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The Truth About Ballistic Coefficients

Popular Physics 2007-05-23 v1

Abstract

The ballistic coefficient of a bullet describes how it slows in flight due to air resistance. This article presents experimental determinations of ballistic coefficients showing that the majority of bullets tested have their previously published ballistic coefficients exaggerated from 5-25% by the bullet manufacturers. These exaggerated ballistic coefficients lead to inaccurate predictions of long range bullet drop, retained energy and wind drift.

Cite

@article{arxiv.0705.0389,
  title  = {The Truth About Ballistic Coefficients},
  author = {Michael Courtney and Amy Courtney},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0705.0389},
  year   = {2007}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-21T08:24:27.840Z