Is 5000 FPS obtainable

[CIA]

Ok so I'm opening a big can of worms. I love it. I have played some with "slightly overbored" cases, my 6-06 for example. Wondered if with the right combination of case size and bullits if 5000fps could happen. I know guys have gotten 4500 to 4600 out of a 17-250 and I had one shot out my 06 with a 58 grain V-Max over the chronogragh at 4687 that however was on the verge of melt down and one shot was too many. I have access to 6-MachIV dies which is a 7Mag case necked down and wondered about that. Just a thought like going into orbit or going to the moon besides crazy people have more fun.

 

[CIA]

Just curious if it could be done. When the swift came out 4000 was unheard of. Now with a 40 a 223 can come close to that. I have friends who shoot nbrsa 1000 yards with a 7mm-338 Lapua improved with special heavy bullets he had made.Same guy shot 6.5-300 Weatherby for years. My 6-06 will run the 58 comfortably at 4450 but at varmints the light ones are a waste when the 70 will go 4000. The 17-250 shooters burned many barrels at 4500 to 4600. But so far I have heard of no one who has gotten to the 5000 mark intentionally.

 

[Tommie]

I once read,somewhere) that 5,000 FPS had been attained. But it was done with a smooth bore barrel...

 

[Sarge]

reloadersnest.com lists a load in the 22-243 middlestead that moves at 5278 FPS with a 30 gr. bullet.

 

[Cheechako]

This subject has been discussed and cussed more than once on this and other Forums. It always bring to mind a question that I have - one that no one seems to be able to answer.

Exactly how fast can a bullet be accelerated through a rifled barrel with today's powders??? Its always been my understanding that simple physics dictates how fast expanding gasses can accelerate and it takes special techniques, such as squeeze bores, to exceed that limit.

Anybody????

Ray

 

[CatShooter]

The 22 G+A reached ~6,200 fps in a "normal" barrel, with 19gr solid bullets and standard powders.

Barrel life was somewhat truncated.


.

 

[RIFLE1]

Good sabots, and a .308 Winchester with a 14 twist and Nosler .22 cal 50 grain BT's,.........Accurate 5744,........ I'll let you find your own charge wgt.

Mine was in a 26 inch tube. Not exceedingly accurate, 1.25 moa, but hell-a-shish on G hogs within 150 yards.

too fast for my good,... felt like the earth was moving backward


5000 fps,no problem.

Christopher

 

[billmo]

A few years back me and one of my shooting buddies wound up with both of us owning the .220 swift. His was a Ruger # 1 and mine was a Ruger Target model. We were trying to see who could load the fastest ammo. I found some load data on a web-site and copied it showing 35 gr. moly coated Berger bullets running over 5100 fps. I loaded some and tried them out and told him about what I was doing. He also loaded some up and we both went past 5100 fps. I believe he may still have the chrono tape but I let mine go with the rifle when I sold it. Yep, you guessed right. Barrels don't live long at those speeds but it sure was fun. Bill

EDIT: The load data was on accuratereloading.com/220sw.html listed under .220 Swift. The powder was 48.0 gr. of VV-N540. We did not use VV. I think we used H-335 but I would have to do some serious searching to be sure of that.

 

[CIA]

I have gotten the 22-250 AI to just a little over 4600 with reloader 15 and 40 Vmax. Was pretty salty but by no means dangerous. I will look into the light 22 again and see what is available and may have to resurrect that old barrel. When you start throwing that many btu's down a small hole it does tend to eat things up pretty fast. I think it's facinating when you post something like this that there are so many people that have done so much research on this subject.

 

[CJ6]

I read a story awhile back that said 5600 was atainable with a 30-416IMP with 73 gr bullets in a 36 or 38 in. barrel. Barrel life I think was in the 75-80 shot range.It was a Mil. test I think

 

[Rustystud]

If memory serves me correctly. I read somewhere the smooth bore on the Abrams tank fires a depleted uranium round just over 5000fps. I beleive it was only good for approximately 150 rounds.

