Practical Ballistics

From bullet history dating back from the earliest guns to the present, to information on how to create your own projectiles, this guide provides in-depth coverage, all focused on ballistics This fascinating book starts with the basics, going back to the days of muzzle loading before considering the various attempts made through the centuries to improve the bullet. It moves on to examine the development of the cartridge right up to the present day, and provides the reader with a clear understanding of the principles governing the bullet's flight. Topics discussed include: . The development of the bullet and the cartridge, and the factors that influence ballistic performance and accuracy. . The difference between internal ballistics (factors influencing performance while the bullet is still in the barrel) and external ballistics (factors affecting the bullet's flight when it leaves the barrel) are explained. . This title also aims to assist those enthusiasts who make their own bullets by analysing faults that have an impact on accuracy, both for rifled firearms and for smooth-bore guns. . A number of interesting experiments are described concerning performance and accuracy. Included in the back is a glossary that incorporates rifle terminology and those terms specific to the shotgun. AUTHOR: Lewis Potter has had a lifelong interest in firearms and started shooting over fifty-five years ago as a boy with an old Lincoln Jefferies air rifle. Subsequently, time in the Army Cadets introduced him to the .22 rimfire, .303 Lee Enfield and the Bren gun. At the age of thirteen he obtained a shotgun, and in 1974 he joined a local rifle and pistol club, of which he is currently the Honorary President. Ballistics first interested him as a teenager, when he began to make increasingly sophisticated cannon. The search for greater performance led him to making the first steps towards understanding something about the performance of projectiles in flight. 103 colour photographs