Was having a discussion with a shooting friend the other day about external ballistics, and the term bullet rise or mid range trajectory came up. I was explaining to him how the bullet rises as it heads to the target then drops the rest of the way. This was all well and good until he asked me "how much does it rise?". Well, that had me stumped, until I remembered or thought I remembered that some of the older reloading manuals like Hornady had a ballistics section that showed bullet drop at different ranges but it also showed the mid range trajectory of the bullet, which I take to be the highest point above the Line of Sight that the bullet will rise. For the old timers, did the old loading manuals have the mid range trajectory? So to answer my friend's question, how do I calculate bullet rise for a given load?
Bullet Rise/Mid Range Trajectory
- Thread starter Pawnee Bill
- Start date
Bullets don't rise. We point them upward and they drop into the target.
yes there is a typical arc in bullet flight.
my 300 win mag 208 goes aprox 8 feet above line of sight(los)
at 1000 yd sight in, 105 dasher does less.
(lol..do you see where bartsbullets likes the post ?
well what they do not know it was their original 105
that i was shooting and shooting very well)
my 300 win mag 208 goes aprox 8 feet above line of sight(los)
at 1000 yd sight in, 105 dasher does less.
(lol..do you see where bartsbullets likes the post ?
well what they do not know it was their original 105
that i was shooting and shooting very well)
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Corey Schwanz
Site $$ Sponsor
Bullets fall, never rise. If you know a given zero distance, say 300 yards, you can calculate how high the bullet will impact at a closer distance with most any ballistic calculator. This high impact is the appearance of bullet rise, but its just us aiming upward a little bit instead.
You have the line of sight. That's dead straight.
The barrel is pointed up. That is NOT a straight line to the target.
The bullet leaves the barrel and travels in an arc....crossing the line of sight 2X
Once as it travels towards the target, and the second time when it strikes the target on its way down.
If you are talking about mid range trajectory that is the height the bullet is ABOVE the line of sight on its way to reach the target.
A flat shooting cartridge has less height at mid range than a cartridge that is not flat.
e.g. 257 Weatherby vs a 30-30.
Additionally, if you were able to stare down the barrel the bullet will never go up (above) that path.
(and YES, those were published in manuals years ago....I haven't looked in a long time)
The barrel is pointed up. That is NOT a straight line to the target.
The bullet leaves the barrel and travels in an arc....crossing the line of sight 2X
Once as it travels towards the target, and the second time when it strikes the target on its way down.
If you are talking about mid range trajectory that is the height the bullet is ABOVE the line of sight on its way to reach the target.
A flat shooting cartridge has less height at mid range than a cartridge that is not flat.
e.g. 257 Weatherby vs a 30-30.
Additionally, if you were able to stare down the barrel the bullet will never go up (above) that path.
(and YES, those were published in manuals years ago....I haven't looked in a long time)
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More like 23 feet rise, dasher is about 22 feet
Actually they do rise because we shoot them angled upward. There are 4 primary forces affecting bullet flight: Vertical component of the shot energy, horizontal component of the shot energy, vertical force of gravity, air friction. The bullet will continue to rise until this upward force from the shot is overcome by gravity and friction. At that point, it will begin to fall. That is why the bullet path is a curve. Some of the ballistic apps will provide the maximum height above line of sight for a particular range and the range at which this will occur. I think the one on Quickload will. I will check tonight.
Use any ballistic calculator. If you input a 300 yd zero it will show a +value at the closer ranges. This is how high it would be at that yardage to hit at 300.
I think I answered what your asking.
lachoneus
Gold $$ Contributor
My old Hornady Manual has mid-range trajectory tables. The trajectory can also be calculated using online tools like the one at this link: http://www.shooterscalculator.com/b...t/s&lbl=[Chart+Label]&submitst=+Create+Chart+
22 feet from line of departure but only 8 feet above the target is the actual bullet's highest point in the air.
Ballistic calcs give you a bullet drop from line of departure and not the actual bullet's path.
http://www.shooterscalculator.com/ballistic-trajectory-chart.php
Use this
set sight height to zero
set zero range and chart range as distance to the target
it will graph the bullet trajectory
Use this
set sight height to zero
set zero range and chart range as distance to the target
it will graph the bullet trajectory
Thanks for the info!
sprry but you are wrong. these are my rifles with my loads.
shooting from a bench, and i clearly said from los not from the ground.
shooting from a bench, and i clearly said from los not from the ground.
Guess I learned something today
I think you use Quick Load to calculate the velocity and then Strelok Pro to calculate the arc. Either that or measure the velocity and then plug it into Strelok. Of course it's not actually rise. You fudge line of sight with the setting of your sights or scope so the bullet will intersect at the zero point based on MV and BC.
TAJ45
Silver $$ Contributor
Exactly. One poster also states rising upward.....
. Rising - downward ? ?In relation to the bore, which is what supports the projectile, it will NEVER rise - gravity wins every time. All other arguments are relative to another point of reference. Most manuals will show a parabola with the line of sight intersecting at two points.
Ah well, this comes around every 5-6 months and the same gravity defying, illogical statements are posited.
Anyone want to address up hill vs down hill shots
?Per Emily Litella/SNL: Never mind . . .
Yes, my turn, my turn, both up hill and down hill shots to high as compared to a level zero. I love this stuff!Exactly. One poster also states rising upward.....
In relation to the bore, which is what supports the projectile, it will NEVER rise - gravity wins every time. All other arguments are relative to another point of reference. Most manuals will show a parabola with the line of sight intersecting at two points.
Ah well, this comes around every 5-6 months and the same gravity defying, illogical statements are posited.
Anyone want to address up hill vs down hill shots
Per Emily Litella/SNL: Never mind . . .
TAJ45
Silver $$ Contributor
Yes you get the prize.....but, as I said, Never Mind. Or else we'll get dropping down, irregardless etc ad nauseum.
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