Books on Understanding Ballistics

Justified · August 6, 2013, 10:53 AM

Can anyone recommend a good Book on Understanding Ballistics?
I started reloading in January of this year and would like to start with the basic beginner type book if you will. Not looking for PHD level stuff just yet.

Thanks in advance.
Justified

Sierra280 · August 6, 2013, 11:48 AM

I read every reloading manual I can get my hands on, Lyman and Speer have lots of good info. Bryan Litz's books contain about everything you need to know, they are a little more advanced but contain a wealth of ballistics information.

-Edit-Just finished 'accuracy and precision' by Litz, totally awesome.

mehavey · August 6, 2013, 12:17 PM

Basic Ballistics is absolutely nothing more than high-school physics using the law of falling bodies (which is very simple
and not worth a book)...
See: Elementary Trajectory Calculations

...the messy part is when you introduce aerodynamic drag which depends on bullet shape to slow the bullet
down over time -- and which continually changes itself even as the velocity changes. For that you need
several ballistic coefficients to deal with the changing velocities..., and a lot of scratch pads.

(oh, and we've haven't talked about wind drft and coriolis effect.

It's easier to use any of the on-line ballistic calculators as long as you know the manufacturer's adverstised ballistic coefficients for the particular bullet.

But if you absolutely INSIST on great classic bathroom reading material, absolutely NOTHING beats The Bullet's Flight by Mann

dahermit · August 6, 2013, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Can anyone recommend a good Book on Understanding Ballistics?

Internal or External?

BigD_in_FL · August 6, 2013, 05:45 PM

Both the Speer and Sierra manuals have great sections on ballistics, the formulae involved, everything - great books that belong in every reloader's library - and at the risk of getting flamed - IMO WAY above any Lee manual, and even the ABC's........(and I have the ABC's)

Jimro · August 7, 2013, 11:40 AM

Try "Dead On" http://www.amazon.com/Dead-On-Long-R...m/0873649974/2

It is a short read, but covers all the basics of long range ballistics. If you understand long range ballistics, you understand short range ballistics.

It is definitely NOT a Ph.D. level book, in fact I recommend seeing if you can check it out from your library instead of buying.

Jimro

Clark · August 8, 2013, 06:55 PM

Here is my road map of ballistics for handloaders as lazy as me:

1) Internal ballistics:
Pressure, muzzle velocity, that kind of stuff.
Just buy Quickload, it will calculate everything.

2) External ballistics:
Flight of the bullet, wind, trajectory, velocity loss, that kind of stuff.
Just by Quickload, it comes with Quicktarget that will calculate everything.

3) Terminal ballistics:
Bullet expansion, stopping power, that kind of stuff.
I have seen 20 years of internet flames on the topic.
The combination of lack of controlled experiments on killing, and shot placement being so important, together will probably cause this to be a matter of opinion forever.
I like Speer Gold Dot bullets for handguns, Hornady Vmax for rodents, and Nosler Ballistic tip for ruminants, but you pay your money and you take your choice.

LSU · August 9, 2013, 06:22 AM

+1 on going to the local library and checking out some books.

I have Speer and Lyman but one day I dropped into the library and it had a whole bunch of books on reloading. Some were older but I found many of these to be less technical in the explanation of ballistics.

From looking at the books I checked out, I figured someone donated them to the library after they stopped reloading or someone had died.

Good source before you buy the books.

If your library doesn't have any books on reloading, ask them to order some. You probably should have a list of what you want because most libraries have something called an "inter-library loan" where local library can get books from the state library.

