The Applied Ballistics Facebook Page features great, interesting new content posted multiple times each week. This resource features videos, test results, accuracy tips, and samples from Bryan Litz’s excellent books on ballistics and the three volume series on Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting. Here are some highlights from Applied Ballistics’ Facebook posts from the past two weeks. Plus there’s a discount code, READ2026, that can save you 25% on Applied Ballistics books purchased in the month of March.

.22 LR Super Slow Motion Video — Watch the Bullet!

Watch .22 LR Rimfire Projectile Exiting Rifle Muzzle
This video, filmed with an ultra-high-speed camera, shows the milliseconds in time as a .22-caliber bullet travels the first 11 inches after leaving a .22 LR rifle barrel. Applied Ballistics states: “Notice that the bullet is fully obturated to the internal bore dimension — the step/rebate that exists on the unfired bullet where it meets the case gets expanded (obturated) and doesn’t exist on the fired bullet.”

How Important is Case Fill Ratio — You May Be Surprised

Conventional reloading practice is to select a powder that gives you a good case fill, meaning 90%-100% fill ratio for the cartridge and bullet you’re using. But why?

Some say that a higher fill ratio is good because it prevents the powder from settling differently in the case (which could lead to inconsistent ignition and greater MV SD). This explanation sounds good, and went unchallenged for a long time. However, Applied Ballistics has done some interesting testing that sheds new light on the density issue.

Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting – Vol. 2 contains the results of Applied Ballistics tests of five different cartridge types — .223 Rem to .338 Lapua — loaded with different powders to produce fill ratios of 80%, 90%, and 100%. The testers wanted to see if 100% fill ratios actually gave better results (lower MV SDs) than the lower fill ratios.

Results of testing 3 different loads in 5 different cartridges — The highest MV SD was in fact measured in an 80% fill ratio load. However, the lowest MV SD was also measured for a different 80% load! Seems like the more we learn, the more questions we have. An informative Applied Ballistics podcast covers the Fill Ratio test. Visit Thescienceofaccuracy.com to access this and interesting podcasts.

EDITOR’s NOTE: There were multiple comments from Facebook readers stating that fill ratios 90% and above worked more consistently for them. And the reloading manuals warn against very low fill ratios.

Get 25% Off Applied Ballistics Books in March 2026

Applied Ballistics, through its Science of Accuracy webstore, is currently offering big savings on its popular books — considered to be the best print resources about rifle accuracy/ballistics ever published. This month you can save 25% on all Applied Ballistics book titles by respected expert (and past national champion) Bryan Litz. Use Code READ2026 to get 25% of one or more of these books.

Air Rifle Slugs vs. Pellets — Twist Rate Testing

Initial radar testing shows an interesting stability trend for slugs vs. pellets: drag is minimized for pellets in slower-twist barrels, while drag of slugs is minimized for a faster twist. Also, consistency of drag/BC is best when drag is minimized (BC maximized).

Show below are test data for .300 caliber 44.5 grain Slug and .300 caliber 44.8 grain Pellet, both shot from an air rifle around 800 FPS. Experienced air rifle shooters told us to expect this so it’s nice to see the measurements supporting this trend!

So why is fast twist good for slugs while bad for pellets and vice versa? Air rifle pellets with a skirt are mostly drag-stabilized, not spin-stabilized. So, they don’t need much if any spin at all to fly point forward; the skirt catches the air like the fins of a rocket. As such, spinning the pellets faster only becomes a problem of dynamic stability. If I had any suggestion after looking at this data, it would be to try an even slower twist for pellets, perhaps a 1:60″ (one turn in 5 feet) or even 1:120″.

Slugs are spin-stabilized so it reasons that more spin suppresses yaw and maximizes BC, to a point. Based on these results, it appears the slug is reaching max stability/BC with the 1:22″ and the 1:18″ provides no further benefit. Again, these are just initial findings, we’re eager to explore further in the coming weeks! To view our recent Air Rifle projectile testing, with full 8-minute video, CLICK HERE.

