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[Otter]

Jerem,

I interpreted your question as one with your tongue in cheek question and answered with mine planted firmly in my cheek. I apologize if my answer was taken as a slight of your knowledge. It is sometimes difficult to tell if the dialogue on some of these threads has taken a humorous bent or not. Much of the humor here is quite subtle and can be mistakenly taken as digs. I guess I need to re-evaluate my interpretive process.

Once again, my sincerest apologies if my responce was taken as a dig rather than a simple humorous statement with a play on words. I don't intentionally "pick" on someone unless they really deserve it, and, clearly, you didn't.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Now there is a clear statement showing a total lack of understand of aerodynamics. Putting an air hole at the back end of a ball or bullet is going to cause the ball to " fish-tail " through the air. whereas, if its at the nose of the bullet, or ball, it fills with air, and becomes either a non-factor in accuracy, or helps shift the center of gravity of the ball or bullet rearward, which aids accurate flight, in a spinning projectile.

Fish tailing occurs, even at below the sound barrier speeds because there is always a slight vacuum created at the back of the ball, by the ball pushing air ahead, and around its surfaces.Air is rushing into that vaccuum, even as the ball pushes more air in front of the ball creating a new vacuum along the flight path of the ball. When you have a pocket or cut that is not concentric with the line of flight, the air rushing into the pocket or cut pushes unevenly on the back of the ball, causing the ball to fish tail. Its obviously much easier to observe the Results of fishtailing when shooting a conical bullet, than a round ball, but the vibrations back and forth are there, none-the-less. How much it may disturb the group size depends on the size of the pocket or cut, the diameter and weight of the ball, its velocity, the range to the target, weather conditions,etc. Its possible for a small pocket to have no visible affect on accuracy at all at 50 and 100 yds. It becomes a non-factor, then, in shooting. For most casual shooting, firing balls with air pockets in them is not going to be notice, just as shooting wrinkled bullets does not seem to affect groups sizes. However, extend the range to 200 yards, and you begin to understand why target shooters inspect, weigh, and sort everything to get " perfect " balls to shoot.

 

[roundball]

"Catch the air in flight". Guess I better toss out my cat-ridge gun hollow points.

I thought the same thing...30-06 match grade competion bullets are 168grn HPs :grin:

 

[Stumpkiller]

Now there is a clear statement showing a total lack of understand of aerodynamics. Putting an air hole at the back end of a ball or bullet is going to cause the ball to " fish-tail " through the air.

Lightening the rear of a projectile works for arrows, airgun pellets, shuttlecocks, darts, minnie balls, hollowbase wadcutters, hollowbase slugs, spears, javelins, rockets, missiles, etc.

But if it's off center it will barrel-roll a spinning projectile.

 

[paulvallandigham]

If you read the rest of my post, I believe I comment that a hollow base works if its concentric. If not, you have problems.