A Page from History: Air Resistance of a .30-'06

by
posted on May 11, 2017
3006headstamp.jpg
From the October 1957 issue of American Rifleman, a letter sent to the magazine asking about air resistance.

I know that when a bullet is fired at high speed, air resistance slows it down very fast, but could you give me an idea of how much the air resistance against the point of a .30-'06 military bullet amounts to in pounds?—N.S.P.

Answer: When the .30 cal. M2 bullet is fired at a muzzle velocity of 2700 fps, it takes .12 second to go to the first 100 yards, and during this brief interval it loses 219 fps, so that if it kept on losing speed at this rate, it would lose 1825 fps in one second.

When a bullet is dropped, gravity will give it a speed of 32 fps during the first second of its fall. Thus at this velocity air resistance changes the bullet's speed over 56 times as fast as gravity does. The force that gravity exerts on any object is equal to the weight of the object, and as a 152-grain bullet weights 1/46-lb., and as air resistance at the speed mentioned is 56 times gravity, it exerts a force of nearly 1 1/4 lbs. on the nose of the bullet.—J.S.H.

Latest

Blaser TCSA2025 1
Blaser TCSA2025 1

Team Blaser Shooters Capture Titles At Texas State Sporting Clays Championships

Team Blaser dominates 2025 TSCA Texas State Sporting Clays Championships.

New: Springfield Armory Model 2020 Heatseeker

Springfield Armory launches the Model 2020 Heatseeker—a chassis-based, bolt-action rifle.

New: Remington Standard V .22 LR Ammunition

Remington’s new Standard V rimfire load is now shipping.

Register Now For The 2025 NRA World Shooting Championship

This year’s NRA World Shooting Championship will be at Camp Atterbury, Ind., from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, 2025.

All About The 2025 Grand American World Trapshooting Championship

For the 20th year, the Grand American will be held at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Illinois.

New: Cole Performance Maintenance Products

Cole’s BIO-CLP and Performance Grease for firearms will help increase performance and extend lifespan.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.