How fast does a pistol bullet travel? Muzzle velocity - influencing factors. Influence of powder charge characteristics

Bullets are different. Their type depends on the weapon for which they are made. There are projectiles for rifled and pneumatic. Accordingly, they look different. The size will be determined by the type and size of the weapon.

There are large live ammunition, large bullets or very small ones for pistols and revolvers.

However bullet speed will be determined not only by its size. It is also influenced by many other factors.

Factors affecting bullet speed

A number of reasons can slow down the muzzle velocity of a projectile when fired from a weapon. Let's look at the main ones.

1. Temperature environment. The lower the air temperature, the more energy is spent on heating the gunpowder and ejecting the projectile, that is, the initial ejection speed decreases.
2. Humidity of gunpowder. The drier the gunpowder, the higher the initial velocity will be, as the pressure in the barrel of the weapon will increase.
3. Shape and size of grains of gunpowder. The finer the dispersed particles of the powder charge, the faster they will burn. Consequently, the initial speed will increase
4. Powder charge density. In order to load a product with gunpowder as correctly and safely as possible, special precise engineering calculations are required. Without them, an overdose of gunpowder is possible, which will lead to internal detonation of the weapon. Or, on the contrary, underloading, which will lead to overheating of the weapon barrel. It is prohibited to independently reload the powder component in the weapon!
5. Weapon barrel length. The shorter the barrel, the less time the action of the powder gases takes place, which reduces the speed of the bullet.
6. Product weight. The lighter the bullet in mass, the higher its initial speed.

Each of these factors may vary slightly depending on the specific type of weapon. However, in general, it is these conditions that affect the initial and overall speed of the bullet when fired.

What is a chronograph?

A chronograph is a special device that allows you to monitor some indicators of the internal and external structure of a projectile and, based on the data obtained, draw a conclusion about its possible speed.

The device is designed in such a way that it can be used to easily verify the stated specifications weapons in the store. In addition, it determines the initial and overall speed of the bullet.

Using a chronograph, you can view and evaluate the following weapon indicators:

• cylindrical pressure (its level);
• spring fatigue or leaded barrel;
• the device will show the mass of the cartridge;
• will evaluate the quality;
• will show wear of the piston cuff;
• temperature.

The electronic device, through calculations and generalization, will produce real results for all indicators. However, it also has its drawbacks.

Disadvantages of a chronograph

The device has a certain weight and size, which makes it not always convenient to use in certain conditions (for example, field). Another disadvantage of this device is the measurement error (electronic). It is not too significant, but it still takes place.

The device's counter starts and stops depending on the illumination of the area (room), which also creates a certain error in the readings.

Such a device will not reliably show the exact real bullet; for this, another measurement method should be used.

Shooting at various distances

This is a more accurate and realistic way to determine the speed of a bullet. To do this, you will need not only attentiveness, but also a computer with a ballistic calculator installed, which will give full information and the most accurate calculations.

The work proceeds according to the following scheme:

• we load the necessary data into the ballistic calculator, which we take from the weapon manufacturer and from the indicators obtained with our own hands (we shoot the weapon to zero at 100 m);
• enter the mass of the cartridge, the shooting distance;
• measure and load the height of the sight above the weapon barrel;
• We take data from the manufacturer about vertical and horizontal clicks in the optics;
• We enter the temperature and air pressure readings at the time of the study (the more accurate, the more real and better the result will be);
• altitude indicator;
• bullet speed from the manufacturer.

The calculator will have graphs for shooting distances. There we indicate 200, 300, 500 and 700 meters. Longer distances are not immediately recommended. In the columns where 1MOA is requested, we write the following values ​​according to the order of distances: 5.8; 8.7; 14.5; 20.3 centimeters.

All the rest of the work is just a matter of clicking the mouse on the calculator. Follow the navigator through the ballistic device and as a result you will get an accurate and real indicator of what the speed of the bullet is.

Some speed values ​​for cartridges of different calibers for an assault rifle

As mentioned above, it is difficult to give an accurate assessment of such an indicator as speed. It is largely determined by surrounding circumstances. However, approximate values ​​for different caliber machine gun bullets can be given.

Research and calculations have shown that the flight speed of a cartridge from an assault rifle will depend on its model and caliber, so variations in the given data are possible. But these errors are small, and everyone can correct them for their weapon themselves.

caliber 5.45Х39

If shooting is carried out with a normal (ordinary) cartridge, then the average data on the bullet speed will show a result of approximately 870 m/s. If the distance is approximately 500 meters, then the speed will decrease to 428 m/s.

This type of weapon has an elongated barrel, so the bullet speed is quite high.

AKS-74U caliber 5.45Х39 and AK-101

If we talk about the speed of a fired bullet from an AKS-74U, it will be approximately 740 m/s. Smaller than the previous one, because the barrel is shorter.

AK-101 caliber 5.56X45, on the contrary, will show a very good result in this indicator. Approximately 930 m/s, thanks to the long-barreled structure of the weapon. The American analogue of this weapon has an even longer barrel length; the same cartridges with the same initial shot velocity are suitable for both types of machine guns.

AK-47 assault rifle

The shells of this weapon have greater mass than those of all AK followers, and therefore have powerful penetrating force. However, they are inferior in speed to their colleagues, because it is only 740 m/s. Nevertheless, this is quite enough for this machine to be considered a formidable and serious military weapon.

Muzzle energy of a bullet

In addition to speed, bullet energy is also a very important characteristic. To calculate muzzle energy, it is worth remembering the usual school physics course. The simplest formula will be: (mass x speed) 2 /2, (mass in kilograms, speed in meters per second).

Why is cartridge energy important? Because energy is the power of a bullet, its main combat characteristic. How more mass and the higher the speed, the correspondingly higher the energy. This means that the weapon itself is more powerful and long-range.

In other words, this is the usual formula for calculating the kinetic energy of a body. Rifle bullets have the maximum muzzle energy. They balance the mass and initial velocity of the bullet in such a way that the work is powerful and effective.

For example, at a distance of about 100 meters, the depth of penetration of a rifle bullet into fairly dense materials ranges from 0.6 to 350 cm. These are materials such as a steel plate, wood, iron plate, a layer of soft clay, gravel or crushed stone, brickwork, earth or compacted snow. These data are based on a study of the muzzle energy of light bullets by mass.

Obviously, the value of the speed and muzzle energy of any projectile is very high and determines the power and range of the weapon.

Airguns

Not long ago, a survey was conducted among pneumatic gun owners on the topic: “What is the bullet speed of your pneumatic gun?” Interestingly, the percentage spread across speeds is very variable.

So, for example, most of of those who took part in the survey (20%) gave a figure of 220-305 m/s. Since this is, in principle, a normal statistical average for pneumatics, the figure does not cause mistrust.

However, almost 9% of respondents claim that their weapon has a bullet speed of 380 m/s or more. This figure casts doubt on its reliability. The result is some kind of overly powerful military weapon. This value of bullet speed for pneumatics is rare; not every model can boast of this.

19% of participants admitted that their weapon hits at a bullet speed of 100-130 m/s and 130-180 m/s. For 11%, this figure tends to 350 m/s, which is quite serious. And finally, 6% of participants estimate the bullet exit speed in their pneumatic guns to be 75-100 m/s.

The most common and easiest way to measure speed on air guns is with chronometers. Most of these devices are designed specifically for pneumatics. Although there is an error in the measurements, the result will still remain quite reliable.

No matter how you measure the speed of a bullet leaving your weapon, the error will still not go away, since external environment will always be different in its performance.

INITIAL BULLET SPEED

Initial speed is one of the most important characteristics of the combat properties of a weapon. As the initial speed increases, the bullet's flight range, the range of a direct shot, the lethal and penetrating effect of the bullet increases, and the influence of external conditions for her flight. In particular, the faster the bullet flies, the less it is blown to the side by the wind. The initial velocity of the bullet must be indicated in the shooting tables and in the combat characteristics of the weapon.

The magnitude of the muzzle velocity depends on the length of the barrel, the weight of the bullet, the weight, temperature and humidity of the powder charge, the shape and size of the powder grains and the loading density.

The longer the barrel, the longer the powder gases act on the bullet and the greater (within known technical limits, see earlier) the initial velocity.

