New XM25 Grenade Launcher Announced by US Military

[Adios]

I think we should spag this thread up with firearm geekery.

Agreed. Anyone want to measure Colt 1911 v Colt Python?

Python:
1.1kg of badassery backed by .357 magnum rounds

1911:
.45 caliber semi-auto goodness

Someone with more knowledge than me should add to this fire.

The .45 has the ballistics of a volkswagon. It travels only about 900fps. The .357 is much faster and still has very effective knockdown power and less chance of bouncing off of anything. Also the .357 has greater range.

[Requia ☣]

How far away are you actually going to hit anything with a pistol?

[Adios]

How far away are you actually going to hit anything with a pistol?

Depends on the pistol and the shooter. I would personally be comfortable at 100 yards with a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum  with the 10" barrel under the right conditions.

[Phox]

How far away are you actually going to hit anything with a pistol?

How good's your aim.... and your math?

[Requia ☣]

My aim, with a pistol?  I can hit a target at 5 feet, if its a really big target, and not moving.   

I don't really know anybody who pistol shoots much (I've only done it once myself) me and my friends all take rifles to the range, so its an honest question.

[Phox]

 

I was being a bit snarkier than necessary, I guess.  .357 Magnums are around 1300 fps, and pretty damn accurate, IIRC. Not really an expert on this stuff, though, so maybe someone more knowledgeable can correct me?

[Requia ☣]

Accuracy of the bullet and accuracy of the sights are different questions (shorter gun length means weaker sights for a pistol), and its the weakest link that determines accuracy.

I don't really know what the real limits are though, so maybe the bullet does matter more.

[Phox]

Accuracy of the bullet and accuracy of the sights are different questions (shorter gun length means weaker sights for a pistol), and its the weakest link that determines accuracy.

I don't really know what the real limits are though, so maybe the bullet does matter more.

Though you are right about being different questions, I would think the accuracy of the bullet matters more for long-distance shots with handguns, assuming a skilled shooter who can compensate for the the sight's limits.

Not that I'm comparing the range and accuracy of a handgun to that of a rifle, mind, so "weaker" sights shouldn't be an issue.

[Adios]

Grains of weight, load of powder, bullet type, and a hell of a lot more need to be figured in.

Rule of thumb on muzzle speed;
.45 - 1000 fps
.357 - 1200 fps
.44 - 1300 fps

Barrel rifling, age of gun, length of barrel all figure in as well.

[Phox]

Grains of weight, load of powder, bullet type, and a hell of a lot more need to be figured in.

Rule of thumb on muzzle speed;
.45 - 1000 fps
.357 - 1200 fps
.44 - 1300 fps

Barrel rifling, age of gun, length of barrel all figure in as well.

1200, eh? I was close.

As for the rest, that was the "math" part of my original question. 

[Adios]

Grains of weight, load of powder, bullet type, and a hell of a lot more need to be figured in.

Rule of thumb on muzzle speed;
.45 - 1000 fps
.357 - 1200 fps
.44 - 1300 fps

Barrel rifling, age of gun, length of barrel all figure in as well.

1200, eh? I was close.

As for the rest, that was the "math" part of my original question. 

You need to remember real shooters also handload their rounds. Not all ammo fits all shooters. Weather plays a part as well, high humidity can knock your range down drastically.
It's pretty much all math. Powder charge, bullet size and shape, windage, elevation, hell, it goes on and on. You can study for a year and still learn after that.
I used to handload my hunting rounds for my 7MM Magnum rifle. I liked a 'hot' round, (more powder) and a bullet on the lighter side. My effective range was 300 yards with an outside shot of 600 yards. That was using a scope that could stand up to the shock of such a big bore rifle and stay zeroed in. Open sights would take me down to 200 yards effective range.

For deer I used a muzzle loader (not one of those pussy in-line jobs) and a round ball. This threw ballistics right out the window.

[Phox]

Grains of weight, load of powder, bullet type, and a hell of a lot more need to be figured in.

Rule of thumb on muzzle speed;
.45 - 1000 fps
.357 - 1200 fps
.44 - 1300 fps

Barrel rifling, age of gun, length of barrel all figure in as well.

1200, eh? I was close.

As for the rest, that was the "math" part of my original question. 

You need to remember real shooters also handload their rounds. Not all ammo fits all shooters. Weather plays a part as well, high humidity can knock your range down drastically.
It's pretty much all math. Powder charge, bullet size and shape, windage, elevation, hell, it goes on and on. You can study for a year and still learn after that.
I used to handload my hunting rounds for my 7MM Magnum rifle. I liked a 'hot' round, (more powder) and a bullet on the lighter side. My effective range was 300 yards with an outside shot of 600 yards. That was using a scope that could stand up to the shock of such a big bore rifle and stay zeroed in. Open sights would take me down to 200 yards effective range.

For deer I used a muzzle loader (not one of those pussy in-line jobs) and a round ball. This threw ballistics right out the window.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: a serious shooter. 

I could never be that serious about firearms. I occasionally go to a shooting range to blow off steam, and I like to occasionally take a few shots with some exotic things in my uncle's collection, but I don't hunt or anything like that, so I'm not really that hip to all of this.

[Adios]

LOL. I would get my ass kicked in a serious competition.

[Phox]

LOL. I would get my ass kicked in a serious competition.

That doesn't matter, Charley. You still know your shit, and that's what counts. 

[Adios]

On November 12, 1945, Life Magazine ran an unusual story. It was a photographic study of an FBI agent named Jelly Bryce drawing and firing his .357 Magnum in two-fifths of a second, faster than the human eye can follow. In the pictures Bryce dropped a silver dollar from shoulder height with his right hand then drew with the same hand and shot the coin before it reached his waist. What the article did not say was that Bryce could not only draw fast in front of a camera, but also in front of people who were trying to kill him. In fact, at that time, Bryce had already killed over 10 men in face-to-face shootouts as a city policeman and FBI Agent. In his era Bryce was undoubtedly the FBI's deadliest gun and may have been the best they ever had.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/957612/posts

A real shooter.