WanderingSol07
Sharpshooter
The sights make a straight line out to infinity, the bullet path after leaving the barrel is ballistic trajectory. Since there is a bit of separation (vertically) from the sights to the barrel centerline the two are not parallel. If the sight line is a level line, then the barrel would send the bullet slightly up, intersecting the sight line, then over a distance the bullet will fall, intersecting the sight line again.
Knowing the speed of the bullet and angle of the barrel one could compute the distance of the two intersection points. Halfway between the two points the bullet should reach its maximum altitude. I suspect the trajectory is so flat the maximum altitude is not much at all different than at the intersection points. What do you think?
Normally are guns sighted in for the first intersection point? What distance would that be for handguns? 25 yards? 15 yards? Just depends on the gun and what you are doing with it? I believe rifles are usually at 100 or 200 yards depending on use and caliber.
For grins let's say the first intersection point is 15 yards and the bullet drops to the second point at 50 yards. So shooting at something closer than 15 yards the bullet will impact slightly lower, between 15 and 50 yards the impact will be high, and after 50 it will be low again.
Again, I suspect in practice the trajectory will be so flat the distance will be less than human capabilities of aiming.
What got me thinking about all this is my wife just got a Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite with fiber optic front sight (not from factory). I had to turn the rear sight adjustment 20 clicks up for her to hit the bullseye at 15 yards. She was shooting a tight (2") group 6" low. I too would shoot 6" low, she does bullseyes with other guns.
Knowing the speed of the bullet and angle of the barrel one could compute the distance of the two intersection points. Halfway between the two points the bullet should reach its maximum altitude. I suspect the trajectory is so flat the maximum altitude is not much at all different than at the intersection points. What do you think?
Normally are guns sighted in for the first intersection point? What distance would that be for handguns? 25 yards? 15 yards? Just depends on the gun and what you are doing with it? I believe rifles are usually at 100 or 200 yards depending on use and caliber.
For grins let's say the first intersection point is 15 yards and the bullet drops to the second point at 50 yards. So shooting at something closer than 15 yards the bullet will impact slightly lower, between 15 and 50 yards the impact will be high, and after 50 it will be low again.
Again, I suspect in practice the trajectory will be so flat the distance will be less than human capabilities of aiming.
What got me thinking about all this is my wife just got a Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite with fiber optic front sight (not from factory). I had to turn the rear sight adjustment 20 clicks up for her to hit the bullseye at 15 yards. She was shooting a tight (2") group 6" low. I too would shoot 6" low, she does bullseyes with other guns.