The Science of Accuracy Air Rifle Projectile Testing Part 1 Video »

Emil Praslick III is widely recognized as one of the greatest wind wizards on the planet — a master at identifying wind value and direction, and predicting wind cycles. As coach of the USAMU and top civilian teams, Emil has helped win many high-level championships. In the three videos we feature today, Emil, who works with Capstone Precision Group (Berger, Lapua, SK, Vihtavuori) and Team Applied Ballistics, explains how to determine wind direction and velocity using a variety of indicators. Praslick, now retired from the U.S. Army, was an 18-time National and 2-time World Champion coach with the USAMU.

Video ONE: Wind Theory Basics — Understanding “Wind Values”

In this video from UltimateReloader.com, Emil explains the basics of modern wind theory. To properly understand the effect of the wind you need to know both the velocity of the wind and its angle. The combination of those variables translates to the wind value. Emil also explains that the wind value may not be constant — it can cycle both in speed and velocity. Emil also explains some of the environmental conditions such as mirage that can reveal wind conditions.

Video TWO: Determining the Direction of the Wind

Key Point in Video — Find the Boil
Emil explains how to determine wind direction using optic. The method is to use spotting scope, riflescope, or binoculars to look for the “Boil” — the condition in mirage when the light waves rising straight up. The wind will generate that straight-up, vertical boil in your optics when it is blowing directly at you, or directly from your rear. To identify this, traverse your scope or optics until you see the boil running straight up. When you see that vertical boil, the direction your optic is pointing is aligned with the wind flow (either blowing towards you or from directly behind you).

Video THREE: The No Wind Zero Setting

In this second video, Emil defines the “No-Wind Zero”, and explains why competitive shooters must understand the no-wind zero and have their sights or optics set for a no-wind zero starting point before heading to a match. In order to hit your target, after determining wind speed and direction, says Emil, “you have to have your scope setting dialed to ‘no wind zero’ first.”

Coach of Champions — Emil Praslick III
SFC Emil Praslick III, (U.S. Army, retired) works with Berger Bullets and Applied Ballistics. Emil served as the Head Coach of the U.S. National Long Range Rifle Team and Head Coach of the USAMU for several years. Teams coached by Emil have won 33 Inter-Service Rifle Championships. On top of that, teams he coached set 18 National records and 2 World Records. Overall, in the role of coach, Praslick can be credited with the most team wins of any coach in U.S. Military history.

The 2026 Southwest Nationals (SWN) start today, 2/11/2026, at the Ben Avery Range outside Phoenix, AZ. The big event starts with a 600-yard Mid-Range Match. Many of the nation’s most talented F-Class and sling shooters will be there. But no matter what your skill level, it is still possible to make major mistakes that can spoil the day and/or put you out of the running for the entire match. This article aims to help competitors avoid the big errors/oversights/failures, aka “train wrecks”, that can ruin a match.

Photo by Sherri Jo Gallagher.

In any shooting competition, you must try to avoid major screw-ups that can ruin your day (or your match). In this article, past F-TR National Mid-Range and Long Range Champion Bryan Litz talks about “Train Wrecks”, i.e. those big disasters (such as equipment failures) that can ruin a whole match. Bryan illustrates the types of “train wrecks” that commonly befall competitors, and he explains how to avoid these “unmitigated disasters”.

Urban Dictionary “Train Wreck” Definition: “A total @#$&! disaster … the kind that makes you want to shake your head.”

Train Wrecks (and How to Avoid Them)
by Bryan Litz of Applied Ballistics LLC

Success in long range competition depends on many things. Those who aspire to be competitive are usually detail-oriented, and focused on all the small things that might give them an edge. Unfortunately it’s common for shooters lose sight of the big picture — missing the forest for the trees, so to speak.

Consistency is one of the universal principles of successful shooting. The tournament champion is the shooter with the highest average performance over several days, often times not winning a single match. While you can win tournaments without an isolated stellar performance, you cannot win tournaments if you have a single train wreck performance. And this is why it’s important for the detail-oriented shooter to keep an eye out for potential “big picture” problems that can derail the train of success!

