muzzle energy

[albert linegar]

  It must be very frustrating for many when reading reloading manuals and articles from sports writers who talk about ammunition and firearms and reloading videos that refer to such things as " muzzle energy" and then go on to say that muzzle energy can be calculated by using the formula E=MV2, while others say E=1/2 MV2. Manufacturers , on the other hand , don't mention it at all. Perhaps it is because they don't want you to know what is junk and what is not. In the first instance it would appeat to be a closely guarded secret , and in the second I have to wonder if , in fact , they actually know what they are talking about at all. Here is an example: My 30.06 fires a 180gr. bullet at a muzzle velocity of 2700fps. That's simple enough to calculate , " or is it " ,lets take a look shall we. Here is the calculation as it is suggested .M =180 X  v 2700= 486000 X 2700= 1312200000. So there you have it , even a child could figure it out, it reads ONE BILLION ONE HUNDRED TWENTY TWO MILLION something or other. Since there are 7000 grains in one pound it would be simple to change grains to pounds by dividing the something or other by 7000, so lets do it 1312200000 / 7000 =187457.14 that was easy enough it reads " ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY SEVEN THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED FIFTY SEVEN  POINT FOURTEEN FOOT/LBS or something or other.I think it is  something or other. There are 437.5 grains in one ounce so lets change the first something or other to ounces,  1312200000/437.5=29993143.28. This has to be it since these are the only two possible equations that can be used in that formula. So the muzzle energy of my 30.06 firing a 180gr bullet at 2700 fps is   two million nine hundred ninety nine thousand three hundred fourteen point twenty eight  " FT/LBS    FT/OZ or something or other.There that should clear it up.

    Guys and Girls, the muzzle energy of my 30.06 firing a 180gr bullet at 2700 fps is 2914.44 FT/LBS. I will now share this " apparently " closely guarded secret formula with everyone. E= MV2  DEVIDED BY 450240.This formula will calculate the muzzle energy of the  smallest # 12 pellet to a 10 lb. cannon ball and is as follows.

        M =180 x  V = 2700 = 486000 x 2700=1312200000 DIVIDED BY 450240 =2914.44

                                         OR

    2700 X 2700 X180 / 450240= 2914.44 FT/LBS

 By finding the mass of the pellet you can now tell if the load you are  going to pay a small fortune for is worth the price or if it is junk. Sorry manufacturers but the cat is now out of the bag.  If the box says mag. or max. dram equivalent  in reference to vol check it out carefully before buying as these references are very misleading. If anyone needs any info on pellet mass or how to find it just post the question and I will be glad to answer it. Hope you have fun with this.

                         Albert.

[Billy Guest]

Wow...My .375 H&H is a thumper with 260grain core-lokts at 3903.69 ft/lbs at muzzle!!!

[albert linegar]

 Wow Billy, that's a lota gun. Muzzle vol. must be around 2600 fps.

                Albert.

[Billy Guest]

Yeah, right at it, or just slightly under. A few of the loads you can buy for it..(Factory loads, as I dont handload) will go as far as 4200 and then some ft/lbs...with a 300 grain bullet. And with the 260 grain bullets, it pretty much has the identical trajectory and continued velocities as a .30-06 shooting 180's.. out to 400-500 yards ..Pretty flat for a bigger caliber.

[albert linegar]

 4200 ft/lbs is quite a smack,and that's quite a flat trajectory for such a large bullet.No doubt that if the rifle is on and you can hit a moose at 4-500 yds it will certainly bring him down.

        Albert.

[Billy Guest]

Opps...my mistake..those 260 grain bullets are actually 270's...I was just looking at the box and realized I posted 260 here. The actual ballistics of those rounds I currently have are: Velocity is 2690 fps / Muzzle energy is 4337 ft/lbs!!!! Trajectory is still essentially identical to a 180 .30-06..A real thumper for sure!! lol..

[albert linegar]

  0OPS: Billy, I made two mistakes in the figures above. The first one is that I completely missed the 3 so 1,312,200,000 reads one billion three hundred twelve million two hundred thousand. The second is that there is a 3 in the .lbs. to oz. calculation  that should not be there. It should be 2,999,314.28 . However it was  written correctly. Sorry about that guys.

                    Albert.

[Billy Guest]

yeah, thats alright....I double checked my ballistics on the remington site for the load I'll be using..and its the same as my last comment..

 

Thanks

[albert linegar]

At least we're getting it right this time, hopefully lol.

                     Albert.

[Fred Woodman]

Just to stir the pot !!

lol of course this assumes ( and assumption is the mother of all screw ups) that the posted muzzle velocity is accurate. Which normally its not...

But its mostly just a subject of conversation because a 5% or a 10% variation wont make much difference to the intended target if bullet is placed properly. Especially inside distances that are reasonable.

Which then leads to the whole exercise in ballistic co-efficients/sectional density after all nothing gets shot at the muzzle.........

of course bullet construction is huge, none of this muzzle energy applies on thru and thru shots

and on and on it goes. 

As the guy from Wheeler would say..."I love this stuff"