22lr wind drift weirdity

[kzin]

using 2 different online calculators(shooters and hornady) I get the counter-intuitive result that HV(1200fps) ammo has more wind drift than sv(1000) at 100 yds.

Is this right?

Some weird feature of trans-sonic physics? Or wonky calculations?

With any centerfire I've tried I get less wind drift for more velocity as I would expect.

thanks

 

[DOGCAPPER]

Cast bullets work that way. I am not familiar with the theory, but larger lead bullets buck the wind better under 1300 fps.

 

[SBS]

Been known to smallbore prone shooters for decades. HV ammo has to pass thru the transonic range between 50 & 100, which apparently causes the projectile to become somewhat unstable and presents a larger profile to the wind. Enough that HV usually has considerably more drift @100 yds. European SB competitors usually shoot only at 50M outdoors where this is not a problem and had one shoot a prone match with us. He was doing very well until we shot 1st 100 yd. target and his grouping was LARGE. Borrowed some subsonic and problem was solved on the rest of the 100 yd. targets.

 

[USMCDOC]

Been known to smallbore prone shooters for decades. HV ammo has to pass thru the transonic range between 50 & 100, which apparently causes the projectile to become somewhat unstable and presents a larger profile to the wind. Enough that HV usually has considerably more drift @100 yds. European SB competitors usually shoot only at 50M outdoors where this is not a problem and had one shoot a prone match with us. He was doing very well until we shot 1st 100 yd. target and his grouping was LARGE. Borrowed some subsonic and problem was solved on the rest of the 100 yd. targets.

How i have heard it said.. "NO wind, shoot the slowest stuff you got!"

 

[ronemus]

The drag coefficient is much lower at subsonic speeds, which reduces wind drift. There's a big difference between bullet behavior at 3000 fps vs. 1000 fps. I use subsonic ammo for .22 rimfire and load my pistol ammo subsonic. Your ballistic calculators are telling the truth.

 

[kzin]

thanks
good to know what's real

 

[243Mendoza]

There is a large increase in drag as you approach Mach number of 1 (the sonic barrier during days of old Beyond Mach 1, the drag drops again.

 

[dcali]

One nitpick - drag does not drop as velocity increases, it increases. The drag *coefficient* drops.

The reason for the observed phenomenon is the massive spike in drag coefficient at Mach 1. This translates to a sudden jump in drag at mach 1. Any time spent above mach one exposes the bullet to a drag force that is a multiple of what it is below mach 1 even though the bullet is only going a little bit faster. That's what does it