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From: sman@prandtl.nas.nasa.gov (Sekong Man)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Falling Bullet
Message-ID: <13087@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 12 Jan 90 04:47:13 GMT
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center
Lines: 17
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: sman@prandtl.nas.nasa.gov (Sekong Man)

	In <13029@cbnews.ATT.COM> Rob Horn wrote about falling bullet
>The terminal velocity will depend on two major factors:  the bullet
>size and weight, and whether it is tumbling.  If you avoid tumble, then
>terminal velocity should be above 50 m/s and below 400 m/s.  Depending
>upon the  bullet and where it hits these speeds are high enough to cause
>injury, but few injuries will be serious.  If the bullet has tumbled, the
>speeds drop a lot.

	He is mostly right except that 400 m/s is far too high as
a upper bound. Afterall pistols fire bullets at sonic speed which is
around 330 m/s and such speed of course can cause fatal injury. The
terminal velocity of any normal bullet is not likely to be much above
the 50 m/s quoted and the conculsion about injury is thus right.