How far will they go?

_41775360_maxi_kneel416.jpg
 
It's simple. The projectile goes as far as it does. It all depends on angle and velocity.

Now, that said, it's up to the person shooting it to stop it before it does any unwanted damage. Sand is best, dirt, whatever, even a tree (I don't suggest it though).

The harder the backstop the more chance there is for deflection. Heck, I've seen snow stop 38spl within 10ft of horizontal impact.

-R
 
Last edited:
At various points in my shooting experience, I have shot everything you mention...even the garage. So, I'm not sure where you're going with this, but....Whoo hoo! Go for it!
Not going for it will be safer for the trees and garage. But I appreciate the support anyway!
 
Back in the 80's some folks were shooting a AK47 at a sheet of plywood propped up against a tree. They were using the trees as a backdrop. Well one magic bullet found its way to the Carowinds water park and killed a young girl. They thought they were far enough away not to present a danger. They were wrong.
I remember this also. However I tend to remember on the news that they were shooting at a cinder block backstop and surprise! an AK round will go thru those. Pretty easily.
 
I'm much funnier, and rarely punch out my colleagues.

jeremy-clarkson-top-gear-e1313384063757.jpg
So do you love Top Gear? Glad you don't punch your colleagues! Those guys are too funny!
 
Love(d) it, wife love(d) even more and terribly disappointed by Grand Tour.
 
It's simple. The projectile goes as far as it does. It all depends on angle and velocity.

Now, that said, it's up to the person shooting it to stop it before it does any unwanted damage. Sand is best, dirt, whatever, even a tree (I don't suggest it though).

The harder the backstop the more chance there is for deflection. Heck, I've seen snow stop 38spl within 10ft of horizontal impact.

-R
Did you see the Mythbusters episode where a Barrett .50 round stopped in a pool in about 8-10 feet? Is my geekiness showing?
 
Love(d) it, wife love(d) even more and terribly disappointed by Grand Tour.
Well, they need time to get their stride back. The early seasons of Top Gear weren't as full of adventures as later ones, remember...anyhow, that's my theory, and I'm going to hold my breath till my guys get it back together! Thank goodness I have amazon prime and can watch them whenever I need a good laugh!
 
Hi jacked info:

Firearms Ranges

Hand Gun Ranges:

.25ACP 3,300 Ft.
.45 ACP 5,000 Ft.
.38 SPL 5,550 Ft.
.357 MAG 6,600 Ft.
.40 S&W 6,600 Ft.
9x19mm 6,600 Ft.
.44 MAG 7,000 Ft.

1 mile = 5,280 Ft,

All Distances are approximate using conventional ammunition.

Rifle Ranges:

.22 Short Sea Level - .75 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 1.5 Miles
.22 LHV Sea Level - 1.25 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 1.75 Miles
.22 LRHV Sea Level - 1.3 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 2 Miles
.22 WIN MAG Sea Level - 1.5 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 2.5 Miles
.222 Sea Level - 2 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 3 Miles
.243 Sea Level - 2.5 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 3.5 Miles
.270 Sea Level - 2.5 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 3.5 Miles
7mm MAG Sea Level - 3.5 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 5.25 Miles
30-30 Sea Level - 2 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 2.5 Miles
30-06 Sea Level - 3.25 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 4.5 Miles
300 SAV Sea Level - 2.5 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 3.5 Miles
300 H&H Sea Level - 2.5 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 3.5 Miles
308 Sea Level - 2.3 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 3.3 Miles
338 Sea Level - 3 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 4 Miles
35 REM Sea Level - 1.5 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 2 Miles
45-70 Sea Level - 1.75 Miles, 12,000 Ft - 2.25 Miles

All Distances are approximate using conventional ammunition.
 
Thank you, Millie. They were called Waves when I was in. My dad and brother were also Navy.
Mom had to carry a gun, being a lefty it was a big mess. Lol. I do miss that lady!
 
Back in the mid 1970's a friend of mines dad was at produce curb market in Forsyth County.

This was in the Ogburn Station area NW
of Winston Salem. He felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck and thought he had been stung by a wasp.

Wrong. It was .22 bullet on a downward trajectory. Lodged dangerously deep in his neck. No one heard a shot.
 
Millie, have you ever lived in Oregon??
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: HMP
why does that guy have loaves of bread strapped to his legs like that?
Has The Dominator retired? This pic reminded me...haven't been keeping up with the hockey lately!
 
why does that guy have loaves of bread strapped to his legs like that?

Whole grain has been proven to stop .38 SPL. :D
 
Millie, First - Welcome to the Forum. It's obvious you have a good sense of humor - which you will definitely need here as you have already seen. There is a lot of good information available from the members here and a lot of real-world experience to draw from. Don't be afraid to ask ANY questions you have. Sure, some answers will be smart-azz, but you will get decent, honest replies also.

What I have done for target shooting in my back yard is to take a large cardboard box about 2'x2' and fill it with flat (not crumpled) newspapers, old magazines and sometimes all the recycle junk mail. Most of the time I've found that a thick phone book or two is enough to stop most of my rounds (no Barrett .50s here). If you have an old table you can use to raise it up about 3 ft off the ground it is helpful. Tape a piece of copier/printer paper on the side with a 1" or 2" dark dot in the center and measure back about 21 feet - which is the longest distance you will shoot to qualify for your CHP. The white paper will show where your shots are going if you aim at the dark spot. It's not a fancy set up, but works well enough for my handguns when I'm working up new reloads.

Good luck.
 
