|
[ Return to Contents
| Post a Reply
| Post a new message
]
Bullet drop on a slope...
Posted by Murphy on Aug 30 2005
Bama,
I've read some of the responses and there are lots of good comments. They are correct or at least partially correct. Since I do Physics and have shot a bit I have a comment, too.
Bullet drop is a function of gravity (a constant) and bullet flight time (1/velocity). When shooting up/down hill the effect of gravity is reduced by the cosine of the angle. The cosine of the angle of 30 degrees (a pretty steep angle) is .866, or the drop is only 86.6% of the straight line drop. Not a big deal. At an angle of 45 degrees, has a cosine of .707 or about 30% less drop than the straight and level shot. In sheep or goat hunting a hunter would encounter such angles, but only rarely. The up/down drop only becomes a factor when shooting at small targets (prairie dogs) at longer ranges (greater than 300 yds). The difference is most likely less than the shooters ability to hold in the field so we consider a non-issue. It is probably more important for a bow hunter that will shoot down a steep angle from a tree stand. An arrow has more drop and the angle is steep, so the difference in drop will be more significant. A really good rule to follow is don't compensate for it. And another good rule for the first shot at long range, hold on the animal. I always shoot for the furry part first. Too many misses come from over compensating for range, wind and angle. Hold into the wind but still on the zone, hold high for range but still on the zone. In other words, don't poke holes in the sky to see what happens. It is the mark of an inexperienced shooter to shoot where a target ain't!
This is an interesting thread, I hadn't seen before, with lots of good comments. Someone mentioned the Sierra Explorer Program, I use that and its fun to play with.
Good shootin'.
Murphy
Previous: Uphill / Downhill Trajectories ?? BamaBBQ1 Aug 29 2005
Next: MildotMaster/SlopeDoper GaryVA Aug 30 2005
Message Thread:
|
