Shooting bullet backwards.....

[robbor]

I just got an order of bullets n uncle n I were shooting the ....
I've had this idea before not that I'd ever try it but thinking in aerodynamics and theory. We got a load of Berger's, so looking at the length and thinking of an arrow(heavy in front light in back). My thought was if one of these bullets was seated upside down, would it shoot or tumble or what? I say it would shoot, uncle thinks it would tumble.

 

[joshb]

Where did I read about experiments with bullets pointed on both ends?

 

[mr45man]

One of the guys at our 500m steel shoot
tried this and he shot a fair score.
I don't recall the details though.

 

[hoz53]

I just got an order of bullets n uncle n I were shooting the ....
I've had this idea before not that I'd ever try it but thinking in aerodynamics and theory. We got a load of Berger's, so looking at the length and thinking of an arrow(heavy in front light in back). My thought was if one of these bullets was seated upside down, would it shoot or tumble or what? I say it would shoot, uncle thinks it would tumble.

The ballistic coefficient may be a bit different

 

[savagedasher]

I just got an order of bullets n uncle n I were shooting the ....
I've had this idea before not that I'd ever try it but thinking in aerodynamics and theory. We got a load of Berger's, so looking at the length and thinking of an arrow(heavy in front light in back). My thought was if one of these bullets was seated upside down, would it shoot or tumble or what? I say it would shoot, uncle thinks it would tumble.

Arrows have vanes or feathers on them .
Larry

 

[Lapua40X]

... thinking of an arrow (heavy in front light in back ....

Arrows use fletching to stabilize in flight. Trying compare the two makes no sense. But you might try shooting an arrow backwards; that could be exciting.

 

[dmoran]

@BartsBullets "pig" bullet is almost a double-point (lol) that are shooting bug holes.

Sorry Bart... had to say it !.!.!
Donovan

 

[jsn]

There was an article in Handloader I think where they did this. The issue with backwards was figuring out the seating depth to get normal pressures. Accuracy was acceptable.

 

[DickE]

Arrow fletching is the equivalent to rifling in a barrel. They make it spin.

 

[bruce moulds]

when british tanks appeared in ww1, the germans found that pulled bullets loaded backwards would penetrate them.
the same bullets would not do this loaded normally.

 

[dickn52]

One of the guys at our 500m steel shoot
tried this and he shot a fair score.
I don't recall the details though.

Yeah, heard he cleared the 12 foot line with a perfect score.

 

[dkhunt14]

Guys used to do this for turkeys. Sort of a poor mans Speer full Metal case bullet. Matt

 

[Berger.Fan222]

They go bang. They fly straight. They do not tumble. BCs are pretty low. Never tried it at long range, but done a lot at shorter ranges.

There are a few advantages for unique circumstances: 1) loading in tube magazines like 30-30 2) less deflection through brush 3) can expand at subsonic velocities by drilling a hole in the base (now in front) of exposed lead bases like some FMJs and Partitions.

I expect it would usually be better to buy the right bullet than shoot the wrong one backwards. But sometimes you got a bunch of the wrong bullet or just want to try something new.

 

[Eddie Harren]

In an article I read over 20 years ago, a varmint/pelt hunter was loading 7mm Rem Mag to reduced velocity and seating the bullets backwards. He reported great accuracy on fox & coyote with minimal pelt damage. The ranges were short.

PS for Larry. I'd be interested in seeing you shoot the long bow backwards.

 

[XTR]

Arrow fletching is the equivalent to rifling in a barrel. They make it spin.

Kinda, but not really....

I fletch with a 3* offset so yes, my arrows do spin, and spin does impart stability, but the expense of retained velocity, basically the BC of the arrow, but there are lots of folks who fletch with a 0* offset, and get no spin and still have accurate setups.

Fletching provides a wing surface that keeps the back of the arrow in the back, the length of shaft aft of the center of balance of the arrow determines how much stabilizing force per square cm of fletching is exerted, that's why X bow bolts need bigger fletching than arrows, shorter shaft = shorter fulcrum = less stabilizing effect per cm2 of fletching.

Getting weight forward in arrows is provides a stabilizing effect because it moves the center of balance on the shaft and makes the lever arm longer.

I have heard of guys seating light bullets backward and jamming them to fire form.

 

[Larryh128]

Guys used to do this in the lever 30-30's hunting in tight woods on public land where a deer that ran had a real good chance of having a tag on it when you got to the end of the blood trail. Only complaint that I ever heard was that the bullets with the exposed lead base made a huge hole.

 

[jwink]

Pistol guys have done it for years, it's called a "wad cutter", nothing more than bullet that is flat on both ends.

 

[dickn52]

Pistol guys have done it for years, it's called a "wad cutter", nothing more than bullet that is flat on both ends.

And the winner is........................!

 

[lpreddick]

being a former rocketeer i learned about stabilizing a projectile in flight. arrows and rockets are "fin stabilized", and bullets are "spin stabilized". the difference has to do with the center of gravity(mass) and the center of pressure relationship. in a rocket/arrow the center of gravity(balance point, center of mass) has to be forward of the center of pressure (the definition of this factor is complex) (one caliber plus is safe). if this is reversed, the rocket/arrow will tumble...the rocket will fly in circles until propellant weight is reduced to the point that the center of gravity moves forward of the center of pressure, THEN the rocket will fly straight. this latter occurance can be very scary as some of these rockets were horizontal. a spin stabilized bullet must have its center of gravity BEHIND its center of pressure.i.e. the bullet's mass is in its rear. this center of weight and center of pressure separation in a rocket/arrow is usually quite large, but in a bullet the separation is very small. this might explain the bullet "going to sleep" describe by benchrest shooters as they feel bullets have a little "wobble" just as they exit the barrel, then stabilize. firing a bullet backwards puts the center of gravity in front of the center of pressure and results in unstable flight. the bullet will start to "wobble" shortly after barrel exit and subsequently lose energy and its trajectory will be poor as far as accuracy is concerned. long boat tail bullets have their center of gravity/mass far enough behind their center of pressure as to produce superior flight characteristics...large BCs and superb long range accuracy. short stubby bullets have these two factors so close that their long range accuracy suffers, albeit short range accuracy predominates. an interesting note: fin stabilized projectiles will not fly in a vacuum but spin stabilized projectiles will. rockets flying straight in space are stabilized by internal gyroscopes...spin stabilization.

 

[JRS]

Arrow fletching is the equivalent to rifling in a barrel. They make it spin.

Only if the arrow is fletched helical, or offset.