The Science of It

Lets start with a little science, the kinetic energy of an object in motion is calculated by its mass multiplied by its velocity, we use the constant “450240” in shooting to work out the energy of a projectile as it leaves the barrel or indeed at any point in its trajectory.

The formula for FPE (foot pounds of energy) is:

m.v2/450240

m= mass of projectile

v= velocity it travels

So if we take an 8.4gr (grain) pellet moving at 800fps (feet per second) we can work out its energy like this.

8.4x(800×800)=5376000

5376000/450240=11.94fpe

The Reality

Lets face it 11.94 of anything sounds a whole lot less then 1000 of something else!

1000 fps sounds like a great deal of speed but what exactly is going that fast? Is it a brick traveling at 1000 fps? Is it a cotton ball going 1000 fps?

Id be petrified of the brick but would gladly stand in front of the cotton ball for a beer. So let’s take a look at the reality of this advertising gimmick. We will use the same gun to work out what exactly it can shoot at 1000 fps

Remember (m.v2/450240)

So:

m.(1000.1000)/450240=11.94 fpe

m.1000000/450240=11.94 fpe

m=(1000000/450240)/11.94 fpe

m= 5.37

From that we can see that to attain a velocity of 1000fps a 5.37gr projectile would need to be used. Given that the average pellet in .177cal weighs between 8-10gr, 5.37gr would be a very light pellet.

Now you may ask yourself “what’s to stop me from using a very light pellet to get super speed?”  The answer is not all that cut and dried as there are a few points to consider.

First off if you are using a spring powered rifle you will most certainly do serious damage to the internal working parts of the gun as there will be considerably less resistance to stop the piston slamming into the front of the cylinder at the end of its stroke. This will put excessive strain on your main spring as well as ruin your piston seal.

So hyper velocity pellets will wreck your gun? What about accuracy? The un resisted piston will cause more problems when it comes to accuracy, all that wasted energy will be transferred to the rifle stock and then to the shooter in a huge amount of perceived recoil, thus creating more vibrations within the gun before the pellet has left the barrel throwing it off target. The next issue with super sonic pellets is just that…they go super sonic and break the sound barrier, being an ultra light pellet it will not be able to resist the additional forces at play and will start to tumble!

So super sonic pellets can never be accurate and when you really get down to it, if you miss then it doesn’t matter what you shot with.

Here are 10 tips to optimize your shotgun shooting potential:

1.    Always wear hearing and eye protection. Safety is important, so keep your gun unloaded and the action visibly open until you are ready to shoot. When you are done shooting make sure the gun is empty and the action is open. Keep the guns muzzle pointed down range
2.    Practice swinging and mounting an unloaded gun in front of a mirror. Stand straight, do not lower your face to the gun or tilt your head, lift the gun straight up using a short concise motion, use both hands equally, always mount the gun to the same place on your face each time and don’t mount to your shoulder. You should do this exercise about 10 times every day.
3.    When shooting, position your feet so that a line extending from your heel to your leading foot points to where you will break the target and keep your stance relatively narrow.
4.    First learn to swing the gun then mount it. Allow your pointing instincts to take over your swing. As your eyes become focused on the target, finish the gun mount and shoot the target as soon as it is in sharp focus.
5.    Focus on the target and not the gun barrel. Aiming slows your swing, so point, don’t aim. Point slightly more in front of a target.
6.    The fit of your gun is important, so have it fitted so it shoots where you look.
7.    When shooting simultaneous pairs, decide ahead of time which target you will break.
8.    When you are experiencing a missing streak, change something, like your posture.
9.    Use low recoil target loads for practice.
10.     Practice makes perfect, so regular practice helps to improve your scores. You can also take lessons from a competent and certified instructor.

A shooting range is a specialised facility that is specifically designed for firearm practice. One or more supervisory personnel oversee each facility; they are there to make sure that all gun safety rules and procedures are followed.

Shooting ranges can either be indoor or outdoor. Some are restricted to certain types of firearms or specialise in specific shooting sports.

An indoor pistol shooting range usually has a back wall with a sloped earthen bank that has reinforced baffles additionally situated along the roof and sidewalls. Ranges should have proper ventilation, so that smoke and lead particles can be pulled away from the shooting line and discharged from the building. This reduces the risk of potential lead poisoning. Indoor ranges often restrict the use of certain powerful calibers, rifles or the use of fully automatic weapons.

Outdoor shooting ranges are usually backed by a high retaining wall, earth mound, sandbag barrier or a specially designed funnel shaped traps to prevent the ricochet of bullets or shots going outside the bounds of the shooting range. Most outdoor ranges restrict the caliber size or have separate ranges that are used for higher power firearms.
Outdoor shooting ranges are usually used to practice longer distance shooting. Outdoor training may also require exposure to the elements like wind and rain.