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    Transonic Effects On Bullet Stability BC

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    Transonic Effects On Bullet Stability BC

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    JS jr.
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    Transonic-Effects-on-Bullet-Stability-BC

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    79 views2 pages

    Transonic Effects On Bullet Stability BC

    Uploaded by

    JS jr.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Transonic Effects on Bullet Stability & BC

    Bryan Litz explains Bullet Behavior in the Transonic Zone.

    These four photos show the substantial changes in the shock wave and turbulence patterns for the same
    7.5mm bullet at different velocities. The “M” stands for Mach and the numerical value represents the velocity
    of the bullet relative to the speed of sound at the time of the shot. Photos by Beat Kneubuehl.

    “Going transonic” is generally not a good thing for bullets. The bullet can lose stability as it enters the transonic
    zone. It can also become less slippery, losing BC as a consequence of dynamic instability. In this video, Bryan
    Litz of Applied Ballistics analyzes what happens to bullet stability (and BC) as projectiles approach the speed
    of sound. Transonic effects come into play starting about Mach 1.2, as the bullet drops below 1340 fps.

    Transonic Ballistics Effects Explained by Bryan Litz


    What happens when the bullet slows to transonic speed, i.e. when the bullet slows to about 1340 feet per second? It is
    getting close to the speed of sound, close to the sound barrier. That is a bad place to fly for anything. In particular,
    for bullets that are spin-stabilized, what the sound barrier does to a bullet (as it flies near Mach 1) is that it has a
    destabilizing effect. The center of pressure moves forward, and the over-turning moment on the bullet gets
    greater. You must then ask: “Is your bullet going to have enough gyroscopic stability to overcome the increasing dynamic
    instability that’s experienced at transonic speed?”

    Some bullets do this better than others. Typically bullets that are shorter and have shallow boat-tail angles will track
    better through the transonic range. On the contrary, bullets that are longer… can experience a greater range of pitching
    and yawing in the transonic range that will depress their ballistic coefficients at that speed to greater or lesser extents
    depending on the exact conditions of the day. That makes it very hard to predict your trajectory for bullets like that
    through that speed range.

    © 2021 Applied Ballistics, “All rights reserved. This document contains proprietary information. Do not distribute without the prior
    written consent of the copyright owner.”
    When you look at transonic effects on stability, you’re looking at reasons to maybe have a super-fast twist rate to stabilize
    your bullets, because you’re actually getting better performance — you’re getting less drag and more BC from your
    bullets if they are spinning with a more rigid axis through the transonic flight range because they’ll be experiencing less
    pitching and yawing in their flight.

    To determine how bullets perform in the “transonic zone”, Bryan did a lot of testing with multiple barrels
    and various twist rates, comparing how bullets act at supersonic AND transonic velocities. Bryan looked
    at the effect of twist rates on the bullets’ Ballistic Coefficient (BC). His tests revealed how BC degrades in
    the transonic zone due to pitching and yawing. Bryan also studied how precision (group size) and muzzle
    velocity were affected by twist rates. You may be surprised by the results (which showed that precision
    did not suffer much with faster barrel twist rates). The results of this extensive research are found in
    Bryan’s book Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting.

    Bryan notes: “A lot of gunpowder was burned to get these results and it’s all published in layman’s terms
    that are easy to understand”. If you’re interested in learning more about transonic bullet stability, you
    may want to pick up a copy of Bryan’s book.

    © 2021 Applied Ballistics, “All rights reserved. This document contains proprietary information. Do not distribute without the prior
    written consent of the copyright owner.”

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