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Long Range Hunting & Shooting
How Many Yards Until No Longer Lethal
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<blockquote data-quote="crkckr" data-source="post: 2954159" data-attributes="member: 78056"><p>Ok, let's set some deeper rules. For one thing, a bullet from, for example a .308, if fired straight up, most certainly will NOT be lethal when it comes back to earth! I'm not certain about a 750 grain 50 cal, since the much heavier weight equals a lot more retained energy. It is no worse than having the bullet dropped on your head from whatever it's terminal velocity height is. Obviously the weight of a projectile has some bearing on this matter, since a cannon ball will probably flatten you out like pancake at 127 mph! But most rifle or pistol bullets are not dangerous when fall straight down!</p><p></p><p>However, the velocity of just about anything free falling is around 127 mph. While the bullet will still be *spinning* at nearly the same rpm as when it left the barrel, it will do little more than perhaps give you a headache but will not pierce the skin. In addition, a bullet fired exactly straight up will fall base first (ref. Hatcher's Notebook and others). It will leave a small but noticeable dent in the hood or roof of your car but it definitely will not be lethal!</p><p></p><p>So what we are talking about here is a bullet fired at some other angle than straight up. I believe 33 degrees gives most bullets their "best" or longest possible distance. Now we are talking about a whole new ball game!</p><p></p><p>In this situation a bullet will retain a lot more velocity and energy until it strikes the surface of the earth. Without knowing for certain (I am by no means a rocket scientist!), I would say just about any bullet fired from any gun will likely be (at least potentially) lethal if it can hit a human in the chest or abdomen. By the time a bullet falls far enough to lose so much velocity/energy that it's non-lethal it would probably be at ankle height or less.</p><p></p><p>Keep in mind this all depends on bullet weight and launch speed, or energy. Energy really is the key factor. If a bullet doesn't have enough energy, it will not be as likely to produce a clean kill. You can have a big bullet and low velocity or a small bullet with lots of velocity and they can end up with the same energy (not taking into account bullet construction, placement and all the other things that add up to a clean kill). Energy, even minimum enery, is what it takes to kill something. Without that minimum energy no bullet is going to penetrate and be lethal.</p><p></p><p>Of course, range comes into play as well. Bullets lose energy in flight. That's a fact. Even if you can hail mary a bullet into a target from your muzzle loader your bullet might not have enough energy to penetrate fur or flesh far enought to be lethal. It's the same with your 50 cal.! Any 50 cal. that has enough energy to leave a mark directly level across your chest has enough energy to rip your lungs out! Then again, so does a musket ball! </p><p></p><p>So essentially it all comes down to angle and range! One thing I can promise is, if you ever get hit by a bullet (or shot) you better hope it is small and was fired from a very, very steep angle! As someone who has been peppered by #8 shot on more than one occasion (poorly arranged Sporting Clays field. It's startling but not in the least painful, even on a bare neck!), angle and energy are everything!</p><p>Cheers, </p><p>crkckr</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="crkckr, post: 2954159, member: 78056"] Ok, let's set some deeper rules. For one thing, a bullet from, for example a .308, if fired straight up, most certainly will NOT be lethal when it comes back to earth! I'm not certain about a 750 grain 50 cal, since the much heavier weight equals a lot more retained energy. It is no worse than having the bullet dropped on your head from whatever it's terminal velocity height is. Obviously the weight of a projectile has some bearing on this matter, since a cannon ball will probably flatten you out like pancake at 127 mph! But most rifle or pistol bullets are not dangerous when fall straight down! However, the velocity of just about anything free falling is around 127 mph. While the bullet will still be *spinning* at nearly the same rpm as when it left the barrel, it will do little more than perhaps give you a headache but will not pierce the skin. In addition, a bullet fired exactly straight up will fall base first (ref. Hatcher's Notebook and others). It will leave a small but noticeable dent in the hood or roof of your car but it definitely will not be lethal! So what we are talking about here is a bullet fired at some other angle than straight up. I believe 33 degrees gives most bullets their "best" or longest possible distance. Now we are talking about a whole new ball game! In this situation a bullet will retain a lot more velocity and energy until it strikes the surface of the earth. Without knowing for certain (I am by no means a rocket scientist!), I would say just about any bullet fired from any gun will likely be (at least potentially) lethal if it can hit a human in the chest or abdomen. By the time a bullet falls far enough to lose so much velocity/energy that it's non-lethal it would probably be at ankle height or less. Keep in mind this all depends on bullet weight and launch speed, or energy. Energy really is the key factor. If a bullet doesn't have enough energy, it will not be as likely to produce a clean kill. You can have a big bullet and low velocity or a small bullet with lots of velocity and they can end up with the same energy (not taking into account bullet construction, placement and all the other things that add up to a clean kill). Energy, even minimum enery, is what it takes to kill something. Without that minimum energy no bullet is going to penetrate and be lethal. Of course, range comes into play as well. Bullets lose energy in flight. That's a fact. Even if you can hail mary a bullet into a target from your muzzle loader your bullet might not have enough energy to penetrate fur or flesh far enought to be lethal. It's the same with your 50 cal.! Any 50 cal. that has enough energy to leave a mark directly level across your chest has enough energy to rip your lungs out! Then again, so does a musket ball! So essentially it all comes down to angle and range! One thing I can promise is, if you ever get hit by a bullet (or shot) you better hope it is small and was fired from a very, very steep angle! As someone who has been peppered by #8 shot on more than one occasion (poorly arranged Sporting Clays field. It's startling but not in the least painful, even on a bare neck!), angle and energy are everything! Cheers, crkckr [/QUOTE]
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