How far will a 9mm round travel? - Page 2

Jim Watson · January 29, 2018, 12:02 AM

Ectually, I figure the 1.4 mile is more nearly correct than the 45 deg.

T. O'Heir · January 29, 2018, 01:21 PM

"...BHPs and Mauser pistols came with long range sights..." Those were for volley fire. Usually by mounted infantry.
CF pistol/SMG range fall zones are about 6 kilometers. That's roughly 3.7 miles.

Jim Watson · January 29, 2018, 08:06 PM

I doubt it.
Falling out of the sky range for .30-06 '06 or M2 is about 3500 yards, two miles. The M1 boattail would fly 5500 yards, 3+ miles.

James K · January 29, 2018, 10:46 PM

"... a 9 mm 120 grain bullet fired out of an average sized handgun at 45 degrees elevation will travel about 2300 meters before falling."

Poorly phrased. The bullet begins to fall the instance it leaves the barrel and will continue to fall until it is stopped by the ground or some other object. Whether the bullet hits that object directly below the muzzle or at some distant point is irrelevant to its fall or fall rate.

Jim

johnwilliamson062 · February 1, 2018, 01:06 AM

I hate to assume this is theoretical.
It sounds to me like someone asking how much range they need behind a paper target to safely shoot without a back stop.

It is incredibly important to consider a point brought up by a previous poster. The bullet fired at that trajectory is likely to continue travel after it hits the ground. It will skip like a rock across a pond. There are lots of factors that affect how many times it will skip and how far, but you can assume misfortune and shooter will hit the one flat rock located at 200 yards and get a mighty nice skip at the worst possible moment.

**Aguila Blanca** · February 1, 2018, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James K

"... a 9 mm 120 grain bullet fired out of an average sized handgun at 45 degrees elevation will travel about 2300 meters before falling."

Poorly phrased. The bullet begins to fall the instance it leaves the barrel and will continue to fall until it is stopped by the ground or some other object. Whether the bullet hits that object directly below the muzzle or at some distant point is irrelevant to its fall or fall rate.

Your statement is also poorly phrased, but I think we know what you mean.

"Falling" generally is taken to mean traveling in a downward direction. When a bullet is launched at an upward angle of 45 degrees, it doesn't start falling immediately after leaving the barrel. Initially it is rising. The effects of gravity and aerodynamic resistance mean that the rate of vertical rise immediately begins to decay, until at some point the bullet reaches the apex of its trajectory. That's when it begins to fall.

WarPig1976 · February 1, 2018, 12:19 PM

A bullet fired from a level barrel vs the same bullet dropped at the same instant and height, WILL hit the ground at the same time. It's Physics, a bullet has no lift so gravity acts the same on both.

Jayhawkhuntclub · February 25, 2018, 11:02 AM

I'm not sure what's more impressive, 1) the # of people who never looked at a ballistics chart before answering or 2) Those who completely ignored the original OP's question.

January 29, 2018, 01:21 PM	#27
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	"...BHPs and Mauser pistols came with long range sights..." Those were for volley fire. Usually by mounted infantry. CF pistol/SMG range fall zones are about 6 kilometers. That's roughly 3.7 miles. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

January 29, 2018, 12:02 AM	#26
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,543	Ectually, I figure the 1.4 mile is more nearly correct than the 45 deg.

January 29, 2018, 08:06 PM	#28
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,543	I doubt it. Falling out of the sky range for .30-06 '06 or M2 is about 3500 yards, two miles. The M1 boattail would fly 5500 yards, 3+ miles.

January 29, 2018, 10:46 PM	#29
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	"... a 9 mm 120 grain bullet fired out of an average sized handgun at 45 degrees elevation will travel about 2300 meters before falling." Poorly phrased. The bullet begins to fall the instance it leaves the barrel and will continue to fall until it is stopped by the ground or some other object. Whether the bullet hits that object directly below the muzzle or at some distant point is irrelevant to its fall or fall rate. Jim

February 1, 2018, 01:06 AM	#30
johnwilliamson062 Junior member Join Date: May 16, 2008 Posts: 9,995	I hate to assume this is theoretical. It sounds to me like someone asking how much range they need behind a paper target to safely shoot without a back stop. It is incredibly important to consider a point brought up by a previous poster. The bullet fired at that trajectory is likely to continue travel after it hits the ground. It will skip like a rock across a pond. There are lots of factors that affect how many times it will skip and how far, but you can assume misfortune and shooter will hit the one flat rock located at 200 yards and get a mighty nice skip at the worst possible moment.

February 1, 2018, 12:19 PM	#32
WarPig1976 Member Join Date: June 13, 2014 Location: Delaware County, Pennsylvania Posts: 31	A bullet fired from a level barrel vs the same bullet dropped at the same instant and height, WILL hit the ground at the same time. It's Physics, a bullet has no lift so gravity acts the same on both.

February 25, 2018, 11:02 AM	#33
Jayhawkhuntclub Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2007 Posts: 581	I'm not sure what's more impressive, 1) the # of people who never looked at a ballistics chart before answering or 2) Those who completely ignored the original OP's question.