With a constant barrel length and constant weight of a powder charge, the lower the bullet weight, the greater the initial speed.

A change in the weight of the powder charge leads to a change in the amount of powder gases, and, consequently, to a change in the maximum pressure in the barrel bore and the initial velocity of the bullet. The more gunpowder, the greater the pressure and the more the bullet accelerates down the barrel.

The length of the barrel and the weight of the powder charge are balanced according to the above graphs (diagrams 111, 112) of internal fire processes in a rifle barrel when designing and arranging weapons to the most rational sizes.

As the external temperature increases, the burning rate of the gunpowder increases, and therefore the maximum pressure and initial velocity increase. As the external temperature decreases, the initial speed decreases. In addition, when the outside temperature changes, the temperature of the barrel also changes, and more or less heat is needed to warm it up. And this, in turn, affects the change in pressure in the barrel and, accordingly, the initial speed of the bullet.

One of the old snipers in the author’s memory carried a dozen rifle cartridges under his arm in a specially made bandolier. When asked what significance this had, the elderly instructor replied, “It’s very important. You and I were both shooting at 300 meters now, but your scatter went up and down vertically, but mine didn’t. Because the gunpowder is in my cartridges.” warmed to 36 degrees under your arm, and yours in the pouch froze to minus 15 (it was winter). You shot your rifle in the fall at plus 15, a total difference of 30 degrees. You shoot with frequent fire, and your barrel gets hot, so you have the first bullets "We went lower, and the second ones went higher. And I always shoot with gunpowder of the same temperature, so everything flies as it should."

An increase (decrease) in the initial speed causes an increase (decrease) in the firing range. The differences in these values ​​are so significant that in the practice of hunting shooting from smoothbore rifles, summer and winter barrels of different lengths are used (winter barrels are usually 7-8 cm longer than summer ones) to achieve the same shot range. In sniper practice, range corrections must be made for air temperature according to the corresponding tables (see earlier).

As the humidity of the powder charge increases, its burning rate decreases and, accordingly, the pressure in the barrel and the initial velocity drop.

The burning rate of gunpowder is directly proportional to the pressure surrounding it. On outdoors The burning speed of smokeless rifle powder is approximately 1 m/s, and in the confined space of the chamber and barrel, due to increased pressure, the burning speed of the gunpowder increases and reaches several tens of meters per second.

The ratio of the weight of the charge to the volume of the cartridge case with the bullet inserted (charge combustion chamber) is called the loading density. The more the gunpowder is “rammed” in the case, which happens when there is an overdose of gunpowder or a deep seating of the bullet, the more the pressure and combustion rate increase. This sometimes leads to a sharp increase in pressure and even detonation of the powder charge, which can lead to rupture of the barrel. The loading density is made according to complex engineering calculations and for a domestic rifle cartridge is equal to 0.813 kg/dm3. As the loading density decreases, the burning rate decreases and the time it takes for the bullet to travel through the barrel increases, which, paradoxically, leads to rapid overheating of the weapon. For all these reasons, reloading live ammunition is prohibited!

For a shooter, the initial velocity of a bullet (projectile) is perhaps the most important of all quantities considered in internal ballistics.

And indeed, it depends on this value longest range shooting, direct shot range, i.e. the longest range of direct fire at visible targets, at which the height of the bullet's flight path does not exceed the height of the target, the time it takes the bullet (projectile) to reach the target, the impact of the projectile on the target, and other indicators.

That is why it is necessary to be attentive to the very concept of initial speed, to the methods of determining it, to how the initial speed changes when parameters change internal ballistics and when shooting conditions change.

When fired from a small weapon, a bullet begins to move faster and faster along the barrel under the influence of powder gases, reaching its maximum speed a few centimeters from the muzzle.

Then, moving by inertia and encountering air resistance, the bullet begins to lose its speed. Consequently, the speed of the bullet changes all the time. Taking this circumstance into account, it is customary to record the speed of a bullet only in certain phases of its movement. Usually the speed of the bullet is recorded as it leaves the barrel.

The speed of the bullet at the muzzle of the barrel at the moment it leaves the barrel is called the initial speed.

The initial speed is taken to be a conditional speed, which is slightly greater than the muzzle and less than the maximum. It is measured by the distance that a bullet could travel in 1 second after leaving the barrel, if neither air resistance nor its gravity acted on it. Since the speed of a bullet at some distance from the muzzle differs little from the speed when it leaves the barrel, in practical calculations it is usually considered that the most higher speed the bullet has at the moment of departure from the barrel, i.e. that the initial speed of the bullet is the greatest (maximum) speed.

The initial speed is determined experimentally with subsequent calculations. The magnitude of the muzzle velocity is indicated in the shooting tables and in the combat characteristics of the weapon.

So, when firing from a 7.62 mm repeating rifle of the Mosin system mod. 1891/30 the initial speed of a light bullet is 865 m/sec, and that of a heavy bullet is 800 m/sec. When firing from a 5.6 mm small-caliber TOZ-8 rifle, the initial bullet speed of various batches of cartridges ranges from 280 to 350 m/sec.

The initial speed is one of the most important characteristics not only cartridges, but also the combat properties of the weapon. However, it is impossible to judge the ballistic properties of a weapon by the initial bullet velocity alone. As the initial speed increases, the bullet's flight range, direct shot range, lethal and penetrating effect of the bullet increases, and the influence of external conditions on its flight decreases.

The magnitude of the muzzle velocity depends on the length of the weapon barrel; bullet mass; mass, temperature and humidity of the cartridge powder charge, shape and size of the powder grains and loading density.

The longer the barrel of a small weapon, the longer the time the bullet is exposed to powder gases and the higher the initial velocity of the bullet.

It is also necessary to consider the muzzle velocity of the bullet in combination with its mass. It is very important to know how much energy a bullet has, what work it can do.

It is known from physics that the energy of a moving body depends on its mass and speed of movement. Therefore, the greater the mass of the bullet and the speed of its movement, the greater the kinetic energy of the bullet. With a constant barrel length and constant mass of the powder charge, the smaller the mass of the bullet, the greater the initial velocity. An increase in the mass of the powder charge leads to an increase in the amount of powder gases, and consequently to an increase in the maximum pressure in the barrel bore and an increase in the initial velocity of the bullet. The greater the mass of the powder charge, the greater the maximum pressure and initial velocity of the bullet.

The length of the barrel and the mass of the powder charge increase when designing small arms to the most rational sizes.

As the temperature of the powder charge increases, the burning rate of the powder increases, and therefore the maximum pressure and muzzle velocity of the bullet increase. As the charge temperature decreases, the initial speed decreases. An increase (decrease) in the initial speed causes an increase (decrease) in the range of the bullet. In this regard, when shooting, it is necessary to take into account range corrections for the temperature of the air and charge (the temperature of the charge is approximately equal to the air temperature).

As the humidity of the powder charge increases, its burning rate and the initial velocity of the bullet decrease.

The shape and size of the gunpowder have a significant impact on the burning rate of the powder charge, and therefore on the initial speed of the bullet. They are selected accordingly when designing weapons.

Loading density is the ratio of the mass of the charge to the volume of the cartridge case with the bullet inserted (charge combustion chamber). When the bullet is seated very deeply, the loading density increases significantly, which can lead to a sharp surge in pressure when fired and, as a result, to rupture of the barrel, so such cartridges cannot be used for shooting. As the loading density decreases (increases), the initial bullet speed increases (decreases).

The penetrating effect of a bullet (Tables 1 and 2) is characterized by its kinetic energy (living force). The kinetic energy imparted to the bullet by the powder gases at the moment it leaves the barrel is called muzzle energy. Bullet energy is measured in joules.

Table 1
Penetrating effect of a light bullet from a 7.62 mm sniper repeating rifle
Mosin systems arr. 1891/30 (when shooting at distances up to 100 m)

RIFLE bullets have enormous kinetic energy. Thus, the muzzle energy of a light bullet when fired from a rifle of the 1891/30 model. equal to 3600 J. How great the energy of a bullet is can be seen from the following: to obtain such energy in such a short period of time (not by shooting), a machine with a power of 3000 hp would be required. With.

