will work to keep the bullet in the same orientation it start in.

The spin on a bullet is enough to keep it from orienting in line with the direction of travel at extreme distances. Even shot at a distante target an overstabilized bullet may still be pointing slightly nose up while dropping. It's why Cheytac developed special rifling and specific bullets which cause an increased amount of drag so that the spin will slow and allow the bullet to orientate to the direction of travel, increasing ELR accuracy.


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[Dawico]

The dart is a bad analogy. All the weight is up front pulling the draggy rear half along.

Aside from what others have said, the spin of the bullet will barely slow at all as the bullet velocity drops to zero and it begins to fall back to the ground. It will work to keep the bullet in the same orientation it start in.

The spin on a bullet is enough to keep it from orienting in line with the direction of travel at extreme distances. Even shot at a distante target an overstabilized bullet may still be pointing slightly nose up while dropping. It's why Cheytac developed special rifling and specific bullets which cause an increased amount of drag so that the spin will slow and allow the bullet to orientate to the direction of travel, increasing ELR accuracy.


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Exactly. It will still be spinning. A lot.

That spin will keep it pointed straight up as it falls.

 

[HKShooter65]

T

What are the odds of that bullet coming back down to within a few feet of the point it was launched from? The safest place might be to stay with the rifle. .

The next time you are dealt 5 cards keep in mind that getting THAT exact hand was 1 in 2,598,960. (52!/47!)/5!
The chance of getting dealt those 5 cards in that EXACT order was 1 in 311,875,20. (52!/47!)

Nevertheless you, against all odds, were dealt it.

The projectile's gotta land somewhere.
Most likely spot is probably right on the rifle muzzle.
There are a million muzzle-sized potential spots for the bullet to land...though be mindful of the poker hand, one in ~1/3 billion.


Figures don't lie but liars figure.

 

[HKShooter65]

T...the spin of the bullet will barely slow at all as the bullet velocity drops to zero and it begins to fall back to the ground. It will work to keep the bullet in the same orientation it start in.

The spin on a bullet is enough to keep it from orienting in line with the direction of travel at extreme distances.

I suspect you are precisely right and I've always lacked any empirical data regarding how much a bullet spin slows during a long ballistic flight.
Do you have a reference addressing this issue? Would be much appreciated.
I do think the Uber-Long-Range guys like those at Cheytac have worked on compiling data.

The sound the falling .50 projectiles were making in that video makes me think that yaw overtook axial spin and that they may have been tumbling end over end?


I did read somewhere that AK47 projectiles maintain spin stability all the way up and all the way down as evidenced by finding them in tar rooftops butt down in locations where idiots routinely and frequently celebrate by firing lots of AK47 rounds skyward. I forget where I read that though. I may be making it up.

 

[HKShooter65]

Exactly. It will still be spinning. A lot.

That spin will keep it pointed straight up as it falls.

It leaves the muzzle at 132,000 RPM.
Check my math. Please.

https://barrett.net/pdf/products/M33BALL-Barrett-Headstamp_Product_Brochure.pdf

Barrett M33 ball ammo.
M82A1 has a 1 in 15" twist at 2,750 FPS

 

[Renegade]

It leaves the muzzle at 132,000 RPM.
Check my math. Please.

https://barrett.net/pdf/products/M33BALL-Barrett-Headstamp_Product_Brochure.pdf

Barrett M33 ball ammo.
M82A1 has a 1 in 15" twist at 2,750 FPS

Correct Math

But has anyone ever checked to see it is going this fast and there was not slippage in the BBL? Q Applies to all bullets, not just 50BMG.

 

[Dawico]

Correct Math

But has anyone ever checked to see it is going this fast and there was not slippage in the BBL? Q Applies to all bullets, not just 50BMG.

Fired rounds have straight (angled actually) rifling marks on them as in they are nicely cut, not smeared. There is no slippage.

Even shot out barrels spin the bullet properly. They are inaccurate for other reasons.