August 6, 2013, 10:53 AM	#1
Justified Member Join Date: January 14, 2013 Location: Midland Michigan Posts: 21	Books on Understanding Ballistics Can anyone recommend a good Book on Understanding Ballistics? I started reloading in January of this year and would like to start with the basic beginner type book if you will. Not looking for PHD level stuff just yet. Thanks in advance. Justified

August 6, 2013, 12:17 PM	#3
mehavey Senior Member Join Date: June 17, 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 6,886	Basic Ballistics is absolutely nothing more than high-school physics using the law of falling bodies (which is very simple and not worth a book)... See: Elementary Trajectory Calculations ...the messy part is when you introduce aerodynamic drag which depends on bullet shape to slow the bullet down over time -- and which continually changes itself even as the velocity changes. For that you need several ballistic coefficients to deal with the changing velocities..., and a lot of scratch pads. (oh, and we've haven't talked about wind drft and coriolis effect. It's easier to use any of the on-line ballistic calculators as long as you know the manufacturer's adverstised ballistic coefficients for the particular bullet. But if you absolutely INSIST on great classic bathroom reading material, absolutely NOTHING beats The Bullet's Flight by Mann Last edited by mehavey; August 6, 2013 at 12:29 PM.

August 7, 2013, 11:40 AM	#6
Jimro Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2006 Posts: 7,097	Try "Dead On" http://www.amazon.com/Dead-On-Long-R...m/0873649974/2 It is a short read, but covers all the basics of long range ballistics. If you understand long range ballistics, you understand short range ballistics. It is definitely NOT a Ph.D. level book, in fact I recommend seeing if you can check it out from your library instead of buying. Jimro __________________ Machine guns are awesome until you have to carry one.

August 8, 2013, 06:55 PM	#7
Clark Senior Member Join Date: December 4, 1999 Location: WA, the ever blue state Posts: 4,678	Here is my road map of ballistics for handloaders as lazy as me: 1) Internal ballistics: Pressure, muzzle velocity, that kind of stuff. Just buy Quickload, it will calculate everything. 2) External ballistics: Flight of the bullet, wind, trajectory, velocity loss, that kind of stuff. Just by Quickload, it comes with Quicktarget that will calculate everything. 3) Terminal ballistics: Bullet expansion, stopping power, that kind of stuff. I have seen 20 years of internet flames on the topic. The combination of lack of controlled experiments on killing, and shot placement being so important, together will probably cause this to be a matter of opinion forever. I like Speer Gold Dot bullets for handguns, Hornady Vmax for rodents, and Nosler Ballistic tip for ruminants, but you pay your money and you take your choice. __________________ The word 'forum" does not mean "not criticizing books." "Ad hominem fallacy" is not the same as point by point criticism of books. If you bought the book, and believe it all, it may FEEL like an ad hominem attack, but you might strive to accept other points of view may exist. Are we a nation of competing ideas, or a nation of forced conformity of thought?

August 6, 2013, 11:48 AM	#2
Sierra280 Junior member Join Date: July 29, 2013 Location: Gardnerville, NV Posts: 569	I read every reloading manual I can get my hands on, Lyman and Speer have lots of good info. Bryan Litz's books contain about everything you need to know, they are a little more advanced but contain a wealth of ballistics information. -Edit-Just finished 'accuracy and precision' by Litz, totally awesome.

August 6, 2013, 05:45 PM	#5
BigD_in_FL Junior member Join Date: December 20, 2012 Location: The "Gunshine State" Posts: 1,981	Both the Speer and Sierra manuals have great sections on ballistics, the formulae involved, everything - great books that belong in every reloader's library - and at the risk of getting flamed - IMO WAY above any Lee manual, and even the ABC's........(and I have the ABC's)

August 9, 2013, 06:22 AM	#8
LSU Member Join Date: May 12, 2013 Posts: 38	+1 on going to the local library and checking out some books. I have Speer and Lyman but one day I dropped into the library and it had a whole bunch of books on reloading. Some were older but I found many of these to be less technical in the explanation of ballistics. From looking at the books I checked out, I figured someone donated them to the library after they stopped reloading or someone had died. Good source before you buy the books. If your library doesn't have any books on reloading, ask them to order some. You probably should have a list of what you want because most libraries have something called an "inter-library loan" where local library can get books from the state library.