![]() ![]() The drop effect on our bullet is caused by gravity, and at an angle the bullet experiences less of it than when fired horizontally. Like this:Ī Note on Physics Abstraction: I realize that on a macro scale Earth’s gravitational pull is spherical, and that on a micro scale gravitational pull exists between all atoms, but for the purposes of this illustration we’re using gravity as the consistent force that pulls things “down.”Īlthough the bullet is travelling the full 500 meter path between us and the target, it is only being affected by 410 meters worth of gravity. It’s always pulling straight down, towards the center of the earth. Its force doesn’t change with the rock face. And gravity doesn’t care about that little dip in the ground. You see, gravity is what causes our bullet to drop. That would result in a miss when the bullet flies over the target. Using a basic rangefinder, shooter’s intuition, or god-like omnipotence: we learn the distance between us and our target:Īt this point instinct says we should dial our scope for 500 meters, line up our crosshair, and squeeze the trigger. Our shooter is up on a cliffside, while our target is down in the bottom of the valley, like so: ![]() ![]() This is somewhat counter intuitive, so lets take a closer look by going step by step through a simplified scenario. When you’re next to the Rocky Mountains, that conversation comes up a lot, and you’d be surprised how many people are unfamiliar with this core concept: When shooting uphill or downhill, a bullet experiences less drop than a similar shot fired on a flat plain. When I was in retail, I sold a lot of laser rangefinders to a lot of hunters, and had regular debates about changes to a bullet’s flight path on angles. Today we’re talking about shooting on an incline. ![]() I would caution experienced engineers and dedicated precision shooters: you should already know this, and what I’m writing here is both simplified and straightforward. I’m looking to lay out in clear language a core rule, and also give you an understanding on why a bullet behaves the way it does. My goal is to illustrate some basic rules of shooting without the math heavy charts and formulas. This post is part of a short series I’m calling simplistic ballistics. ![]()
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