Train wrecks can be defined differently by shooters of various skill levels and categories. Anything from problems causing a miss, to problems causing a 3/4-MOA shift in wind zero can manifest as a train wreck, depending on the kind of shooting you’re doing.

Below is a list of common Shooting Match Train Wrecks, and suggestions for avoiding them.

1. Cross-Firing. The fastest and most common way to destroy your score (and any hopes of winning a tournament) is to cross-fire. The cure is obviously basic awareness of your target number on each shot, but you can stack the odds in your favor if you’re smart. For sling shooters, establish your Natural Point of Aim (NPA) and monitor that it doesn’t shift during your course of fire. If you’re doing this right, you’ll always come back on your target naturally, without deliberately checking each time. You should be doing this anyway, but avoiding cross-fires is another incentive for monitoring this important fundamental. In F-Class shooting, pay attention to how the rifle recoils, and where the crosshairs settle. If the crosshairs always settle to the right, either make an adjustment to your bipod, hold, or simply make sure to move back each shot. Also consider your scope. Running super high magnification can leave the number board out of the scope’s field view. That can really increase the risk of cross-firing.

2. Equipment Failure. There are a wide variety of equipment failures you may encounter at a match, from loose sight fasteners, to broken bipods, to high-round-count barrels that that suddenly “go south” (just to mention a few possibilities). Mechanical components can and do fail. The best policy is to put some thought into what the critical failure points are, monitor wear of these parts, and have spares ready. This is where an ounce of prevention can prevent a ton of train wreck. On this note, if you like running hot loads, consider whether that extra 20 fps is worth blowing up a bullet (10 points), sticking a bolt (DNF), or worse yet, causing injury to yourself or someone nearby.

3. Scoring/Pit Malfunction. Although not related to your shooting technique, doing things to insure you get at least fair treatment from your scorer and pit puller is a good idea. Try to meet the others on your target so they can associate a face with the shooter for whom they’re pulling. If you learn your scorer is a Democrat, it’s probably best not to tell Obama jokes before you go for record. If your pit puller is elderly, it may be unwise to shoot very rapidly and risk a shot being missed (by the pit worker), or having to call for a mark. Slowing down a second or two between shots might prevent a 5-minute delay and possibly an undeserved miss.

Photo by Sherri Jo Gallagher.

4. Wind Issues. Tricky winds derail many trains. A lot can be written about wind strategies, but here’s a simple tip about how to take the edge off a worse case scenario. You don’t have to start blazing away on the command of “Commence fire”. If the wind is blowing like a bastard when your time starts, just wait! You’re allotted 30 minutes to fire your string in long range slow fire. With average pit service, it might take you 10 minutes if you hustle, less in F-Class. Point being, you have about three times longer than you need. So let everyone else shoot through the storm and look for a window (or windows) of time which are not so adverse. Of course this is a risk, conditions might get worse if you wait. This is where judgment comes in. Just know you have options for managing time and keep an eye on the clock. Saving rounds in a slow fire match is a costly and embarrassing train wreck.

5. Mind Your Physical Health. While traveling for shooting matches, most shooters break their normal patterns of diet, sleep, alcohol consumption, etc. These disruptions to the norm can have detrimental effects on your body and your ability to shoot and even think clearly. If you’re used to an indoor job and eating salads in air-conditioned break rooms and you travel to a week-long rifle match which keeps you on your feet all day in 90-degree heat and high humidity, while eating greasy restaurant food, drinking beer and getting little sleep, then you might as well plan on daily train wrecks. If the match is four hours away, rather than leaving at 3:00 am and drinking five cups of coffee on the morning drive, arrive the night before and get a good night’s sleep.”

Keep focused on the important stuff. You never want to lose sight of the big picture. Keep the important, common sense things in mind as well as the minutia of meplat trimming, weighing powder to the kernel, and cleaning your barrel ’til it’s squeaky clean. Remember, all the little enhancements can’t make up for one big train wreck!

