The physics of

Shooting a Rifle
By: Cody Duvall
I will be using the Remington 700 VTR rifle along with
Winchester .308 150 grain ammunition for my examples

All formulas used are based off research I have found and
referenced
I have no way of testing them myself

Ammunition
Types
Before we go any further I want to mention some of the different
bullet and ammunition types. Here we see six different bullet types
though there are more, Full Metal Jacket, Hollow Point, and Boat Tail
are some of the more popular ones. Each bullet type serves a
different purpose and reacts differently in the External and Terminal
Ballistics stages of firing.

Different bullet weights, loads, and powder can effect the trajectory
of the bullet greatly, for this explanation I would like to stick with
the Boat Tail shape named for its shape, because it resembles the
outline of a boat, with a thin tip and tapered base. With the tapered
base the drag on the bullet is reduced thus producing a flatter
trajectory. The lower rear weight compared to the flat based bullets,
move the center of gravity closer to the middle or the geometric
center of the bullet, allowing forces like wind to not effect it as
ssen the impact gap between each shot you could use what is called match grade ammunition, with the sa
much. This is by far the best bullet for long range accuracy.
ber this means that the bullet tolerance is very close to one another. Basically the rounds you have all have
ers which were made on the same equipment, with the same compound, more or less by the same person.
der came from the same batch, which was mixed at the same time, and loaded in the same cartridges by th
hine. If an experiment would be conducted match grade ammunition would be the perfect control.

Oscillation Affect
- Free Floating Barrels

The idea of a free floating barrel is to reduce outside interference on oscillation, Oscillation
is to move in one direction and then back again many times. Every rifle is going to produce
oscillation when fired, because of the pressure of the bullet traveling down the barrel
twisting in the groves the barrel may not appear to move but it vibrates quite a bit. The
contact with the stock can affect the harmonics of the barrel producing different oscillation
patterns each shot, meaning that each flight patter and impact point may be different then
the last. This is why the Oscillation of the barrel will be most constant when removing the
contact of the stock and producing a free floating barrel.
To the Right we
see an
exaggerated
example of the
oscillation effect
on the bullet. free
floating the barrel
will reduce this as
Example of a free floating barrel much as possible
and is best used
as a control for

Internal Ballistics

rnal Ballistics begin when you have a round loaded, your sights are on target and you pull the trigger. Follo
elow the firing pin strikes the bullets primer, the primer ignites the gunpowder and creates pressure pushin
ut of the casing and instantly into the barrel. The bullet grabs the rifling and begins to spin. The Remington
inch barrel with a six grove rifling of 1:12 right hand twist, meaning the bullet makes a full rotation every 1
e bullet RPM formula I found, Bullet RPM = MV X 720/Twist Rate (in inches) muzzle velocity can be located
tions box, (2,820 FPS) Bullet RPM = 2820 X 720/12 is 169,200 RPM when it exits the barrel.
The purpose of rifling is to stabilize the bullet by
spinning it while it travels down the barrel.

External Ballistics

Again from the information located on the Remington box we see the bullet exits the
barrel at 2,820 fps traveling in the upwards direction the effects on the bullet now lean to
the external ballistics effects being gravity, drag, wind deflection, and air resistance. With
perfect experiment conditions there would be zero wind and air resistance taking out
those factors we are only left with drag and gravity. The barrel is inclined to a positive
elevation angle, this is because the moment the bullet leaving the muzzle is effected by
gravity so the barrel is angled upwards to allow the line of departure. (The imaginary
straight line out of the scope) to intersect with the bullets trajectory as it falls to earth. So
Kinetic
Energy
can beas
found
using
the picture
and example with the rifle zeroed at 300 yards the bullet should fall
using
theon
formula
right
top of the line of sight.
2
KE=1/2MV mass (M) is given
in pounds, derived from the
weight (W) of the bullet in
grains (150), divided by
7000 grains per pound times
the acceleration of gravity
(32 ft/sec) so that:
KE=W(V)2/(450,435)ft/lb
KE=150 gr.(2820
fps)2/450,435 ft/lb
KE=2648.24 which it so

External Ballistics Continued

BC = SD / I
Drag is difficult to measure, so the Ballistic Coefficient (BC) is
often used, the sectional density (SD) of the bullet , and I is a
form factor for the bullet shape. The SD is calculated from the
bullet mass (M) divided by the square of its diameter.
Drag is also influenced by bullet spin. The faster the spin, the
less likely a bullet will "yaw" or turn sideways and tumble in its
flight path through the air.Bullets do not typically follow a
straight line to the target. Rotational forces are in effect that
keep the bullet off a straight axis of flight.
Luckily the
changed in
velocity and
energy are located
on the ammunition
box in 100 yard
increments.

To reduce air resistance, the ideal bullet

would be a long, heavy needle, but such
a projectile would go right through the
target without dispersing much of its
energy, Knowing this we will get into the
Terminal Ballistics of the bullet.

Terminal Ballistics
Now comes the terminal velocity of the bullet, this is what happens when the bullet hits
the target. Depending on the target this can have number of different effects I will be
explaining what happens when bullets hit soft targets meaning living tissue the best way
to explain this would be to use a gelatin mold (like the one below) because of the ballistic
similarities. At 100 yards the velocity has dropped to 2,513 fps with kinetic energy of
2,104 J. The speed at which a projectile must travel to penetrate skin is 163 fps and to
break bone is 213 fps, to prevent the bullet from going straight thought other factors are
more important in producing damage. The .308 win. 150 grain bullet is designed to
expand on impact leaving a large permanent cavity in the target which is where most of
Designing
a bullet
fortarget
efficient
transfer
the damage comes from. It is caused when
the bullet
hits its
it begins
toof
tumble
to a
particular
target is not
and expand cutting and crushing a wideenergy
area just
inside
the target.
straightforward, for targets differ. To penetrate
the thick hide and tough bone of an elephant,
the bullet must be pointed, of small diameter,
and durable enough to resist disintegration.
However, such a bullet would penetrate most
human tissues like a spear, doing little more
I could not locate a gelatin that
damage than a knife wound. A bullet designed
was hit by a .308 win. 150 gr
to damage human tissues would need some
bullets this is a .308 Hornady
sort of "brakes" so that all the KE was
GMX
transmitted to the target.

Sources
Plaster, John L. The Ultimate Sniper: An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers.
Boulder, CO: Paladin, 2006. Print.
Hokin, Sam. "The Physics of Everyday Stuff - Gun Recoil." The Physics of Everyday Stuff - Gun
Recoil. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.
Nelson, Mike. "Bullet Trajectory." Bullet Trajectory. N.p., 2012. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.
"Physics of Gun Energy, Recoil, and Range." EmptorMaven. N.p., 04 Feb. 2013. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

Photos
https://www.hunter-ed.com/montana/studyGuide/Bullet-Weight/201027_700048221/
http://www.amalgamatedstuff.com/tt/handgun-ammunition_files/image004.gif
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-floating_barrel#/media/File:Thor_xm408.jpg
http://www.milsurps.com/images/imported/2010/02/barrelvibes-1.jpg
https://www.hunter-ed.com/akb/ak_specific_images/graphics/ak_rifling.jpg
http://thearmsguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Traj.jpg
http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/jpeg2/FOR101.gif
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kuEhx5Nt2uQ/maxresdefault.jpg