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Q:
In long-range shooting, how many times does the path of the projectile cross the line of sight?
Question by Treestand. Uploaded on February 19, 2010
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Answers (25)
twice i think
Exactly twice. bobcat trapper 95 has it right.
In most scoped high power rifles, once between about 20 to 30 yards depending on scope height and zero distance and another at your point of zero range.
Twice and regardless of what anyone says a bullet starts falling the second it leaves the barrel. A lot of people will debate you on that but the reason that it crosses twice is that the angle of sight and the axis of the barrle are not paralel. The axis of the bore angles up while the line of sight is straight. The bullet crosses the line of sight at the 20-40 yard line in most rifles, rises to a height above bore of 4-6 inches and then falls back down (due to gravity) somewhere between 150-300 yards. (depending on hight above bore and muzzle velocity). Most people zero thier rifles at 100 yards or an inch or two high at 100 so it actually falls back at whatever range it is truely "zeroed" at
CPT B
Twice...upwardly angled parabolic curve.
Very well stated .Mr.Palumbo +1
2 times.
However! There have been cases of 3. Sad to say that shot didn't count for score!!
What if your scope is sighted in for the apex of the parabolic curve?
Two times only.
once on the way up and once on the way down
If it is more than twice we are using rocket propelled projectiles.
Buck, still seems that the bullet will only cross twice, 'splain please or I'll have to call my wife the physics major!
Twicet.
Bee and Clay,
I think if it's more than twice, we're discussing ricochets...and if they bounce into the V-ring on my target, I'll call that "acceptable ballistic performance".
Edward J. Palumbo a +1 for you!
Beekeeper didn't get it!! LMAO!!!!
Clue!
Sad to say that shot didn't count for score!!
One I witnessed it was dead center "X" ring and the hole looked like a tiny banana and sprayed us with dust, dirt and small rocks!
Hey Beekeeper, you got to think outside of the box!
"acceptable ballistic performance"
THAT"S A GOOD ONE!
Only once if it hits a bird on the wing above the line of sight, and the bird flies off to some remote mountaintop and dies there with the bullet in its body. Just thinking outside the box.
Good point Ed, but I didn't thnk we were discussing ricochets...
Ricochets should only count if they hit the Bullseye Or MOBG. :)
If it was a true parabolic curve the arc and distance after the apex would be the same as after the apex. It is not- air resistance continuously slows the bullet.
If you aim straight up or at a very steep angle down the answer could be one.
Sorry - arc and distance before the apex would be the same as after the apex. Doing too many things at once again.
Got to think out of the box, right? In outer space it could also be one. That would be the ultimate long range shooting, eh?
In reply to buckhunter's question, if your scope is sighted in for the apex of the parabolic curve, the answer would still be two.
The path of the bullet would follow a second parabolic curve slightly higher than the first. It would intersect the line of sight for the first time at closer range than the first, and for the second time also at a range closer than the first.
The "point of impact" at such a sight-in range would be above the crosshairs of the scope.
Beekeeper
Why not? We have Ricochet Rabbitt on her almost every day.
One further observation: if a shooter has his rifle perfectly sighted in for the exact range at which his target is situated, and he then shoots a five-shot group at the target, the group should be clustered around the aiming point.
This would confirm that the rifle was perfectly sighted in for that range, but any of the bullets printing above the center of the group would have crossed the line of sight only once.
Buck, it will still only cross txice, because if it is sighted in at teh aex, then it would in fact not be the apex, but the end of the downward curve, and the apex would once again be farther back, just imagining drawing a curve on paper, and then starting a curve coming back at teh top of teh first curve, and that wold be what is happening. Hope it helped.
99
This is not true unless the target is very near. For example, if you are zeroed for 1000 yards, you will cross twice (unless you ricochet a third or fourth time)
DakotaMan-
You are partially right.
Consider this: If the target is EVER closer than the range for which the rifle is zeroed in, the bullet will cross the line of sight only once.
If you are zeroed for 1000 yards, the bullet will be high at every range in between, except for the first 30-40 yards before the bullet comes up and crosses the line of sight for the first time.
After that, it will not come down to the line of sight again until it reaches the 1000 yard mark, where it would cross the line of sight a second time.
i only knew that because a math teacher who taught us this in a math problm he also taught us to calculate what pin on our bow to use when in a tree stand depending how high we are and how far the deer is..and it would work if you will do the math..bad thing is i forgot how to do it..ooooops
If you sight your 30-06 at 10 yards it would only be once, because you would hit your target on the way up. If your rifle is sighted in at 100 yards and you shoot at a target 10 yards it would be 0. But anybody that knows anything about shooting better be twice when at least sighting in a gun. Understanding physics will make a better shooter. 99 has it right.
I though I was being creative in thinking up ways to reduce the line of sight crossings to one, but babsfish4life has topped me with a way it could be zero! Now that it thinking outside the box. Very good analysis.
