I am looking for some .44 Magnum ammo to put through a handgun, and I asked a friend what would be more gentle to my hands, a lighter bullet or a heavier bullet. He told me that in general, a heavier bullet will have more felt recoil because of the basic principles of inertia (action-reaction). This makes sense to me, but when I looked at some ballistic tables for various commercial loads, I seem to get the opposite answer. For example, I looked at the muzzle energy of a 180 grain bullet and it was much more than the muzzle energy of a 240 grain bullet, which is the opposite of what I would expect. (Granted, these were two different manufacturers, so they could have used two different test guns.) So here are my questions, assuming that we are testing various loads from the same gun: 1) Is “muzzle energy” a fairly good indicator of the felt recoil (that is, higher muzzle energy translates to higher felt recoil)? 2) Do heavier bullets in general produce higher muzzle energy and greater felt recoil then lighter bullets, other things being equal? PS - please keep your answers relatively simple, because I am not a ballistics expert, just a casual shooter. thanks
Please explain - Bullet weight vs. muzzle energy vs. felt recoil
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The formula for muzzle energy uses the square of velocity times the bullet weight divided by a standard factor.
You can see from the formula that if double the velocity-- 500fps squared is 250,000, 1000fps squared is 1,000,000 with the same weight bullet, will cause the energy to quadruple.
Free recoil is determined by velocity of projectile, total weight of ejecta, and the weight of the firearm.
You can see from the formula that if double the velocity-- 500fps squared is 250,000, 1000fps squared is 1,000,000 with the same weight bullet, will cause the energy to quadruple.
Free recoil is determined by velocity of projectile, total weight of ejecta, and the weight of the firearm.
Momentum is conserved. The momentum of the bullet and whatever else flies dowrange equals the momentum transferrd to you. The formula for momentum is (Mass)*(Velocity)
Kinetic energy is also a function of mass and velocity but it's (1/2)*(Mass)*(Velocity)^2.
It's possibly a lighter bullet would carry more energy downrange yet kick less.
Kinetic energy is also a function of mass and velocity but it's (1/2)*(Mass)*(Velocity)^2.
It's possibly a lighter bullet would carry more energy downrange yet kick less.
bogie
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Do you remember how hacked off your high school science teacher was when you slept through the Physics section? You don't?
That's because you were sleeping!
Now... A lighter bullet, going the same speed as the heavier bullet, will have less felt recoil, and also lesser terminal ballistics effects. HOWEVER, most folks will generally load the lighter bullet to go faster, resulting in better terminal ballistics, but also more of a "kick."
That's because you were sleeping!
Now... A lighter bullet, going the same speed as the heavier bullet, will have less felt recoil, and also lesser terminal ballistics effects. HOWEVER, most folks will generally load the lighter bullet to go faster, resulting in better terminal ballistics, but also more of a "kick."
Crosshair
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Heavier bullets are more of a push. Lighter bullets tend to be more of a kick.
Okay, science teacher here...
Your homework is to read this article for a good discussion of this complex and often misunderstood topic.
This article has two parts. The link to the second part is found at the bottom of the first part. The second part is more germane to this discussion, but the first part gives good basic background of the physics involved.
Quiz to follow.
K
Your homework is to read this article for a good discussion of this complex and often misunderstood topic.
This article has two parts. The link to the second part is found at the bottom of the first part. The second part is more germane to this discussion, but the first part gives good basic background of the physics involved.
Quiz to follow.
K
I suppose you want the darn link?
http://wadcutter.blogspot.com/2005/03/shooters-guide-to-energy-and-momentum.html
http://wadcutter.blogspot.com/2005/03/shooters-guide-to-energy-and-momentum.html
And here's a couple summary paragraphs
But, like everything else, recoil isn’t quite so simple. The human body is hideously complex, and the way in which it converts the kinetic energy of recoil into something else will depend a great deal on the physical characteristics and shooting techniques of the person pulling the trigger. Just because a certain gun has a lower recoil energy than another does not mean that it will be more comfortable for an individual to shoot. For example, some people find the “snappy” kick of 9mm handguns to be less pleasant than the heavy “shove” of a .45, despite the .45’s greater overall recoil. Likewise, it is almost meaningless to compare the recoil numbers of rifles to pistols, since the physical act of absorbing a rifle’s kick with one’s shoulder is completely different from taming a pistol’s recoil with one’s hands. Furthermore, we haven’t considered the effects of things like compensators, autoloading mechanisms or rubber grips on recoil. Despite these limitations, recoil energy is the best (simple) measure for discussing recoil, and understanding recoil energy comes from knowing projectile momentum and gun mass. All you really need to remember from this can be summed up as follows:
If you reduce a gun’s mass by one-half, it will kick twice as hard.
If you double a projectile’s momentum, the gun will kick four times as hard.
But, like everything else, recoil isn’t quite so simple. The human body is hideously complex, and the way in which it converts the kinetic energy of recoil into something else will depend a great deal on the physical characteristics and shooting techniques of the person pulling the trigger. Just because a certain gun has a lower recoil energy than another does not mean that it will be more comfortable for an individual to shoot. For example, some people find the “snappy” kick of 9mm handguns to be less pleasant than the heavy “shove” of a .45, despite the .45’s greater overall recoil. Likewise, it is almost meaningless to compare the recoil numbers of rifles to pistols, since the physical act of absorbing a rifle’s kick with one’s shoulder is completely different from taming a pistol’s recoil with one’s hands. Furthermore, we haven’t considered the effects of things like compensators, autoloading mechanisms or rubber grips on recoil. Despite these limitations, recoil energy is the best (simple) measure for discussing recoil, and understanding recoil energy comes from knowing projectile momentum and gun mass. All you really need to remember from this can be summed up as follows:
If you reduce a gun’s mass by one-half, it will kick twice as hard.
If you double a projectile’s momentum, the gun will kick four times as hard.
Good eye, zahc
Actually, that was a copy and paste from the article I referenced. BUT, like you I saw that discrepancy--but after I posted it.
I agree it's inconsistent with the first statement. Make that "velocity" and it's correct.
K
Actually, that was a copy and paste from the article I referenced. BUT, like you I saw that discrepancy--but after I posted it.
I agree it's inconsistent with the first statement. Make that "velocity" and it's correct.K
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