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Bullet travels miles

amzbrady

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just read on a face book site, that a father is asking that new years be celebrated without guns. I myself do not condone firing aimlessly into the air. But I also think if you are going to plead for somehting have your facts straight.

Can a bullet travel a couple miles much less one mile? at first I thought, well maybe at the right angle and height? Anyone know for sure?
 

PT111

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, South Carolina, USA
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You have found the answer but it is YES, people right here in the US have been known to be killed from bullets fired over a mile away.
 

FMCDH

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amzbrady wrote:
just read on a face book site, that a father is asking that new years be celebrated without guns. I myself do not condone firing aimlessly into the air. But I also think if you are going to plead for somehting have your facts straight.

Can a bullet travel a couple miles much less one mile? at first I thought, well maybe at the right angle and height? Anyone know for sure?

Myth-busters did a segment on this idea,that bullets fired straight up (or at a generally straight up trajectory) in the air are dangerous when they tumble back down to earth. It was found that the terminal velocity of standard 9mm and 223 caliber bullets, falling straight back to earth is not enough to penetrate any part of the human body. Around 110 FPS if I remember correctly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebratory_gunfire

The reference is at about mid page. Long and short, it might give you a bit of a bump on the head, but it wont seriously injure you.

What they ALSO found however, isif the bullet is fired at an angle ofabout 30% and if it maintains its spin and arch while coming back down, the same bulletMAY indeedmaintain enough energy to penetrate the human body, and it COULD kill someone.

All that being said, firing ANY bullet without being aware of where its going to end up violates one of the golden rules of firearms handling, and in my opinion, anyone who needlesslydischarges a firearm without regard totheir backstop or consideration of the ending point of that bullet is an IDIOT.
 

David.Car

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Earlier this year a woman was hit by a .50 round that penetrated her motor home (I believe hit her in the arm) that was fired from miles away.

Note: Found the article http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/headlines/cup/11/05/fan.shot.update/index.html
FORT WORTH, Texas -- A stray bullet that injured a fan in her motor home at Texas Motor Speedway may have been from a rifle of a target shooter, police said Tuesday.

A 49-year-old man contacted police after being told of news reports that a woman was hit in the arm Sunday morning by a bullet piercing through the roof of her recreational vehicle camped at the speedway, according to Fort Worth police.

The man told detectives Tuesday that he fired five or six rounds from a .50 caliber Vulcan single-shot rifle near a rifle range about five miles from the speedway from about 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., police said.

Detectives confiscated the Vulcan rifle and will conduct ballistics tests. If it matches the recovered bullet, the man could face a charge of deadly conduct for recklessly firing a weapon in the direction of others, police said.

Before any charges are considered, detectives will submit evidence from the investigation to the district attorney, police said.

The 62-year-old woman's condition was unavailable Tuesday.
 

Thundar

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NavyLT wrote:
The answer is simple - get out your good 'ol trusty black powder muzzleloader, load her up with your standard black powder load, and stuff a nice, tight wad of tissue paper down on top of the powder. Blast away! Muzzle in a safe direction, of course.
You see that at all of the New England Patriot home games when the Pats score.
 

Stretch

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It's not only people damage that can be caused by "randomly" firing into the open heavens above. There are also other object which can be damaged with the return of the lead from above.

Slightly related here: I work in telecom and we have aerial cable that is damaged on a regular basis by vandals with firearms. If the round isn't buried in the cable, it has to go someplace....

Happy New Years
 

Capn Camo

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The question is improper. The actual questions are:

1.) What caliber/muzzle velocity? 22 short, no. 223 @ 3250 fps, possibly

2.) height above the ground. Its not as much of a question of "how fast it goes out" as "how high above the ground its fired from. A bullet and any other object falls to Earth at the same rate.

223 @ 3250 fps yes, UNLESS the 2 seconds needed to go a mile result in it hitting the ground first.

Just for fun, drop a round on the ground, thats how long a bullet in flight stays airborne before falling into the ground,


PS "father is asking that new years be celebrated without guns."

Good, let him do so. Thats his decision. oops, forgot, the leftist anti gunners want to tell everyone ELSE what to do...
 

Stretch

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Capn Camo wrote:
Just for fun, drop a round on the ground, thats how long a bullet in flight stays airborne before falling into the ground,

Mythbusters did a segment about this. It made for great viewing!
 

TheMrMitch

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Tell that daddy that I'm gonna empty two CZ 82s and two CZ83s at midnight New Year's Eve. :dude:Maybe more.

I live in the country and will shoot into a safe area. Might eventouch offup some Tannerite.:celebrate

It will be safe.
 

Bill Starks

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TheMrMitch wrote:
Tell that daddy that I'm gonna empty two CZ 82s and two CZ83s at midnight New Year's Eve. :dude:Maybe more.

I live in the country and will shoot into a safe area. Might eventouch offup some Tannerite.:celebrate

It will be safe.
Most of us out here would kill to have the property you do Mitch. One of my visits back to my hometown (Madisonville) and I will have to see about linking up with some of you in Kentucky.
 

amlevin

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NavyLT wrote:
The answer is simple - get out your good 'ol trusty black powder muzzleloader, load her up with your standard black powder load, and stuff a nice, tight wad of tissue paper down on top of the powder. Blast away! Muzzle in a safe direction, of course.

You can do the same thing with a 12ga shotgun shell. Fill the shell with a generous supply of pyrodex or triple-x. Some Toilet paper over the top of the powder, fold the shell closed and seal with some candle-wax. Black powder won't overload a modern shotgun. Just ask any SeaFair Pirate

Of course you'r neighbor will wonder where all the tp confetti came from.

:celebrate:celebrate:celebrate:celebrate
 

Trigger Dr

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When I was a teenager, a man in my hometown would always celebrate New Years with his 1911A1. 1956 he stepped outside, loaded his 1911 spread his feet about shoulder width, pointed the gun at the earth while looking at his watch, and at the stroke of midnight, shot off his right big toe.:banghead:
 

FMCDH

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Trigger Dr wrote:
When I was a teenager, a man in my hometown would always celebrate New Years with his 1911A1. 1956 he stepped outside, loaded his 1911 spread his feet about shoulder width, pointed the gun at the earth while looking at his watch, and at the stroke of midnight, shot off his right big toe.:banghead:
Give that man the "Darwin Jr." award! ;)
 

Bill45

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Just keep in mind,( all you who want to discharge a firearm on new years, even one loaded with blanks or home made blanks) that discharging a firearm in most areas is illegal even a pellet gun.

Neighbor sees you shooting a gun-calls cops.

Cops confiscate guns- take any children into protective custody from "nut" with a gun, issue citation or arrest you for reckless endangerment. Your lawyer is only person celebrating the new year.
 

Bill Starks

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Just keep in mind,( all you who want to discharge a firearm on new years, even one loaded with blanks or home made blanks) that discharging a firearm in most areas is illegal even a pellet gun.
Mosin Nagant blanks on the 4th of July.....
 

Metalhead47

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South Whidbey, Washington, USA
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M1Gunr wrote:
Just keep in mind,( all you who want to discharge a firearm on new years, even one loaded with blanks or home made blanks) that discharging a firearm in most areas is illegal even a pellet gun.
Mosin Nagant blanks on the 4th of July.....
Dislocated shoulder on the 5th....















...but where can I get some? :celebrate
 
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