Millie, First - Welcome to the Forum. It's obvious you have a good sense of humor - which you will definitely need here as you have already seen. There is a lot of good information available from the members here and a lot of real-world experience to draw from. Don't be afraid to ask ANY questions you have. Sure, some answers will be smart-azz, but you will get decent, honest replies also.

What I have done for target shooting in my back yard is to take a large cardboard box about 2'x2' and fill it with flat (not crumpled) newspapers, old magazines and sometimes all the recycle junk mail. Most of the time I've found that a thick phone book or two is enough to stop most of my rounds (no Barrett .50s here). If you have an old table you can use to raise it up about 3 ft off the ground it is helpful. Tape a piece of copier/printer paper on the side with a 1" or 2" dark dot in the center and measure back about 21 feet - which is the longest distance you will shoot to qualify for your CHP. The white paper will show where your shots are going if you aim at the dark spot. It's not a fancy set up, but works well enough for my handguns when I'm working up new reloads.

Good luck.
Well I like that idea a lot! Thanks! And yes I have a somewhat sarcastic sense of humor. Comes in handy a LOT!
 
Millie, they all love to pull legs on here but everyone truly cares for your safety and that of others who may be in your 1 mile radius. Nothing wrong with being a newbie and soaking up all the info these guys and gals can offer. Good luck on your shooting test and keep asking questions.
 
I'm going outside to shoot at trees. How far will my .38 SPL rounds travel? In case I miss the tree.

The question begs some assumptions here, since how far an object goes is based on it's velocity and the angle at which it's launched. We'll assume air friction as insignificant and that you're shooting horizontal to the ground. We'll also assume that you're shooting standing up with the gun at a height of 5 feet. We'll also assume 1,000 fps muzzle velocity, since you haven't given this in your OP (which is kinda peppy for a .38 SPL).

So, how far your bullet will travel across flat ground is a function of how long it takes for an object (the bullet) to drop to the ground from a height of 5 feet. Knowing this time, it's a simple matter of calculating distance from the velocity of your bullet.

So...how long does it take for an object to fall 5 feet? Knowing this distance, and gravitational acceleration of 32 ft/sec^2, we can calculate this:

d = vi*t + 1/2 * a * t^2

Initial velocity of the falling object is 0 fps, so the first term (vi*t) becomes zero. Solving for time (t) we get this:

t = square root of (d*2)/a = square root of (10/32) = 0.31 seconds.

So... 1,000 fps times 0.31 seconds gives you 310 feet until the bullet falls to the ground.


NOW...as for shooting trees...

I personally don't have a problem with shooting poor, innocent trees. I've slain more than my share in my day, and probably will do so in the future. Make sure of your backstop behind said tree...or that you have plenty of distance in a wide range left and right behind your target.

My only input is just to be as safe as you can, because you're STILL responsible for where your bullets go.
 
Last edited:
The question begs some assumptions here, since how far an object goes is based on it's velocity and the angle at which it's launched. We'll assume air friction as insignificant and that you're shooting horizontal to the ground. We'll also assume that you're shooting standing up with the gun at a height of 5 feet. We'll also assume 1,000 fps muzzle velocity, since you haven't given this in your OP (which is kinda peppy for a .38 SPL).

So, how far your bullet will travel across flat ground is a function of how long it takes for an object (the bullet) to drop to the ground from a height of 5 feet. Knowing this time, it's a simple matter of calculating distance from the velocity of your bullet.

So...how long does it take for an object to fall 5 feet? Knowing this distance, and gravitational acceleration of 32 ft/sec^2, we can calculate this:

d = vi*t + 1/2 * a * t^2

Initial velocity of the falling object is 0 fps, so the first term (vi*t) becomes zero. Solving for time (t) we get this:

t = square root of (d*2)/a = square root of (10/32) = 0.31 seconds.

So... 1,000 fps times 0.31 seconds gives you 310 feet until the bullet falls to the ground.


NOW...as for shooting trees...

I personally don't have a problem with shooting poor, innocent trees. I've slain more than my share in my day, and probably will do so in the future. Make sure of your backstop behind said tree...or that you have plenty of distance in a wide range left and right behind your target.

My only input is just to be as safe as you can, because you're STILL responsible for where your bullets go.
Wow, it's like being in physics class again! Which I still need to do the lab for...I love math! Thanks, but I've decided not to shoot in my yard.
 
The question begs some assumptions here, since how far an object goes is based on it's velocity and the angle at which it's launched. We'll assume air friction as insignificant and that you're shooting horizontal to the ground. We'll also assume that you're shooting standing up with the gun at a height of 5 feet. We'll also assume 1,000 fps muzzle velocity, since you haven't given this in your OP (which is kinda peppy for a .38 SPL).

So, how far your bullet will travel across flat ground is a function of how long it takes for an object (the bullet) to drop to the ground from a height of 5 feet. Knowing this time, it's a simple matter of calculating distance from the velocity of your bullet.

So...how long does it take for an object to fall 5 feet? Knowing this distance, and gravitational acceleration of 32 ft/sec^2, we can calculate this:

d = vi*t + 1/2 * a * t^2

Initial velocity of the falling object is 0 fps, so the first term (vi*t) becomes zero. Solving for time (t) we get this:

t = square root of (d*2)/a = square root of (10/32) = 0.31 seconds.

So... 1,000 fps times 0.31 seconds gives you 310 feet until the bullet falls to the ground.


NOW...as for shooting trees...

I personally don't have a problem with shooting poor, innocent trees. I've slain more than my share in my day, and probably will do so in the future. Make sure of your backstop behind said tree...or that you have plenty of distance in a wide range left and right behind your target.

My only input is just to be as safe as you can, because you're STILL responsible for where your bullets go.
So now your "Tree Nugent"?
 
Back
Top Bottom