From all that has been said, it is clear what great practical significance a high initial velocity and the muzzle energy of a bullet, which depends on it, have for shooting. With an increase in the initial speed of the bullet and its muzzle energy, the firing range increases; the bullet trajectory becomes more sloping; the influence of external conditions on the flight of a bullet is significantly reduced; the bullet's penetration effect increases.

At the same time, by the value of the initial speed of the bullet (projectile) big influence causes wear on the bore. During operation, the barrel of a weapon is subject to significant wear. This is facilitated by a number of reasons of a mechanical, thermal, gas-dynamic and chemical nature.

First of all, when a bullet passes through the bore, due to high friction forces, it rounds the corners of the rifling fields and abrades the inner walls of the bore. In addition, particles of powder gases moving at high speed strike with force the walls of the barrel bore, causing so-called hardening on their surface. This phenomenon consists in the fact that the surface of the bore is covered with a thin crust with fragility gradually developing in it. The elastic deformation of the barrel expansion that occurs during a shot leads to the appearance of small cracks on the inner surface of the metal.

The formation of such cracks is promoted by heat powder gases, which, due to their very short action, cause partial melting of the surface of the barrel bore. Large stresses arise in the heated layer of metal, which ultimately lead to the appearance and enlargement of these small cracks. The increased fragility of the surface layer of the metal and the presence of cracks on it lead to the fact that the bullet, when passing through the bore, produces metal chips in places of cracks. The wear of the barrel is greatly contributed to by the soot remaining in the bore after the shot. It represents the remains of combustion of the primer composition and gunpowder, as well as metal scraped from the bullet or melted from it, pieces of the cartridge case torn off by gases, etc.

The salts present in soot have the property of absorbing moisture from the air, dissolving in it and forming solutions, which, when reacting with the metal, lead to its corrosion (rusting), the appearance of first a rash and then cavities in the barrel bore. All these factors lead to changes and destruction of the surface of the barrel bore, which entails an increase in its caliber, especially at the bullet entrance, and, naturally, a decrease in its overall strength. Therefore, the noted change in parameters when the barrel wears out leads to a decrease in the initial speed of the bullet (projectile), as well as to a sharp deterioration in the weapon’s engagement, i.e. to the loss of its ballistic qualities.

If in the time of Peter I the initial flight speed of the cannonball reached 200 meters per second, then modern artillery shells fly much faster. The flight speed of a modern projectile in the first second is usually 800-900 meters, and some projectiles fly even faster - at a speed of 1000 or more meters per second. This speed is so high that the projectile, when it flies, is not even visible. Consequently, a modern projectile travels at a speed 40 times the speed of a courier train and 8 times the speed of an airplane.

table 2
Penetrating effect of a bullet from a 5.6 mm small-caliber rifle TOZ-8 (when fired at a distance of up to 25 m)

However, here we're talking about about ordinary passenger planes and about artillery shells flying at average speed.

If we take for comparison, on the one hand, the “slowest” projectile, and on the other, a modern jet aircraft, then the difference will not be so great, and not in favor of the projectile: jet aircraft fly at an average speed of about 900 kilometers per hour , that is, about 250 meters per second, and a very “slow” projectile, for example a 152-mm projectile self-propelled howitzer"Msta" 2 S19, with the smallest charge, flies only 238 meters in the first second.

It turns out that the jet aircraft will not only keep up with such a projectile, but will also outrun it.

A passenger plane flies about 900 kilometers in an hour. How long will a projectile traveling several times fly in an hour? faster than an airplane? It would seem that the projectile should fly about 4,000 kilometers in an hour.

In fact, however, the entire flight of an artillery shell usually lasts less than a minute, the shell flies 15-20 kilometers and only for some guns more.

What's the matter? What prevents a projectile from flying as long and as far as an airplane flies?

The plane flies for a long time because air propeller pulls or the jet engine pushes it forward all the time. The engine runs for several hours in a row until there is enough fuel. Therefore, the plane can fly continuously for several hours in a row.

The projectile receives a push in the gun channel, and then flies on its own, no force anymore pushes it forward. From a mechanical point of view, a flying projectile will be a body moving by inertia. Such a body, mechanics teaches, must obey very simple law: It should move straight and evenly unless no other force is applied to it.

Does the projectile obey this law, does it move in a straight line?

Let's imagine that a kilometer away from us there is a target, for example, an enemy machine-gun point. Let's try to aim the gun so that its barrel is pointed directly at the machine gun, then we'll fire a shot.

No matter how many times we shoot like this, we will never hit the target: each time the shell will fall to the ground and explode, having flown only 200-300 meters. If we continue our experiments, we will soon come to the following conclusion: in order to hit, we need to point the barrel not at the target, but slightly above it.

It turns out that the projectile does not fly forward in a straight line: it descends in flight. What's the matter? Why does the projectile not fly straight? What force pulls the projectile down?

Artillery scientists of the late 16th and early XVII centuries have explained this phenomenon this way: a projectile flying upward at an angle loses strength, like a man climbing a steep mountain. And when the projectile finally loses its power, it will stop for a moment in the air, and then fall down like a stone. The path of a projectile in the air seemed to artillerymen of the 16th century to be as shown in the figure.

Nowadays, all people who have studied physics, knowing the laws discovered by Galileo and Newton, will give a more correct answer: the force of gravity acts on a flying projectile and causes it to fall during its flight. After all, everyone knows that a thrown stone does not fly straight, but describes a curve and, having flown a short distance, falls to the ground. All other things being equal, the stone flies farther, the harder it is thrown, the greater the speed it received at the moment of the throw.

Let's put a weapon in the place of the person throwing the stone, and replace the stone with a projectile; like any flying body, the projectile will be attracted to the ground during flight and, therefore, will move away from the line along which it was thrown; this line is called in artillery the throwing line, and the angle between this line and the horizon of the gun is the throwing angle.

If we assume that the projectile is only affected by gravity during its flight, then under the influence of this force in the first second of flight the projectile will drop approximately 5 meters (more precisely, 4.9 meters), in the second - almost 15 meters (more precisely, by 14.7 meters) and in each subsequent second the falling speed will increase by almost 10 meters per second (more precisely, by 9.8 meters per second). This is the law of free fall of bodies discovered by Galileo.

That’s why the projectile’s flight line—the trajectory—is not straight, but exactly the same as for a thrown stone, similar to an arc.

In addition, one may wonder: is there a connection between the throwing angle and the distance that the projectile flies?

Let's try to fire the gun once with the barrel in a horizontal position, another time with the barrel at a throwing angle of 3 degrees, and a third time with a throwing angle of 6 degrees.

In the first second of flight, the projectile must move down 5 meters from the throwing line. This means that if the gun barrel lies on a machine 1 meter high from the ground and is directed horizontally, then the projectile will have nowhere to go down and will hit the ground before the first second of flight has elapsed. Calculations show that within 6 tenths of a second the projectile will hit the ground.

A projectile thrown at a speed of 600-700 meters per second, with the barrel in a horizontal position, will fly only 300 meters before falling to the ground. Now let's fire a shot at a throwing angle of 3 degrees.

The throwing line will no longer go horizontally, but at an angle of 3 degrees to the horizon.

According to our calculations, a projectile fired at a speed of 600 meters per second should have risen to a height of 30 meters in a second, but gravity will take away 5 meters of rise from it, and in fact the projectile will be at a height of 25 meters above the ground. After 2 seconds, the projectile, if there were no gravity, would have risen to a height of 60 meters, but in fact, gravity will take away another 15 meters in the second second of flight, but only 20 meters. By the end of the second second, the projectile will be at a height of 40 meters. If we continue the calculations, they will show that already at the fourth second the projectile will not only stop rising, but will begin to fall lower and lower. And by the end of the sixth second, having flown 3600 meters, the projectile will fall to the ground.

The calculations for a shot at a throwing angle of 6 degrees are similar to those we just did, but the calculations will take much longer: the projectile will fly for 12 seconds and fly 7200 meters.

Thus, we realized that the greater the throwing angle, the further the projectile flies. But there is a limit to this increase in range: the projectile flies the furthest if it is thrown at an angle of 45 degrees. If you further increase the throwing angle, the projectile will climb higher and higher, but it will fall closer and closer.

