July 31st 2022
“The overturning moment MW tends rotate the bullet around an axis which runs through the CG (center-of-gravity) and which is perpendicular with the plane of drag ….Ruprecht Nastiel, a forensic expert in ballistics from Wiesbaden, Germany has authored a great resource on bullet behavior in flight. How Do Bullets Fly by Nennstiel explains all factors that affect bullet flight, including gravity, wind and gyroscopic effects. Nennstiel also explains the complicated Magnus Force, and Coriolis Effect that are involved at long ranges. Nennstiel’s extraordinary resource includes many useful illustrations and new experimental observations of bullets fired at small arms at short and long ranges. Nennstiel writes with precise, clear prose and explains every key factor that influences external ballistics. We all know that bullets spin once they are launched from a rifled barrel. Nennstiel explains more about how this spinning creates gyroscopic instability: “The overturning moment MW tends rotate the bullet around an axis which passes through the CG (center for gravity) and is perpendicular with the plane of drag, which is the plane formed by the velocity vector v’ and the bullet’s longitudinal axis. Without spin, the yaw angle (?) would grow and the bullet would tumble. The bullet would fall if it didn’t have enough spin. If the bullet has enough spin, meaning it rotates fast enough around its axis, the gyroscopic effect occurs: The bullet’s longitudinal alignment moves in the direction of the overturning instant, perpendicular with the plane of drag. However, this axis shift alters the plane drag, which then turns about the velocity vector. This movement is known as slow mode oscillation or precession. “Raise Your Ballistic IQ
Nennstiel’s work may be understandable by anyone with basic physics knowledge, but it is the equivalent to a Ph.D. thesis in external ballistics. You could spend hours reading the primary material and the FAQ section. We think it’s worthwhile to read How Do Bullets Fly from beginning to end. For future reference, we recommend bookmarking the page. For offline reading and future reference, you can also download the entire article. (1.2 MB.zip File)Photo and diagram (C), 2005-2009 Ruprecht Nenstiel. All Rights Reserved.
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