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How long does it take for a .50 Cal Bullet to Come down?
AShooting Journal ^ | 5/17/2018 | E Sarkissian

Posted on 05/17/2018 5:43:36 AM PDT by w1n1

Have you ever wondered how long it takes for a .50 caliber bullet to go up and come back down?

Obviously, you'd probably not want to do this because its a gun safety issue, too many possibilities involved.
Most gun authorities frown upon this gesture with any guns or bows.
But the thing is many gun enthusiasts have that curiosity to know, how long does it take for a .50 caliber bullet to come down.
Youtuber Edwin Sarkissian takes aim (no pun intended) at this question with a .50 caliber incendiary round.

Results After the shot was fired it took about 1:50 minute before you hear the bullet spinning down like a helicopter. This is after several attempts to confirm the sound. Though they stated on the first attempt there was a small explosion made upon impact.

This experiment was not scientific, it was worth watching for a gee whiz moment, especially the helicopter sound of the bullet coming back to earth. Who knows maybe its big brother drones nearby. See the full video footage of .50 Cal bullet to come down here.


TOPICS: Hobbies; Miscellaneous; Outdoors
KEYWORDS: 50cal; banglist; blogpimp
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1 posted on 05/17/2018 5:43:36 AM PDT by w1n1
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To: w1n1

I am 9.546% sure this was covered on “Mythbusters.”


2 posted on 05/17/2018 5:45:30 AM PDT by freedumb2003 (robert mueller is an unguided missile)
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To: freedumb2003

I think on Myth Busters they compared dropping a round from a fixed height and comparing it to a bullet shot parallel to the ground from the same height.

They both hit the ground at the same time. Obviously with no lift involved they fell at the same speed but the one shot from a gun was significantly down range. Physics


3 posted on 05/17/2018 5:53:04 AM PDT by KSCITYBOY (The media is corrupt)
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To: w1n1

....about as organised as cat riot...
..we’ll hear from this duo again when they make headlines (fatality)


4 posted on 05/17/2018 5:55:47 AM PDT by Doogle (( USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand....never store a threat you should have eliminated)))
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To: freedumb2003

1 minute , 50 seconds.


5 posted on 05/17/2018 5:57:20 AM PDT by Candor7 ((Obama Fascism)http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2009/05/barack_obama_the_quintessentia_1.html)
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To: w1n1

Obviously, these boys have way too much time on their hands! LMAO


6 posted on 05/17/2018 6:06:48 AM PDT by Howie66 ("Tone down the tagline please." - Admin Moderator)
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To: freedumb2003

Yep..................Saw that episode..............


7 posted on 05/17/2018 6:10:46 AM PDT by Red Badger (Remember all the great work Obama did for the black community?.............. Me neither.)
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To: w1n1

I’ve been hit on the head by falling birdshot shooting crows didn’t even leave a mark...or hurt.
A .50 cal. would probably hurt and it might break the skin but it ain’t gonna kill ya.


8 posted on 05/17/2018 6:13:51 AM PDT by gdc61
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To: KSCITYBOY

Projectile height given time video

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/one-dimensional-motion/kinematic-formulas/v/projectile-height-given-time


9 posted on 05/17/2018 6:24:44 AM PDT by tired&retired (Blessings)
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To: KSCITYBOY

Physics would also tell you the time it would take for the bullet to travel in its parabolic arc and return to the ground. Plus its terminal velocity. And, neglecting wind resistance and deflection, its exact trajectory.

Powerful stuff, physics.


10 posted on 05/17/2018 6:44:46 AM PDT by IronJack (A)
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To: gdc61

Neglecting air resistance, the round would have the same energy it had when it left the muzzle. Not only would it break the skin, it would turn your skull into putty.

Obviously, from the “helicopter” noise the returning round makes, air resistance IS a factor. But I’m betting you still wouldn’t want to get hit.


11 posted on 05/17/2018 6:48:49 AM PDT by IronJack (A)
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To: KSCITYBOY

Under those circumstances a 22 would hit the ground at the same time the 50 caliber did.


12 posted on 05/17/2018 6:51:57 AM PDT by Lurkina.n.Learnin (Wisdom and education are different things. Don't confuse them.)
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To: Lurkina.n.Learnin

Only in a vacuum. The .22 caliber bullet will be affected more by the atmosphere.


13 posted on 05/17/2018 6:59:22 AM PDT by GingisK
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To: tired&retired

That was cool.


14 posted on 05/17/2018 7:03:57 AM PDT by Radix (Natural Born Citizens have Citizen parents)
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To: Lurkina.n.Learnin
Oh, a .22 caliber bullet has a different muzzle velocity than the .50, so it will rise to a different height. The .22 cal initial velocity is 1341 feet per second. The .50 cal BMG initial velocity is 3091 feet per second.

The .50 cal will stay in the air a lot longer than the .22 round.

15 posted on 05/17/2018 7:07:26 AM PDT by GingisK
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To: gdc61

a 50 cal traveling at terminal velocity will definitely hurt. it could easily kill.

(I have a degree in physics- trust me on that)


16 posted on 05/17/2018 7:23:56 AM PDT by Mr. K (No consequence of repealing Obamacare is worse than Obamacare itself.)
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To: IronJack

A shot straight up will go straight up until it stops. It will then fall straight back down, but it will tumble. That is why it makes a windmilling sound.

However, a shot at an angle, say, 10 degrees from vertical, will follow something like parabolic arc, and will still have forward velocity when it reaches the top of that arc. It will then continue down without tumbling, and will gain speed and be moving much faster when it hits the ground.

So a shot straight up may come back down and hit you on the head, but it will probably not kill you, because the bullet will be moving slow, windmilling all the way down. But a shot at a high trajectory that is not vertical will come down, with great energy, some distance away, and would be quite deadly.


17 posted on 05/17/2018 7:45:33 AM PDT by Haiku Guy (ELIMINATE PERVERSE INCENTIVES)
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To: w1n1

One fired at an ISIS terrorist will reach the ground within a second after impact.


18 posted on 05/17/2018 7:53:19 AM PDT by yawningotter
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To: Haiku Guy

But a 50 calibre shot fired perfectly straight up in perfectly calm winds (at the fire point AND all the way to its maximum height will NOT fall back at the fire point. The earth is rotating 1037 mph (1670 km per hour). (Approximately 0.28 mile per second of total non-relativistic vertical flight.)

But that’s at the equator.

Multiple by the cosine of the latitude of the fire point (and add the elevation of the fire point from the assumed perfect spherical global) to get the actual horizontal speed of the perfect bullet fired perfectly upwards in a perfect vacuum - or in a perfectly still air mass.

I’m a nuclear engineer - which is why I know the “actual physics” in the real world can’t be calculated the way most college-educated physicists naively approximate the real world. 8<)


19 posted on 05/17/2018 8:00:05 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (The democrats' national goal: One world social-communism under one world religion: Atheistic Islam.)
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To: Robert A Cook PE

Of course, the initial inertia has to be accounted as well. It’s all relative velocity.


20 posted on 05/17/2018 8:08:35 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (The democrats' national goal: One world social-communism under one world religion: Atheistic Islam.)
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