It goes without saying that the flight range will depend not only on the throwing angle, but also on the speed: the greater the initial speed of the projectile, the further it will fall, all other things being equal.

For example, if you throw a projectile at an angle of 6 degrees with a speed of not 600, but 170 meters per second, then it will fly not 7200 meters, but only 570.

Consequently, the actual maximum initial velocity of a projectile that can be achieved in a classic artillery gun cannot in principle exceed 2500-3000 m/s, and the actual firing range does not exceed several tens of kilometers. This is the peculiarity of artillery barrel systems (including small arms), realizing which humanity, in the quest for cosmic speeds and ranges, turned to the use reactive principle movements.

At the same time, the legendary pedantic Germans did not even notice that they were contradicting themselves. Okay, for our classic “supermagnum” 350 series with a much larger compressor, we left a speed of 380 m/s (also, by the way, quite overestimated). Let’s attribute this to some “magical” properties of a gas spring, although - between us - they do not differ in force from their twisted counterparts. But for the newest “super” “Diana Panther 350 N-TEC” (pictured) with a 29x120 mm compressor, 30 joules of energy and a much more powerful scramjet, the same 400 m/s were indicated as for the magnum.

This is how it turns out, are all the calculators in Germany broken?..

And the largest arms company in Europe, the Spanish “El Gamo,” did not hesitate at all and simply sharply raised (on the paper of advertising brochures) these characteristics for the entire model range. So, the good old “Hunter 440”, for no apparent reason, suddenly “shot” at speeds of 386 m/s, although six months ago it again produced a slightly inflated advertised 305 m/s. And the newest samples of 2017, according to company data the world's most powerful “supermagnums” “Hunter 1250 Grizzly IGT Mach1” and “G-MAGNUM 1250 IGT” (pictured) - and even under 500 m/s!(cm. )

It’s clear, “nothing personal, just business,” and yet such a pursuit of sales growth for such eminent manufacturers looks somehow undignified. Even the Turkish “Hatsan”, all of whose products are clearly more powerful than Dian’s analogues, did not demonstrate marketing miracles in the “2017 Catalog” and retained the same characteristics for their samples. So did Crosman and Stoeger. What is happening and how is everything really going?

• for “magnum”, 20 joules: “half a gram” (0.55 g) - up to 280 m/s, “heavy” (0.68 g) - 240 m/s. “Hatsans” (25 J) - up to 300 m/s with light bullets (which is already undesirable) and 270 with heavy ones.
• for “supermagnum”, 29-33 joules: “heavy”, they are also the minimum permissible (0.68 g) - 290-310 m/s.

The same is true for PCP (Pre-Charge Pneumatics) pneumatics. Of course, by pushing an ultra-light bullet into the drum and working hard with the pump, you can achieve speeds exceeding 400 meters per second, almost at the level of a smooth-bore firearm. However, in reality, PCP owners use ammunition that is suitable specifically for their weapon and optimize the pressure (the so-called “plateau”) or set the gearbox to, again, optimal values. Depending on the caliber, the weapon produces from 220 to approximately 320 m/s, and the more powerful it is, the lower the speeds, and the heavier the bullets! In addition, the silencers installed on most modern PCP rifles, like those on firearms, work correctly only at subsonic (up to 330 m/s) speeds.

Now let's see whether the characteristics declared for air rifles meet these requirements. Here are the calculation results.

1. License-free pneumatics up to 7.5 joules, for which the base speed is about 170 m/s (it is also fixed by law).

"MR-512"

So, we substitute the known values ​​into the formula:

7.5 = m * 170 2 /2

And we spend our acquaintances school years calculations:

m = 2E/v 2, i.e. m = 2*7.5/170 2

m = 0.00051 kg, or 0.51 grams.

That is, everything is correct, we are talking about the so-called. “half a gram” - a bullet designed specifically for low-power rifles. Here, manufacturers/sellers are guided by legal requirements (based specifically on mathematical calculations) and, in order not to come into conflict with them, provide objective indicators.

2. Magnum class rifles, for which manufacturers declare a speed of 305 m/s. First, about the most common samples with a 25x100 mm compressor and an energy of 20 joules.

20 = m * 305 2 /2

m = 0.00043 kg, or 0.43 grams.

That is, the mass of the bullet is even less than in the previous version. It is no longer advisable to use such light projectiles with 20-joule magnums; the result will be a kind of lightweight analogue of a destructive blank shot. And it’s difficult to find such bullets; they will mostly be DS caps, known from Soviet shooting range “spirits.” It’s just that such “products” are intended mainly for 3-joule (!) pistols and rifles.

4. Now let's move on to “supermagnums” with an energy of 30 joules. They don’t shoot “half grams” anymore; let me remind you that the standard is 10.5 grains (1 grain = 0.0648 grams), or 0.68 g.

Let's take it as a basis.

V = square root of 2E/m (2*30 J/0.00068 kg)

V = 297 m/s

Table 4.

By the way, the Gamo Hunter 1250 and Hatsan 125/135 rifles are more powerful than their colleagues and produce about 33 joules, that is, about 310 m/s speed with normal bullets. And again, no advertising-fabulous 380...

Pre-pumped pneumatics (PCP), as mentioned at the beginning of the article, also operate at optimal subsonic speeds - up to 330 m/s. Another thing is that even in 4.5 mm caliber, the power of such rifles allows you to use super-heavy bullets for spring-piston pneumatics from 1 gram and take much more serious prey.

Indeed, all “Hollow Points” at short and medium distances allow you to confidently work on game intended for pneumatics. If you look closely at the previous photo, you will notice that the manufacturer has combined almost incompatible things on the can’s label: the silhouette of a crow, as well as the indications “16 J” and “0.57 g”. That is, with the “Terminator” you can take a fairly serious bird from a 16-joule rifle with a light bullet.

Fortunately, owners of pneumatic guns, like smoothbore shotguns, have the right to experiment with ammunition on their own. Unlike the owners rifled weapons, who can be seriously punished for reloading (reloading cartridges). As an announcement, here is this photo:

These are expansive hunting bullets made in five seconds from standard (on the left), a story about which is currently being prepared. I don’t want to limit myself to a verbal description, so it was decided to base it on a series of experimental shootings. The experiments themselves still need to be invented, thought through and carried out. I hope this is a matter of the near future.

Choosing a pneumatic bullet manufacturer

You probably noticed that among the photographs presented in the review there was not a single one with products that are familiar to most airgunners, such as “Gamo”, “Bumblebee”, “Lyuman”, “Oztey”, etc. But they are the ones who fill the store shelves. And they cost very attractively.

You can talk about them for quite a long time, but it’s better to see them once...

On the left is “Gamo”, on the right is “Bumblebee”.

Well, “insect” - okay. But with all due respect to the rifles and pistols of the Spanish company (Gamo), it clearly orders some brands of bullets under its own brand from distant third-party companies. Which is very strange, because it is the most famous and largest manufacturer of pneumatics and ammunition in Europe (!). It's not even a matter of flash, which indicates poor quality stamping and processing. The bullets may well turn out to be of the wrong caliber; in other words, they won’t fit into the barrel or will fall through. Or be oval in cross section, which is very noticeable in the “skirts”. However, all these manufacturers have very decent models and batches of products.

Even the American company “Crosman”, whose “Premier” 10.5 gr I have been using for a long time and in large quantities, has noticeable instability in quality. Moreover, in a branded jar there may be crooked and dirty mutants, but in an ordinary pack there may be quite decent samples. It seems that this most popular mass brand has very widespread counterfeits, or more precisely, crude fakes. It is quite possible that the same applies to Gamo products. In short, be careful when purchasing.

That is, it is quite possible to simply shoot all of the above bullets. I am happy to provide both “Lyuman” and “Bumblebee” to guests for shooting from the “Hatsan”. Beer cans and other traditional plinking targets sooner or later fall or break into pieces to everyone's joy. Well, what else do you need on vacation?

In other cases, the savings are not justified. It is especially not recommended to use bullets from non-elite manufacturers for high-precision shooting “on paper” and hunting. Even more or less carefully made shells can differ greatly from each other in mass.

