As you likely already know, bullets spin during flight, due to the rifling of the barrel. But, you may have asked yourself: why do they need to spin? The answer has something to do with bullet shape. In this article, I'll show you the reason behind bullet spin with regard to bullet shape. Understanding this concept is useful to understand other bullet flight behavior that … [Read more...]
In previous long range shooting articles, I've talked about the effect of light and the error derived from shooting uphill/downhill—both aiming and perspective related errors. In this article, however, I'll talk about another aiming-related error: shooting with the rifle not perpendicular to the ground. When shooting with a canted rifle, the round won't land where you are … [Read more...]
In External Ballistics - Elevation Part 1, I introduced the concept of error derived from shooting at an angle, and gave you a few practical examples. In this article we will examine the real reason for point of impact shift. In many texts around the web, you'll find one common incorrect explanation of this phenomenon: a simplistic approach derived from the formula used to … [Read more...]
Learning how to become a better long range shooter? Here's the next installment in the external ballistics theory mini series: elevation. When I talked about the vertical component of the trajectory, in Bullet Trajectory Part 1, I touched on firing elevation angle. I mentioned that when there is a firing elevation or depression angle, that is, when you're firing with the barrel … [Read more...]
In both Bullet Trajectory Part 1 and Part 2, I mentioned how light can act as a variable that affects point of impact. Light doesn't directly affect bullet trajectory, but it changes the way you see the target through the telescopic sight. Essentially, you perceive the target in a different way, e.g., larger or smaller, and/or in a different place, depending on the sun's … [Read more...]
We've covered a lot of material on long range shooting thus far, and now we're ready to start implementing some of what we've learned, starting with ballistic tables. But first, what is a ballistic table, and how do you read one? Let's dive in. A ballistic table (also called ballistic chart, ballistic card, or data card), is a table containing a set of data regarding the … [Read more...]
