HuntingNet.com Forums - View Single Post - Bullet density and Ballistic Coefficients
Old 11-12-2009, 08:47 PM
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bigcountry
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Originally Posted by Big Z
Now, we all know that a feather is going to drop to the ground slower than a lead ball because it's much less dense and is influenced by air much more. However, I'm wondering why there seems to be nothing to figure the difference in flight between, say, a plain copper bullet and a bullet with a lead core (let's ignore the fact that the copper bullets would have to have more volume to retain the same mass). The lead core one would have more density, and this would lead me to believe that it would be affected by wind less. However, ballistic coefficients are only calculated by shape, the relative angles of a certain bullet etc and this is what we use in calculators. What are standard projectiles made out of? Is compensation consistently accurate by adjusting BCs in calculators? I'm delving into the world of ballistics and some things just require good solid experience to answer
Only thing that affects drift is ability for a bullet to get from A-B. A bullet does not fight with the wind, like your example of a feather falling to the ground. But in flight it trys to keep even pressure on sides and flies with that. Where with gavity, it does not.

Gravity force and pressure from wind shear are two totally differnet things, and only things affecting it are bullets side area and its ability to get from A-B. Faster it gets there, less drift.