Weight, size and velocity characteristics of pneumatic bullets

Air rifles differ in “power” from firearms hundreds of times. Owners of the latter know how ballistic characteristics change when using bullets with a difference in weight of literally a gram or two. For pneumatics, respectively, speech it's already underway about hundredths of a gram, not to mention tenths.

Super-heavy bullets for the 177 caliber, weighing from 1 gram, are used exclusively for PCP rifles, most of which are one and a half to two times more powerful than any “super magnum” (in the photo “H&N Piledriver” 1.36 g).

Although PPP owners (myself included) are experimenting with similar ammunition, including homemade ones, like the “tandem” bullet glued together from two “half-grams” shown in the announcement photo of the future article.

And finally, about light bullets. They are categorically not recommended for any more or less powerful pneumatics. So-called "half-gram" (about 0.55 g) projectiles are desirable on weapons of 7.5-16 joules and are acceptable on any rifle up to 18-20 joules. For Khatsan “magnums” and any “supermagnums” a kind of standard is 10.5-10.65 grain(0.68-0.69 grams). Serious manufacturers, as a rule, indicate the optimal energy level directly on the can, for example, “16 J" or ">25J».

Anything that weighs less than half a gram is not a topic at all, with the exception of gas pistols and rifles up to 3 joules. These are not only the notorious penny DS “caps”, known to many generations from the Tirov “spirits” of the USSR (pictured), which are still produced today.

In terms of weight characteristics, their analogues are projectiles known asP.B.A.(“performance ballistic alloy”, or, loosely translated, “high ballistic characteristics”). More precisely, some of their types of 4.5 mm caliber are ultra-light (less than 0.3 grams) and do not contain lead bullets. Just in case you are a firefighter, I will repeat once again: they are intended for gas-cylinder 3-joule CO2 pistols and similar long-barreled pneumatics. But it is precisely for such projectiles that manufacturers and sellers, without particularly advertising it, give such attractive speed indicators in advertising articles and performance characteristics tables of serious rifles - 305 m/s for “magnum” and 360-380 m/s for “supermagnum” pneumatics. Gamo even produces these with platinum (!) coating.

True, we must pay tribute that at least this company, citing sky-high speed indicators, honestly indicates that “1300 feet per second (fps) with PBA Platinum” are achieved. That is, a speed of 1300 feet per second (396 m/s!) is only possible with the aforementioned ultra-light pellets. Most other manufacturers, especially in the budget segment, not to mention domestic sellers, are modestly silent about this.

I devoted a lot of “kind” words to ultra-light bullets - a nightmare invention for inattentive and gullible beginner airgunners - in the final part of the article “”. If you are the owner of any rifle with more than 16 J of energy, be extremely careful when purchasing them, the weight should not be less than half a gram. Otherwise, you will get an almost complete analogue of a “blank” shot, which is destructive for serious rifles. And although they fly fast, they fly very crookedly. In addition, they are completely unsuitable for hunting purposes.

The same is true for pre-inflated pneumatics (PCP). In Russian stores it is mainly sold in calibers 4.5, 5.5, 6.35, 7.62 and 9 mm. True, the last two already refer to licensed hunting pneumatic weapons up to 25 J. In principle, by pushing an ultra-light bullet into the drum and working hard with the pump, you can achieve speeds exceeding 400 meters per second, almost at the level of a smoothbore firearm. However, in reality, PCP owners use ammunition that is suitable specifically for their weapon and optimize the pressure (the so-called “plateau”) or set the gearbox to, again, optimal values. Depending on the caliber, the weapon produces from 220 to approximately 320 m/s. Another thing is that even in 4.5 mm caliber, the power of such rifles allows you to use super-heavy bullets for spring-piston pneumatics and take much more serious prey.

Please also take into account this point: the silencers installed on most modern PCP rifles, like those on firearms, work correctly only at subsonic (up to 330 m/s) speeds.

Continuing the theme of “super-duper-speeds” and other pampering, we could also talk about shooting with matches, nails and ear cotton swabs (they are ideal in caliber and are used when cleaning rifles), but for one review of all of the above, I hope enough.

More “advanced” shooters know that each model and even a single rifle has its own optimal and safe ammunition for the device. They may well turn out to be light (!) bullets, only with a higher alloy hardness. In this case, the breaking force is large enough to cause the phenomenon of a “idle” shot. But to correctly determine the characteristics of specific bullets, you will have to run various models of the same weight category down the barrel and evaluate this force. In this case, control shootings through a chronograph are required to assess changes in speed (and therefore energy) and accuracy, seeing if these indicators “float away”, and settling on some optimal ratio. In general, this would not hurt for any rifle, but not everyone has the appropriate equipment or knowledge. Whether it’s worth experimenting for you personally - decide for yourself.

And one more thing: do not trust advertising. All manufacturers and sellers indicate attractive speeds in the performance characteristics of their spring-piston rifles: “magnum” (18-25 joules) - 305 m/s, “supermagnum” - 360-380 m/s. Rreality looks completely different:

• for “magnum” (approx. 20 joules): “half a gram” (0.55 g) - up to 280 m/s, “heavy” (0.68 g) - 240 m/s. "Hatsans" (25 J) - up to 300 m/s with light bullets and 270 with heavy ones.
• for “supermagnum”: (29-33 joules): “heavy” (0.68 g) - 290-310 m/s.

Light bullets cannot be used with “supermagnums” - the result is an analogue of a destructive blank shot. Details in the articles "" and "".

Now it's the turn of bows and crossbows

Well, we have answered the question “who is more powerful?” Are you satisfied? So I don’t!

In fact, all those asking him are not interested in bare numbers, but in the practical application of these types of weapons, that is, their lethality.

But it is radically different for arrow throwers and rifles.

Features of air rifles

Again, let's start with pneumatics. There is no fundamental difference with a firearm; the main task is to transfer the maximum amount of energy to the target, causing lethal damage to internal organs. To do this, it is extremely desirable to avoid a through wound, in which the bullet takes away part of this energy. But here lies the fundamental difference between the military and hunting approaches.

In the first case, the principles of humane methods of warfare have been in effect for a hundred years, in particular, prohibiting the use of expansive (explosive) bullets, and through wounds, on the contrary, are welcomed. Roughly speaking, the enemy must be given a chance. And to be completely honest, the costs of transportation, treatment, nursing and monetary allowance for a wounded person are much higher than for the burial of a person killed in field conditions. Moreover, a lot of the enemy’s people are distracted from direct combat operations - you can’t abandon a comrade. This is the ugly homespun truth.

When hunting, the principle is exactly the opposite. There is also a kind of “humaneness” here: since the “infirmary-medal-disability benefit” is not given to the beast, it must be obtained quickly, if possible, avoiding unnecessary suffering. Hence the use of various expansive ammunition, where the bullet in the body begins to open up like a “flower” or disintegrate into segments. These fly worse than usual.

The photo shows a pneumatic expansive bullet.

The selection of ammunition is an eternal compromise between speed, flatness and stopping power.

This is especially true for pneumatics. She does not have thousands of joules of energy in reserve that, due to hydrodynamic impact, can create temporary pulsating cavities in her body, characteristic of firearms(on the picture).

Therefore, special precision and accuracy are required from the shooter.

Before us is the “supermagnum” “,” which produces 310 m/s in a 4.5 mm caliber and 33 J of energy with a 0.68 gram bullet and is by far the most powerful serial spring-piston rifle.

Most biological targets designed for this power will be freely pierced with a lightweight, high-velocity pellet. The energy remaining in the flesh, especially when hit “locally”, is quite enough to catch a hazel grouse pigeon, even a rabbit (see “ ” and “ “). Just, for God’s sake, do not confuse hazel grouse with black grouse and especially wood grouse - these are completely different birds, the tiny musk deer and the huge elk are also from the same deer family.

However, from an ordinary 20-joule “magnum” - with an accurate hit to the head.

The point here is this. When hunting, game is often killed by a single “golden” pellet/buckshot. Sometimes the entrance hole cannot be found immediately, as if the animal died of a heart attack.

Bullets of 4.5 mm caliber in terms of weight and size characteristics approximately correspond to fractions from “00” to “000” (hare, fox, wood grouse). And if, at the end of the barrel, a single pellet is noticeably superior in speed/energy to a pellet, then with increasing distance this difference first levels out and then changes sign (in the “supermagnum”, of course, earlier). This is the advantage of rifled weapons, which includes almost all long-barreled pneumatics.