Here’s a smart tip from Bryan Litz, explaining how damage to a bullet jacket can harm the projectile’s Ballistic Coefficient (BC). This tip is posted on Bryan’s new Bryan Litz Ballistics Facebook page. We recommend you subscribe to that page to access Bryan’s latest informative posts.

Bryan notes: “If the case mouth scratches the bullet when you seat it, the damage can cause the BC to be inconsistent, which shows up as vertical dispersion at long range.”

We see this sometimes when running Doppler Radar for competitors at Applied Ballistics Mobile Lab events. If someone is shooting a bullet that typically has a very consistent BC (1% or less) but they’re seeing a higher BC variation, it can be due to the bullets being damaged in the loading process.”

The lead photo above shows the badly-scratched jacket of a bullet seated in a rough-mouthed case. To prevent such jacket damage, one should chamfer, deburr, and smooth case mouths after trimming.

Below is a recorded Doppler radar result showing excessive BC variation. Such variation can increase vertical dispersion at long range. This can result in larger group sizes and lower scores.

Wind-Reading Lesson from Bryan Litz

Q: What’s more important — wind speed, or direction?

A: Obviously they both matter, but they do trade dominance based on direction. For example, a 10 mph wind between 2:30 and 3:30 is only changing its value from 9.7 to 10 to 9.7 mph (bracket of 0.3 mph). However a 10 mph wind between 11:30 and 12:30 is changing its cross wind component value from 2.6 mph left to zero to 2.6 mph right (bracket of 5.2 mph). There is the same 30° change in direction, but this results in a massively different bracket.

Point being, in this case, a direction change is far more critical if it’s near 6 or 12 o’clock. A small direction change when it’s close to 3 or 9 o’clock is negligible.

On the contrary, a change in wind SPEED when it’s near 3 or 9 affects your crosswind component directly. But for a near head or tail wind, a fluctuation in wind speed only causes a small fraction of a change to the crosswind component.

SUMMARY: If you’re in a near full-value wind, pay more attention to wind SPEED. If you’re closer to a head- or tail-wind, nailing the exact DIRECTION will be more important.

Get More Tips on Bryan Litz Ballistics Facebook Page
This post is from the new Bryan Litz Ballistics Facebook Page. FB users should check that page regularly for more tips from Bryan, American’s leading ballistics expert and founder of Applied Ballistics LLC.

READ MORE TIPS HERE: www.Facebook.com/BryanLitzBallitics

Bryan Litz coaching Team USA in Canada using a WIND PLOT.

Berger Twist-Rate Stability Calculator
On the Berger Bullets website you’ll find a handy Twist-Rate Stability Calculator that predicts your gyroscopic stability factor (SG) based on mulitiple variables: velocity, bullet length, bullet weight, barrel twist rate, ambient temperature, and altitude. This cool tool tells you if your chosen bullet will really stabilize in your barrel.

How to Use Berger’s Twist Rate Calculator
Using the Twist Rate Calculator is simple. Just enter the bullet DIAMETER (e.g. .264), bullet WEIGHT (in grains), and bullet overall LENGTH (in inches). On its website, Berger conveniently provides this info for all its bullet types. For other brands, we suggest you weigh three examples of your chosen bullet, and also measure the length on three samples. Then use the average weight and length of the three. To calculate bullet stability, simply enter your bullet data (along with observed Muzzle Velocity, outside Temperature, and Altitude) and click “Calculate SG”. Try different twist rate numbers (and recalculate) until you get an SG value of 1.4 (or higher).

Gyroscopic Stability (SG) and Twist Rate
Berger’s Twist Rate Calculator provides a predicted stability value called “SG” (for “Gyroscopic Stability”). This indicates the Gyroscopic Stability applied to the bullet by spin. This number is derived from the basic equation: SG = (rigidity of the spinning mass)/(overturning aerodynamic torque).

