Where does my bullet hit the ground?

[Pawnee Bill]

Here's a question I have been unable to find an answer to:

If my 223 Rem rifle is on a standard shooting bench, shooting a 55 grain bullet at 3100 fps and it is zeroed for 100 yards, and there is nothing behind the target, how far past the target (paper) will the bullet impact the ground?

 

[L1986]

Lot of variables there…height of bench and target your aiming at but from my ar ballistic data 450 yards it drops 34 inches and at 550 yards it’s 70inches. That’s with a 55vmax going 3100

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Waist high (36") barrel bullet hits level ground about 400 yards from muzzle(300 yards past target 100 yard zero). Approximately, weight of the bullet isn't much of a factor. Gravity is well gravity.

 

[ebb]

Depends on if there is a hill behind your target or a valley. If you were set up on the side of the Grand Canyon and shooting at an angle to get the longest way across maybe a long way. The proper answer to this and many others is "how long is a rope"?

 

[Evan]

Perhaps the hardest variable is the bullet skipping after impact. All flat and squared up, 36” of drop or so and the bullet hits the ground, but the angle of approach is shallow - the bullet is probably going to skip, but how much energy is lost on the skip?

 

[tmwinds]

There is always something behind a target. I would never fire a round unless there is a berm, natural or man made, that would contain a bullet.

 

[Jeff Porter]

There is always something behind a target. I would never fire a round unless there is a berm, natural or man made, that would contain a bullet.

Don’t shoot at Camp Perry then. Bullets land a few hundred feet off shore in Lake Erie.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/022EsqgM5nRptUMW1c3A4wfjA

 

[brokeasajoke]

If you are talking about the bore parallel to perfect level ground then it will accelerate at 9.8m per sec^2 until it reaches a terminal velocity of around 118mph but I believe this is all in a vacuum. It's been 27 years since college physics. If your are zeroed at 100yds, the bullet is rising up to meet the sight line of the scope so that first part really don't apply I guess.

 

[SSL]

By my figuring and playing with several variables in Strelok, impact should be around 412 to 435 yards...and I don't guarantee that!

 

[ELR LVR]

Scope Height above bore centerline is a factor here needed to be taken into account

 

[SSL]

Scope Height above bore centerline is a factor here needed to be taken into account

Yep...figured 1.5 inches and probably still guess work.

 

[ELR LVR]

Try this

ShootersCalculator.com | Ballistic Trajectory Calculator

Calculates the ballistic trajectory of a bullet fired from a rifle, handgun or other firearm. Produces a ballistic trajectory chart and table that shows the drop, velocity, kinetic energy, windage, and trajectory of a bullet.

shooterscalculator.com

Enter all your parameters and it will show a trajectory for your bullet flight path

 

[precision1]

Could always look at some of the ballistic tables that some of the manufacture used to put in back of reloading manuals.lyman i believe is one
Just for a close idea?

Not sure for your reason why?

It seems a lot of gun clubs struggle with safety,burms and lay of land ive recently discovered but I don't know really what I'm talking about bit it seems to be a struggle for clubs to expand to long range?

Is there a safety parameter ? For long range clubs or something that have to comply to? I'm sure there is just learning in this area

Not trying to hijack post or not sure what OP is wanting know .

I've been curious of reasons shooting clubs are struggling to expand to long range? Money or lazy or legal/ insurance reasons?

 

[coldboreshot]

Is the answer 8 x Pi squared? Hell, I'm still trying to figure out 2 +2.

 

[RabbitSlayer]

At that shallow angle even a varmint bullet is probably going to ricochet and travel much further.

 

[ELR LVR]

Is the answer 8 x Pi squared? Hell, I'm still trying to figure out 2 +2.

s= 1/2*g*(t²)
Distance it falls per unit of time (this will show all things fall at the same rate regardless of mass according to the gravitational constant g
---------------------------------------
To answer your question which I think is a good mathematical fun exercise......
---------------------------------------
x = vox√(2h/g) ---this expression ignores the effect of drag to simplify things
x = Distance traveled in relation to height fired from
vox is the starting velocity (3100 f/s) or 944 M/s
h is height above ground (in Meters)
g is gravitational constant (in Meters) which is 9.8 M/s²
(all units are in metric terms)
--------------------------------------------
if we fire a bullet at 944 M/s
1 meter above the ground
x = 944 √(2*1/9.8)
--------------------------------------------
Distance traveled = 944 √(.204)
x = 944 * .4516
x = 426 Meters
x = 465 Yds
--------------------------------------------
Incorporating drag is more complicated as the more it slows down, the less drag there is
But if we incorporate drag the actual distance would be Approx
410 to 425 yards
--------------------------------------------
But Coyotefurharvester already told you that

 

[precision1]

I'll guess 298 yards.
Should be real close depending on alot of fsctors

 

[ISS]

Angle of muzzle above level will be the deciding factor, iirc.

I was at a forensic's seminar about 25 years ago at the Yuma, AZ proving grounds. Mike Venturino tilted the muzzle of his Shiloh Sharps 50-90 about 45* and replicated the Billy Dixon shot twice in three shots (1400fps with a BP load). That was 1750 yards from ground level to about 80 feet above the ground at the point where the shot was fired. At the Adobe Walls fight, Dixon shot Quanah Parker off his horse on a ridge top directing the Indians against a dozen or so Buffalo Hunters holed up at Hanrahan's Store.

Billy Dixon was famous for being the only person ever to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor twice.

 

[ELR LVR]

Angle of muzzle above level will be the deciding factor, iirc.

I was at a forensic's seminar about 25 years ago at the Yuma, AZ proving grounds. Mike Venturino tilted the muzzle of his Shiloh Sharps 50-90 about 45* and replicated the Billy Dixon shot twice in three shots (1400fps with a BP load). That was 1750 yards from ground level to about 80 feet above the ground at the point where the shot was fired. At the Adobe Walls fight, Dixon shot Quanah Parker off his horse on a ridge top directing the Indians against a dozen or so Buffalo Hunters holed up at Hanrahan's Store.

Billy Dixon was famous for being the only person ever to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor twice.

I read about that, which is literally unbelieveable considering how slow the thing was going and how much atmosphere would affect that shot
------------------------------------------
One thing it does show, it is amazing what the human mind can calculate in a split second
Which is Supposedly 1 billion billion calculations per second
or 1 exaFlop, which is still faster than the fastest Supercomputer of 54 peta Flops

 

[1shot]

My first thought is an old safety phrase that I never forgot. " Know what is behind your target and beyond". I have no idea where the OP lives and the local terrain,but I wouldn't feel comfortable not being sure of where the bullets final resting place may be. Ie. the neighbors cow or worse.
I hope this helps,

Lloyd