Different rifle, different approach. The Career Dragon Slayer is one of the most powerful pre-pumped (PCP) air rifles available.

A heavy 18-gram 50-caliber bullet (12.7 mm) develops only 220 m/s, but produces 430 joules. And all of them will go to the deer carcass, which is what such weapons and ammunition are actually intended for.

Such rifles also have disadvantages. In addition to the exorbitant price, these are short firing distances, low projectile speed and the associated ricochets of a round-headed bullet from any branch. But, again, if it hits “locally”, it has an acceptable stopping effect. Although when it comes to large animals, everything is not so rosy - see the final section of the article ““. But since August 2016 similar weapons can also be used for throwing heavy hunting crossbow bolts (see ““).

Ammunition and its practical use are also discussed in sufficient detail in the articles “” and ““.

Features of the use of bows and crossbows

It is precisely the stopping effect that all arrow throwers, bows, and crossbows lack. In terms of energy, they are tens of times weaker than shotguns and rifles (see tables), and are used mainly for animal hunting. In historical terms, there were, of course, exceptions to the monstrous tension force cocked with the help of a gate and a partner. They fired heavy steel “bolts” and were intended to knock out armored riders, preferably with a penetration knight's armor. In a word, these are, rather, not small arms, but rather peculiar medieval anti-tank rifles.

In combat and hunting, completely different devices were used en masse, and their damaging factors also looked different.

This is exactly how crossbow and archery hunting takes place now, where a mighty animal with a high pain threshold and level of “vital force” simply loses it, pierced right through with an arrow with razor-sharp tip blades.

This happens due to the cutting of blood vessels, causing rapid blood loss. Clearly, we are not talking about a sniper shot into an artery. Apart from the heart and liver, which are also very difficult to hit with a arrow thrower, the main target is the lungs. The organ is quite solid, paired, that is, located on both sides of the body, and also densely penetrated by a network of blood vessels.

With the blood, life gradually flows out. I have a suspicion that often the animal does not even understand what is happening to it, but simply runs away to the side and, feeling a sudden surge of drowsiness, lies down to rest.

This is if you don’t scare him, jumping out of cover with a triumphant cry. Then the animal “on adrenaline” is able to get away from the hunter for hundreds of meters, often to no avail.

For this type of hunting you will need a strong (at least 60 Lbs) compound bow

or a crossbow with hunting shoulders:

– recursive – from 200 lbs;

- block - from 165 lbs (some unique designs provide excellent performance even at 140 lbs).

With a bow, everything is very, very difficult, since shooting and hitting with it is much more difficult than with a crossbow. Even more or less easy-to-learn “blockers” have a lot of nuances, and not everyone can devote the necessary time regular training, without which we cannot do here. And only a few will be able to stretch a 70-pound hunting “recurve” without refined technique and the corresponding muscle groups developed by special exercises to a normal attachment.

The technique of shooting from a crossbow is almost no different from a rifle-rifle, adjusted for short shooting distances. In addition, there are a number of purely hunting devices that do not even have a bowstring as a class, but the speed indicators are unattainable for conventional crossbows, and visually they are more reminiscent of a modern one assault rifle(cm. " ").

You can learn more about the nuances of choosing between a bow and a crossbow in the article ““.

But there are also types of hunting where the arrow does not “sew”, but, like a bullet, transfers its energy to the game - for example, “feather” hunting. For these purposes, completely different tips, so-called “shockers,” are used.

Firstly, even a non-hunting bow is strong enough to do this. In any case, a regular one (pictured) will do.

And secondly, such spreading tips prevent the long flight of the arrow, and they also get tangled in branches and grass, and it is relatively easy to find it, even if it misses.

Subjective indicators of the power of bows, crossbows and pneumatics

If we are not talking about hunting, but about entertaining “shooting games” for a bet, then I can say the following.

A magnum-class spring-piston rifle sews a half-inch board right through, and splits some (apparently with defects). “Supermagnum” is capable of making holes in commercial rolled metal - mind you, with soft lead bullets. “Overclocked” rifles with modified ammunition make this easy. A blank fence made of corrugated sheets is not an obstacle for such pneumatics - keep this in mind.

A standard 95 lbs/43 kgf compound crossbow at a 30-meter distance usually splits already one-inch boards. Moreover, the arrow also stabs not too thick (up to 10 centimeters) trees, although it gets stuck in a split. She doesn’t notice corrugated sheeting and similar materials at all, only losing her plumage. In its hunting version, fired from a crossbow with original arms of 80-100 kgf, it destroys everything that gets in its way, including the rather frail scapula of a large animal.

A 40-pound recurve bow is much more loyal to various obstacles, mainly arrows. But a legal “blocker” with 60 Lbs hits not much worse than a forbidden powerful hunting crossbow.

Please consider all of the above information when choosing a shooting location (see “Where to shoot with a bow and crossbow?”). Health, including mental and financial health, is more valuable than entertainment.

In conclusion, I suggest you watch a wonderful video on the topic “arrow versus bullet” that we discussed today. True, we are not talking about pneumatics here, but some of its models are quite comparable in energy (“more powerful”) to the tested firearms. And, as we have already seen, the “air” is not fundamentally different from it.

Read about the nuances of using powerful and large-caliber pneumatics in the articles “” and ““. Very detailed analysis damaging factors“magnums” and “supermagnums” is carried out in the article ““.

Let's settle on the average value - about 20 joules. We will also choose a classic bullet for magnum pneumatics - 0.68 grams (10.5 grains). The sight height is 35 mm, there is no wind, we “shoot” in complete calm.

Calculating on a ballistic calculator

Let's enter these indicators into a graphical ballistic calculator and perform calculations for shooting distances (“long zero”) of 50 and then 40 meters.

Necessary clarification. To obtain the most desirable “pneumatic” trophies, such as a wild pigeon and even a duck, due to the low stopping effect of a light high-speed bullet, you have to shoot not in the body, but in the head and neck. Hence, it is desirable to deviate the trajectory from the aiming line by no more than 20-25 millimeters - remember the approximate dimensions of these birds.

Figure 1 (can and should be enlarged).

So. The lower scale is the firing distance of up to 60 meters in 5 meter increments. The vertical line on the left is the excess/decrease of the bullet’s flight path relative to the aiming line, again in meters, that is, 0.035 is 35 millimeters. “Far zero”, as expected, is at 50 meters, “near”, according to the calculation results, turned out to be 7.5. Maximum elevation at the peak of the trajectory - 45 mm.

Now the ballistic table. It will be useful to us too.

Table 1.

Here X,m is the distance in meters, Y,m is the elevation of the trajectory relative to the aiming line in meters, V,mps is the bullet speed m/sec. Well, for those who are interested, T,s is the flight time in seconds, E,J is the bullet energy in joules. We are only interested in excesses and speed.

Next chart.

Figure 2.

The trajectory, as we see, is much more flat (flat), which is pleasing. “Far zero”, of course, is at 40 meters, “near” - 9.5. The maximum elevation at the peak of the trajectory is 22.5 millimeters- half as much as in the previous case.

Ballistic table again

Table 2.

Let's repeat the legend: X,m is the distance in meters, Y,m is the excess of the trajectory relative to the aiming line in meters, V,mps is the bullet speed m/sec.

Novice hunter: there is reason for optimism

So, what do we see in the graphs and tables?

In the first case (“far zero” at 50 meters), the most optimal shooting distances will be from 2 to 14.5 meters and from 43 to 55 meters. In the interval between them (a “hole” as much as 29 meters long!) you need to quickly determine the distance, then mentally calculate the corrections and shift the aiming point, and this is the prerogative of advanced shooters, especially since the “target” is mobile and is not going to pose for you for a long time.

The second option (“far zero” at 40 meters) makes it possible to stupidly (or wisely?) hit “cross” at all traditional hunting distances “along the feather” - from 2.5 to 47 meters without any breaks, since there is no deviation anywhere beyond the coveted 25 millimeters. Absolutely no thought about the cost of dividing the reticle and other “non-Euclidean geometry”.