If you have an SG under 1.0, your bullet is predicted not to stabilize. If you have between 1.0 and 1.1 SG, your bullet may or may not stabilize. If you have an SG greater than 1.1, your bullet should stabilize under optimal conditions, but stabilization might not be adequate when temperature, altitude, or other variables are less-than-optimal. That’s why Berger normally recommends at least 1.5 SG to get out of the “Marginal Stability” zone.

In his book Applied Ballistics For Long-Range Shooting, 3rd Ed., Bryan Litz (Berger Ballistician) recommends at least a 1.4 SG rating when selecting a barrel twist for a particular bullet. This gives you a safety margin for shooting under various conditions, such as higher or lower altitudes or temperatures.

Do you know the actual BC (Ballistic Coefficient) of your rimfire ammunition? Well Applied Ballistics has the data, thanks to a comprehensive, marathon ammo testing session. Some years back, in an effort to determine the “real world” BCs of various rimfire ammo types, Bryan Litz and his team at Applied Ballistics did an extraordinary, in-depth shooting test. Litz and company tested over fifty types of .22 LR ammo, using five different twist-rate barrels. This was one of the most comprehensive and through rimfire ammo tests ever done.

Bryan tolds us: “We tested many types of .22 rimfire ammo for the 2nd Edition of the Ballistic Performance of Rifle Bullets book. We used a pair of Oehler chronographs to measure velocity at the muzzle (MV) and velocity at 100 yards.” With these numbers (average and SD) Bryan can calculate G1 BCs for all the 50+ types of rimfire ammo. What’s more, because every sample is shot through five different barrels (each with a different twist rate) Bryan can also determine how velocity is affected by twist rate.

The tests are primarily to determine velocities for BC calculations — this was not an accuracy test. Bryan explains: “Our tests are not really looking at accuracy, mainly because that’s so subjective to different rifles. Our testing is primarily focused on measuring the BC of rimfire rounds from different twist-rate barrels. The MVs and BCs from the different twist test barrels was then published by Applied Ballistics in print books. Bryan Litz told us: “The .22 LR Rimfire data was originally published in Ballistic Performance of Rifle Bullets, 2nd Edition, which is now out of print. The 3rd Edition of that book doesn’t have rimfire data. The rimfire testing results and data were re-published in Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting – Volume II (along with many other topics).

Bringing Science to the Rimfire World
Bryan’s goal with this project was to increase the rimfire knowledge base: “We hope to give the world of .22 LR rimfire a good dose of science. How is the BC of .22 rimfire ammo affected by barrel twist? Do subsonic rounds have more consistent BCs than supersonic or transonic rounds? What brands have the highest BCs? What brands have the most consistent MVs?”

Data from two Oehler chronographs is recorded in a computer. Ammo samples were tested in five (5) different barrels (of varying twist rates). Give credit to Dane Hobbs who supplied a test rifle, multiple barrels, and most of the ammo types for the test.

.22 LR at 300 Yards?
Bryan also conducted some longer range rimfire tests. His interesting findings have appeared in the Modern Advancements in Long Range Shooting book series. Bryan notes: “While .22 rimfire isn’t typically considered ‘long range’, we were able to consistently hit a two-MOA steel target at 300 yards with the trajectory predicted by AB software and the measured BC of some standard .22 LR rimfire ammo. The info we’’re generating may make it possible to push the range of target engagement for a round that’s not seen much advancement in many decades.”

Christmas is less than three weeks away. If you are looking for a great gift for a shooting buddy, books have always been popular holiday gifts. Here are some recommended titles that should please the serious shooters and firearms enthusiasts on your shopping list. For shooting clubs, books also make great end-of-season member awards. Most of us would rather have a useful book than one more piece of wood to toss in a box in the closet. Check out these ten titles — for yourself or your shooting buddies.

