Randall Moffett wrote: |
Thanks for the links. The only question that comes to mind is that velocity does not equal distance right? I still am curious if the design of ball slows it as will calibre. The bullets they use now are shaped to cut through the air with the lease resistance. Now I assume this would not severly limit the flight of a ball but it could knock yards off. Thanks for the info though, this post has been good. Any idea the distance on cannon I remember reading early on they were fairly close to the walls as well?
Randall |
Thanks, I'm glad if it's been helpful: This is not my area of expertise but one does pick up a lot of information reading guns magazines for 30 years about ballistics etc ....... And target shooting for about 25 years. The thing is that a lot of the time one doesn't remember the sources of what one knows or " thinks " they know.
A modern conical bullet will have greater range, everything else being equal, than round ball that has a lot of drag, so there will be a loss of range, but it wouldn't be safe to shoot even the weakest hangonne at 45° with it's normal charge if anything was down range for a good distance.
As to velocity a large caliber handgonne won't necessarily have a lower velocity than a smaller caliber one.
Powder charge, length of barrel, strength of the gun making it possible to use a lot of powder without blowing up would be some of the variables.
With long barrelled muskets or Kentuky rifle the velocity of a 20 gauge might reach close to 2000 ft/sec. but a brown bess being closer to 12 or 11 gauge and with a loose ball to caliber windage might be closer to 1250 ft/sec. with the normal fighting load.
I think proof loads could be close to twice the normal amount of powder and twice the charge weight ! But fact check me because I'm again just going from the top of my head. I wish some black powder shooters would chime in as I'm just basing this on my memory of stuff read over the years. I'm sure the ballistics of round ball and their maximum range can be found somewhere or calculated if the weight and muzzle velocity is known.
Oh, with shotgun pellets and round ball in general the larger calibers are less affected by wind resistance in proportion to their mass as the air resistance will increase at the square of the diameter but the mass increases at the cube: So larger ball carries further at equal muzzle velocities. ( The actual formula may be more complex than this, but I think I am correct in general principal. ) I think this is called sectional density, while the shape affect ballistic coefficient. ( Conical versus round. )