It is clear that all this is “theoretical mechanics”; in reality, the shot will be influenced by the weather, the degree of the hunter’s curvature, and the technical accuracy of the rifle as its main qualitative indicator. But in the case of zeroing a rifle at long distances, all these factors will not go away either.

Will the calculated distance of 47 meters suit us as hunters and at the same time lovers of trouble-free shooting? Yes - for the vast majority of real situations. In the article “”, we also carried out calculations, only for a 30-joule “supermagnum” - in this complex type of hunting, the optimal distance again did not exceed fifty meters. Moreover, at a “distant zero” of 40 meters, the deviation was generally only a few millimeters.

Of course, they “hunt” at both 70 and 100 meters, especially from PCP. But this is already a cool weapon and great shooters; for an average and especially a beginner, the likelihood of a miss or, what is much worse, being wounded increases sharply.

In addition, it is generally accepted that in order to be guaranteed to kill game the size of a duck, the bullet speed must be at least 200 meters per second. Look at the tables - the lower speed threshold (V, mps) falls exactly at 50-52 meters of distance, which even covers our wonderful distance of real problem-free fire.

If we take into account the traditional “plinking” distances (shooting at banks, etc.) of 20-30 meters - too lazy to go far after fallen “targets” - then zeroing at 40 meters should be accepted the best option not only for hunting, but also for recreation.

This, comrades, is my categorical IMHO (personal opinion)

P.S. For shooters who no longer like sniping. The answer to the question “is the 4.5 mm caliber sufficient for hunting shooting at the body of game birds?” you will find in the articles "

It all started back in 2015, when the Spaniards introduced a special modification of the “Gamo Mach 1” model to the American market, naturally in 22 caliber (5.5 mm). She was named after one of the overseas hunters - TV host of the shooting show "Boss Hog" Brian Quaca, better known among the shooting public as Pig Man. The rifle was dubbed “Gamo Mach1 PigMan”.

This is not the first such case for Gamo to promote a new product; not so long ago, it caused a furore among American airgunners, named after the educational hunting and shooting series of the same name. The new name gave rise to funny incidents: since “PigMan”, in particular, means a boar hunter, a number of publications hastened to announce a “super-pneumatic” - the world’s first spring-piston rifle designed for shooting cleavers (!!!). Well, God bless them...

Characteristics of the Gamo Mach1 PigMan air rifle

The company itself puts the merger of two technologies behind the brand name of the new product “Mach1”.

Firstly, the use of a huge 33x100 compressor. Cylinders of this diameter (33 mm) have not previously been used by any manufacturer in production rifles. The basis is also taken from the recent development of rifles that seem to be intermediate between “magnums” (25x100) and “supermagnums” (29x120). These include the already mentioned “Gamo Bone Collector”, intended for the American market, as well as the European “black series” - “Black Knight”, “Black Fusion” and “Black Bull” - with a 29x100 compressor (see “”).

Secondly, the Spaniards install a proprietary gas spring based on dried nitrogen IGT (Inert Gas Technology) with carefully selected characteristics in all rifles in this series.

The result was a weapon that reached the level of classic “supermagnums” in terms of speed/energy. And this is with a smaller compressor volume, smaller dimensions and better accuracy characteristics. At the same time, its price is significantly lower than that of its elite competitors - Diana 350, Gamo Hunter 1250 and even Benjamin Trail NP XL-1500, although, of course, it exceeds the cost of the Turkish Khatsan 125 and the Chinese Smersh P4 "

According to the manufacturers, the Gamo Mach1 PigMan in 177 caliber (4.5 mm) produces a speed of 1420 fps, or 433 meters per second! True, this is with the branded “PBA Platinum Ammo” bullet, 0.28 grams, which set the teeth on edge (for more details, see “”). In the US standard caliber .22 (5.5 mm) - 1055 fps, or 322 m/s. This is a very serious indicator, but, as in the previous case, it is achieved with the ultra-light “Gamo Raptor Platinum” 9.7 Grain (0.63 grams), which is very unhealthy for powerful pneumatics and resembles digging trenches with a child’s shovel.

With slightly more serious, and also truly normal for 22-caliber ammunition, according to the results of control shootings carried out by American weapons experts, the situation is as follows.

The performance is really quite good for a spring-piston rifle. Of course, it is far from the capabilities of PCP pneumatics, but for real hunting (not for cleavers) it is quite suitable. Including accuracy.

Shooting from an air rifle "Gamo Mach1 PigMan"

Below are the results of shooting with different bullets at 10 yards, 9.1 m (for those who don’t know, this is practically the Olympic distance for pneumatics). The pictures can be enlarged; all the necessary data is there.

"Gamo Raptor Platinum"

Crosman Premier HP

H&N Field Target Trophy

H&N Baracuda Match

What else did American shooters note?

Pros and cons of the Gamo Mach1 PigMan rifle

So, I didn't like it:

1. The cocking of the rifle, or more precisely, its too great force in all phases, generally characteristic of gas springs. True, this is when using it for sporting purposes, when you have to fire dozens of shots in a row. For hunting everything is within normal limits.
2. The sight does not have focusing capabilities. It is mainly needed at distances of less than 15 meters, that is, again for sports. But I don’t really like the simple “duplex” sighting reticle instead of “mildot” - I have exactly the same “Gamo 3-9x40 IR WR” sight. Although it’s not particularly annoying, I just shift the aiming point semi-intuitively, based on experience.
3. Shooting accuracy. She was very dependent on bullets (although it’s not clear why anyone should be surprised). The rifle is clearly not for sport, but overall it is quite a hunting device.

What I liked:

1. Factory trigger adjustments.

These screws regulate two phases of descent.

Here we use Gamow's new SM “SAT” - Smooth Action Trigger (smooth action of the trigger). Its settings have been slightly changed towards “sport” due to the selection of spring stiffness and the amount of force on the sears. There is a very slight free play and a pronounced “step” with a slight trigger pull. The difference in force across dozens of measurements was only 5 grams.

1. Speed ​​indicators. But we have already talked about them above.
2. Shot stability. The maximum speed deviation recorded was only 6 fps, less than 2 meters per second. An excellent indicator.
3. The rifle weighs just over 3 kg.
4. Silence of the shot. Thanks to the muffler, it is objectively much quieter than conventional pneumatics. Moreover, real speeds with normal bullets, even in 4.5 mm caliber, are subsonic, and the device works quite correctly.

In addition, Gam's proprietary "Wisper" technology is used here - a thick-walled barrel is covered with a polymer casing, which, together with an integrated sound moderator (muffler), further reduces noise. This is especially true for pneumatics of such power. By the way, the Turkish “Hatsan” put something similar into production in 2016, releasing new series. Among them there is even such a “monster” as the 45-joule 7.62-mm “Carnivore” (“Predator”).

1. Price. 270-340 dollars depending on the store, promotions, discounts, etc.

In general, the opinion of American experts is very positive. But, I repeat once again, the rifles of the “Mach1" is more of a hunting weapon, rather than a sporting weapon (see " ").

European versions of Gamo riflesMach1"

But why are we all talking about America and about America - how are things on our continent?

In 2016, Gamo pleased European pneumatic enthusiasts with its new products. Here, representatives of the “Mach1” production line are the closest relatives of the 29x100 mm cylinders already familiar to us, only equipped with an IGT gas spring and a 33 mm compressor. Here they are - “Black Knight IGT Mach1”, “Black Bull IGT Mach1” and “Black Fusion IGT Mach1”:

They are produced, like the “Americans”, in 177 and 22 calibers, and produce the same indicators. The only difference is the stock: in the “Pigmans” it is borrowed from the “tactical” line “SOCOM” (Special Operations Command), and the European representatives in terms of exterior are complete analogues of the “black series”.

And in 2017, the company began production of the world’s most powerful spring-piston rifles of the “Mach1” series with a giant 33x120 mm compressor and 36 joules of energy (see).

Why bias? After the articles "The Legend of the Dinosaur" (about "supermagnums") and "" appeared on this site, I received several comments from, let's say, upset readers. They are upset precisely because they are trying to “drive” them into some kind of niche. Airgunners (not hunters, of course) did not pay much attention to the fact that hunting firearms, depending on the type, are limited to even narrower limits.

