Novel methods for projectile stabilization?

[mcb]

For round balls many of the airsoft guns use "hop up". A modest mount of back spin to help fight gravity and to help the round ball fly more true compared to than an unspun "knuckle-ball".

 

[Elkins45]

As soon as it cools off a bit I’m going to cast a few slugs and see what I can cobble together.

 

[tmd16556]

Once things get supersonic it starts to change the way things behave. Fins need to be further back, spin is more important.

I have seen something about teardrop shaped shot pellets patterning better. The problem is all these novel aerodynamic designs tend to pack poorly into a cartridge.

 

[lysanderxiii]

There are only two ways to stabilize and object in flight:

1) through aerodynamic forces, or

2) gyroscopic forces.

Take your pick.

 

[CapnMac]

Fins need to be further back, spin is more important.

The "shock cone" created at Mach 1 is actually a tricky thing. There's a a turbulent set of layers at the transition. Having "bits" protrude through the Mach cone has some dramatic drag coefficients, which as seldom to the benefit of what ever it is.

This gets even more complicated as air insists on being laminar, and abhoring vacuums and the like. So, there are "wake cones" behind the main Mach cone, too.

All of which are part of the "why" the curve of an ogive works so well at Mach speeds.