Rustystud

 

[Forum Boss]

Speaking of Abrams tanks, that barrel achieves its exceptional velocities using a saboted round.

It seems to me that if someone really wanted to achieve 5000 fps in a rifle, the use of a larger bore with, say, a 20 or .22 caliber bullet would make sense. Run a saboted 35gr 20-cal bullet from a 300 WSM. Bet that would do it.

I suspect you wouldn't be boasting about the accuracy though...:,

 

[CIA]

I remember when they came out with the accelerator. The 30-06 and 308 with 22 cal. sabot. Can you buy those sabots in various calibers and such. I never saw it completed but I new a guy years ago that was building what he called a 30 Talbot that was a slightly shortened 50 BMG case necked to thirty. I moved away and never knew if he finished it. Also never read about him in the papers.

 

[Aussiesteve]

I dont know what you guys think, but I have two loads for my
.22-.250 one shoots the Barnes varmint grenades at close to 4500 fps, and my normal load is with ADI's benchmark 2,benchmark in the US), and 50 grain nosler bt's for about 3900 fps. If both of these loads are pretty warm, which they are, then why is it that the varmint grenade load will cause my barrel to be shot out faster than my normal load?

When I mention the barnes load to other shooters the first thing they say is I'm going to burn out the barrel fast, now is this true? If so it must have somthing to do with the speed of the bullet playing a bigger part in barrel wear, and not just pressure or heat of the burning powder as I always thought?

Steve

 

[Ackman]

A friend did it with two different chamberings. A 22-284 shooting 35gr Bergers. And a 17Rem shooting real light Bergers, 14 or 15gr, something like that. It was just to see what would happen. He said accuracy was very good in both guns.

 

[shellshock]

I have hit 5180 fps with a 30 grain Berger out of a .220 swift 28" Shilen on a rem. 700. Using my Ohler 35. I loved the 35 gr.Berger's at 5025 fps but Berger quit making them.The groups were 1" @ 100 yards. I got a brainstorm one day and wanted to see how fast I could accurately drive a Bullet out of my.220 swift.My factory 26 inch tube was getting tired so it was a perfect time to start working up loads. The biggest problem was finding a bullet that held up to the velocity. Berger's were the only ones that made the trip.

 

[BigJim]

I would try the stuff they use for the space shuttle it should do the job.


On the surface of the Earth, the escape velocity is about 11.2 kilometers per second,~6.96 mi/s), which is approximately 34 times the speed of sound,mach 34) and at least 10 times the speed of a rifle bullet. However, at 9,000 km altitude in "space", it is slightly less than 7.1 km/s.

Based on this building the heat shield on your bullet should be a walk in the park at .696 mi/s,5,000fps)

Now all you need is a 5,000 foot shooting range to test out your new loads.,LOL)

 

[doubleDarms]

I remember when they came out with the accelerator. The 30-06 and 308 with 22 cal. sabot. Can you buy those sabots in various calibers and such. I never saw it completed but I new a guy years ago that was building what he called a 30 Talbot that was a slightly shortened 50 BMG case necked to thirty. I moved away and never knew if he finished it. Also never read about him in the papers.

I bought a box of those accelerators for my 30-06 way back when. I don't remember for sure, weren't they supposed to be like 4200 FPS or so. I didn't have a chronograph then, I'm not sure they even made them then, LOL. But I can tell you, I could stick my barrel inside a 5 gallon bucket and fire an accelerator and not hit it.

 

[Raptor1956]

to get to 5000fps or more I think you need a smooth bore and use sabots. The canon on the M1A1 tank does just that and when using the sabots round the mv is nearly 6000fps. So start with a 50cal smooth bore and fasion a 75gn dart of about 22cal. Now all you need is a shoe to hold the dart and a really long barrel.

Brian

 

[BillK]

It is amazing what that tungsten penetrator from an abrams can do at 6000fps!!! They do say the barrel is a smooth bore but I always wondered how they get the projectile to spin to keep it stable. Maybe the sabot causing drag on the back of the projectile is enough to keep it stable???