Now we have the opportunity to get first-hand, up-to-date (February 2015) information on how things are going with hunting air rifles in the United States. So, over to Jim Chapman (my translation).

“Due to their lower power, firing range and shot sound, air guns open up new hunting territories for urban sportsmen. As an avid game and bush game hunter, I have a number of traditional hunting areas within a few hours' drive of my home. But using air rifle, I can “harvest” small game and pests within a 20-minute walk from my doorstep…”

And it's all. There are also a couple of not even “niches”, but rather “advantages” (more on them below), but the main area of ​​​​application of pneumatics is still the good fun of city hunters. Moreover, both in the territorial and social sense of this definition.

Like us, in the USA, rural residents, to put it mildly, are not rich (this, however, is where the similarities end; the differences begin). Therefore, among them there are few enthusiasts who (quote again) “they will buy a spring-piston rifle for 400 dollars or a PCP for 800 plus another 400 for a cylinder, when within five minutes in the nearest store you can buy a real carbine for the same 400 bucks”.

Let's try to illustrate this statement. The photo shows the most popular spring-piston rifle in the USA "" ( Russian analogue- " ") costing from 200 to 270 dollars depending on the version. Produces about 310 m/s with “heavy” 0.69 grain bullets with an energy of about 30 joules. Advertising indicator - 1300 fps, i.e. 400 m/s (details in the article ““). In the most common overseas 22 caliber (5.5 mm), the stated characteristics, again advertising, are 975 fps, or 300 m/s, the real ones are 250 m/s.

By the 400-dollar “spring”, Jim Chapman most likely meant “Gamo Hunter Extreme” (in Russia - “Gamo Hunter 1250”). In his home state it costs about the same, well, maybe a little more. But in terms of popularity, it lags far behind “Bone Collector,” mainly due to the price.

For these miserable 400 bucks you can buy, in my opinion, an ugly, but terribly “tactical” folding carbine “Kel-Tec SUB-2000” chambered for a “heavy” 9 mm caliber pistol cartridge.

In terms of energy, this work of an unknown designer is an order of magnitude superior to “Hunter Extreme”. By the way, it was planned to bring the carbine to the Russian market, but the events of 2014 and the subsequent sanctions prevented it.

And now the high-end pre-pumped rifle (PCP) “Weihrauch HW 100 T”, one of the most sought-after on the North American market. The price in 22 gauge (5.5 mm) is about 800 USD, the speed (270 m/s) and energy indicators (25-30 joules) are almost the same as those of the “Collector”.

And finally, let's take a look at a firearm competitor of approximately the same caliber as the considered pneumatic: "Remington 700 SPS Varmint" .223 Rem, that is, an analogue of 5.56x45 NATO. The price in Arizona as of April 26, 2016 is 614 USD.

This, who doesn’t know, is one of the best and most accurate mass-produced rifles. Specifically, with this version, the lightest bullets are used, from 40 to a maximum of 55 grain, which in any case is several times larger than pneumatic “analogs”. The speed is under 1000 m/s, and the energy (where would we be without it in the topic about “aircraft”) – for 1000 joules.

By the way, for the same 600 bucks, any capable American can buy a Russian “Saiga”, that is, a “semi-automatic AKM”, the bullets of which (7.62x39) have a much greater stopping effect. And the holder of the appropriate license, which is not so difficult to obtain, will also buy a fully automatic rifle. Now imagine the thinking of the average farmer, concerned about loans, crises and crop prospects.

This is what American “collective farmers” do, practically ignoring pneumatics. Moreover, on his land, a villager has the right not only to shoot at targets or pests to his heart’s content. He will still let in the sheriff (the local government elected by him) without a preliminary call, but some federal officer without an escort and prior approval of the visit may well get 10-20 grams of fast-flying metal in the forehead. The landowner will be scolded if bullets regularly fly into a neighboring plot without the written consent (!) of its owner. Lovely, right?

The middle class, living in nice cottage villages, will actually have to go somewhere with a firearm - to a shooting range, to a shooting range, to hunting grounds (depending on the season). Having bought an “aircraft” for quite a status of $1,200, he will actually save on transportation and other costs. And the sea will receive previously inaccessible pleasure, because there are no restrictions on the upper limit of pneumatic power.

Here they are, the promised “advantages”... Let’s open the “Hunting Rules in the State of Texas”. It follows from them that the pneumatic weapon must be designed for firing from the shoulder, the minimum caliber is 177 (4.5 mm), the minimum initial bullet velocity is 600 feet per second (183 m/s). That's all. Something similar, by the way, is prescribed for bows and crossbows. Fairy tale!

You can shoot at the so-called “pests” with anything you can get your hands on. And in most states these include not only all kinds of rodents, crows, pigeons, etc., but also coyote raccoons, sometimes even wild boars. And this without any licenses.

In addition, in the United States there are a number of restrictions on the transport of firearms from state to state, and also - what a horror! - to sell it via the Internet.

It is not surprising that the city’s “white collar” workers, one of whom are lawyers, having appreciated the prospects of fighting legal casuistry, unanimously became inflamed with a passion for hassle-free and, in some cases, even free hunting. According to Chapman, who started out as a spring himself, it was the middle class that saw the explosive growth in the production of expensive and powerful pre-pumped (PCP) rifles. Including in Europe, which, although itself driven into the most severe limits of restrictions, happily rivets AirArms, Wairauhi and other Gamo for grateful Americans. Moreover, since August 2016, such weapons can also be used to throw heavy hunting crossbow bolts (see “ “).

And in 2018, in addition to the traditional exclusive American and South Korean creators of heavy-duty so-called Big Bor pneumatics, mass manufacturers literally rushed into this niche:

The muzzle energy of such rifles is 400-500 joules. However, the German company Umarex interrupted everyone by releasing a real 1000-joule monster PCP-rifle “Hammer”:

Jim and his associates are also optimistic about the increase in the number of states that have allowed real air hunting under licenses by one or two annually. And this is against the backdrop of a rather noticeable offensive by local “common people” on the right to freely own weapons. Well, lawyers are not farmers...

In this topic we will tell you about the ballistic data and bullet speed of the SVD sniper rifle, which is used by both the military and special services to perform various tactical tasks. We recommend that you read

SVD SNIPER RIFLE BULLET SPEED

The Dragunov sniper rifle, abbreviated as SVD, has a caliber of 7.62x54 mm, which is the same caliber and cartridge that was used in the Mosin sniper rifles. Before we announce what the bullet speed of the SVD is, let’s say that the SVD rifle is capable of firing 7.62x54 caliber cartridges with different types of bullets, so the weight of the bullet itself can vary from 9 grams to 14 grams, which, accordingly, affects the initial speed of the bullet and its ballistic data. Now about the speed, if we consider a cartridge for SVD with a bullet weighing around 9 grams, then the initial speed will be more than 900 meters per second, but if we consider a bullet with an average weight of 11.7 grams, then the initial speed of the SVD bullet will be 790 meters per second . We recommend that you read

SVD SNIPER RIFLE BULLET SPEED DEPENDING ON CONDITIONS

The above data is conditional and approximate, for each batch of cartridges, the type of bullets used, and also depending on weather conditions, time of year, air temperature, altitude, ballistic characteristics will change. So, if the air temperature is - 30 versus + 30, then this, of course, will not greatly affect the initial speed of the SVD bullet, but it will greatly affect the speed of the bullet at long distances, which means that the bullet will have a fairly different speed of one and the other the same cartridges and the same rifle when shooting at different air temperatures. As you already understood that different types bullets have different initial speeds, but not only does the initial speed change, the ballistic coefficient also changes both up and down, respectively, a lighter bullet has a lower ballistic coefficient than a heavy bullet, which again will affect the speed of the SVD bullet on long distances. We recommend that you read

SVD BULLET SPEED AND ITS REDUCTION AT DIFFERENT DISTANCES

Whatever the speed of a bullet fired from an SVD rifle, no one can cancel the gravity of the earth, so, for example, at a distance of 500 meters, if a sniper is mistaken in the distance to the target by at least 30 meters, then the bullet will go higher or lower by sufficiently long distance and may not hit the target. More details about the reduction of the SVD bullet, about its ballistic characteristics look here.