GDG- Weapon Trajectory

[Batrinque at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/17/2007 11:39:45 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
jspragg at iw.net writes:

Smoothbores used the round ball (plus some little extra ones in  
buck-and-ball) -- a sphere.   Spheres of any given diameter have  lesser 
volume than a Minie' - style bullet (the geometric description for  which 
is cylindro-conoid:  a cylinder topped by a cone) of the same  diameter.  
Pressure limits apply:  given the same max allowable  pressure, the 
heavier Minie' projectile cannot be driven to the same  velocity.


 
We must, of course, take in consideration the diameters of round shot and  
Minie bullets.  The typical Civil War round ball was for a smoothbore of  .69 
and had a nominal weight of 463 grains and was fired with a nominal charge  of 
110 grains.  The typical Minie bullet was for weapons of .58 caliber  with a 
nominal weight of 500 grains (although actual weights did vary a good  deal) and 
a 65 grain charge, an amount of powder fixed upon after  experimentation with 
the new weapon system before the war.  Thus, probably  the biggest reason for 
the slower velocity of the Minie bullet was the size of  the propelling 
charge, not the weight of the projectile nor the barrel  friction.

Bruce  Trinque
Amston, CT




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