Post an Answer
Bee and Clay,
I think if it's more than twice, we're discussing ricochets...and if they bounce into the V-ring on my target, I'll call that "acceptable ballistic performance".
Exactly twice. bobcat trapper 95 has it right.
In most scoped high power rifles, once between about 20 to 30 yards depending on scope height and zero distance and another at your point of zero range.
Twice and regardless of what anyone says a bullet starts falling the second it leaves the barrel. A lot of people will debate you on that but the reason that it crosses twice is that the angle of sight and the axis of the barrle are not paralel. The axis of the bore angles up while the line of sight is straight. The bullet crosses the line of sight at the 20-40 yard line in most rifles, rises to a height above bore of 4-6 inches and then falls back down (due to gravity) somewhere between 150-300 yards. (depending on hight above bore and muzzle velocity). Most people zero thier rifles at 100 yards or an inch or two high at 100 so it actually falls back at whatever range it is truely "zeroed" at
CPT B
Only once if it hits a bird on the wing above the line of sight, and the bird flies off to some remote mountaintop and dies there with the bullet in its body. Just thinking outside the box.
twice i think
Twice...upwardly angled parabolic curve.
If it is more than twice we are using rocket propelled projectiles.
Buck, still seems that the bullet will only cross twice, 'splain please or I'll have to call my wife the physics major!
If it was a true parabolic curve the arc and distance after the apex would be the same as after the apex. It is not- air resistance continuously slows the bullet.
If you aim straight up or at a very steep angle down the answer could be one.
DakotaMan-
You are partially right.
Consider this: If the target is EVER closer than the range for which the rifle is zeroed in, the bullet will cross the line of sight only once.
If you are zeroed for 1000 yards, the bullet will be high at every range in between, except for the first 30-40 yards before the bullet comes up and crosses the line of sight for the first time.
After that, it will not come down to the line of sight again until it reaches the 1000 yard mark, where it would cross the line of sight a second time.
If you sight your 30-06 at 10 yards it would only be once, because you would hit your target on the way up. If your rifle is sighted in at 100 yards and you shoot at a target 10 yards it would be 0. But anybody that knows anything about shooting better be twice when at least sighting in a gun. Understanding physics will make a better shooter. 99 has it right.
Very well stated .Mr.Palumbo +1
What if your scope is sighted in for the apex of the parabolic curve?
Two times only.
once on the way up and once on the way down
Twicet.
Edward J. Palumbo a +1 for you!
Beekeeper didn't get it!! LMAO!!!!
Clue!
Sad to say that shot didn't count for score!!
One I witnessed it was dead center "X" ring and the hole looked like a tiny banana and sprayed us with dust, dirt and small rocks!
Hey Beekeeper, you got to think outside of the box!
"acceptable ballistic performance"
THAT"S A GOOD ONE!
Ricochets should only count if they hit the Bullseye Or MOBG. :)
Beekeeper
Why not? We have Ricochet Rabbitt on her almost every day.
I though I was being creative in thinking up ways to reduce the line of sight crossings to one, but babsfish4life has topped me with a way it could be zero! Now that it thinking outside the box. Very good analysis.
Good point Ed, but I didn't thnk we were discussing ricochets...
Sorry - arc and distance before the apex would be the same as after the apex. Doing too many things at once again.
Got to think out of the box, right? In outer space it could also be one. That would be the ultimate long range shooting, eh?
In reply to buckhunter's question, if your scope is sighted in for the apex of the parabolic curve, the answer would still be two.
The path of the bullet would follow a second parabolic curve slightly higher than the first. It would intersect the line of sight for the first time at closer range than the first, and for the second time also at a range closer than the first.
The "point of impact" at such a sight-in range would be above the crosshairs of the scope.
Buck, it will still only cross txice, because if it is sighted in at teh aex, then it would in fact not be the apex, but the end of the downward curve, and the apex would once again be farther back, just imagining drawing a curve on paper, and then starting a curve coming back at teh top of teh first curve, and that wold be what is happening. Hope it helped.
99
This is not true unless the target is very near. For example, if you are zeroed for 1000 yards, you will cross twice (unless you ricochet a third or fourth time)
i only knew that because a math teacher who taught us this in a math problm he also taught us to calculate what pin on our bow to use when in a tree stand depending how high we are and how far the deer is..and it would work if you will do the math..bad thing is i forgot how to do it..ooooops
2 times.
However! There have been cases of 3. Sad to say that shot didn't count for score!!
One further observation: if a shooter has his rifle perfectly sighted in for the exact range at which his target is situated, and he then shoots a five-shot group at the target, the group should be clustered around the aiming point.
This would confirm that the rifle was perfectly sighted in for that range, but any of the bullets printing above the center of the group would have crossed the line of sight only once.
Post an Answer