Here Are TEN Great BOOKS Recommended for Serious Shooters:
	Modern Advancements in LR Shooting, Vol. II by Bryan Litz, $27.99 (Kindle), $44.95 (Hardcover, from AB store) If you’re a serious long-range shooter, consider adding this book to your library. Relying on extensive ballistics testing, Modern Advancements, Volume II is a great successor to Volume I that contains some fascinating research results. UK gun writer Laurie Holland notes: “Volume II of the Modern Advancements series is as fascinating as Volume I and if anything even more valuable given a series of ‘mythbusters’ tests including: case fill-ratio, primer flash-hole uniforming, neck tension, annealing, and much more. The work also addresses that perennial discussion of a bullet ‘going to sleep’ and shooting smaller groups (in MOA) at longer distances than 100 yards.” The amount of testing done for this Volume II work, with a staggering amount of rounds sent downrange, makes this book unique among shooting resources. There is a ton of “hard science” in this book — not just opinions.
	Prone and Long Range Rifle Shooting by Nancy Tompkins, $45.00, (Hardcover, 2d Edition). Nancy Tompkins is one of the greatest long-range shooters in American history. She has won five National Long-range Championships. Tompkins’ treatise is a must-read for serious Palma, F-Class, and High Power shooters. The revised Second edition includes F-Class equipment and techniques, and newly updated information. Color pictures. Topics include Mental & Physical training, Reading Wind & Mirage Shooting Fundamentals, International Competition, and Loading for Long Range. Nancy Tompkins is a 4-time winner of the National Long Range Championships, and has won countless other major events. Nancy has been on six Palma Teams (as both a shooter and a coach).
	The Wind Book for Rifle Shooters by Linda Miller & Keith Cunningham, $14.99 (Kindle), $22.99 (Hardcover). The lastest edition of The Wind Book was released in 2020. The updates make this very helpful 144-page book even better. The Wind Book for Rifle Shooters by Linda Miller and Keith Cunningham, first published in 2007, is a very informative resource. But you don’t have to take our word for it. If you click this link, you can read book excerpts on Amazon.com. This lets you preview the first few chapters, and see some illustrations. Other books cover wind reading in a broader discussion of ballistics or long-range shooting. But the Miller & Cunningham book is ALL about wind reading from cover to cover, and that is its strength. The book focuses on real world skills that can help you accurately gauge wind angle, wind velocity, and wind cycles. Readers have praised the book, earning it 93% 4- and 5-star reviews on Amazon.
	Long Range Shooting Handbook by Ryan Cleckner, $9.99 (Kindle), $24.95 (Softcover), Ryan Cleckner is noted for his ability to explain complex topics in an easy-to-comprehend manner. Now Cleckner has authored a book, the Long Range Shooting Handbook, which expands on the topics covered in Cleckner’s popular NSSF video series. The Long Range Shooting Handbook is divided into three main categories: What It Is/How It Works, Fundamentals, and How to Use It. “What It Is/How It Works” covers equipment, terminology, and basic principles. “Fundamentals” covers the theory of long range shooting. “How to Use It” gives practical advice on implementing what you’ve learned, so you can progress as a skilled, long range shooter. You can view Sample Chapters from Ryan’s Book on Amazon.com.
	With Winning in Mind (3rd Edition) by Lanny Bassham, $9.99 (Kindle), $16.95 (Softcover) Visualization is a process of mental preparation that is done before you get to the range. Many of the greatest shooting champions have used this technique to get ready for big matches, and to optimize their performance during record fire. If you want to enhance your “mental game” through pre-match visualization, we strongly recommend Lanny Bassham’s book, With Winning in Mind. As a competitive smallbore 3P shooter, Bassham developed a mental management system. Using this system, Lanny Bassham won 22 world individual and team titles, set four world records, and captured an Olympic Gold Medal in Montreal in 1976. His techniques have been embraced by professional and Olympic athletes in many sports. With Winning in Mind covers a complete system of “mental management” techniques used by Olympians and elite champions.
	Practical Shooter’s Guide by Marcus Blanchard, $9.99 (Kindle), $19.98 (Softcover) Thinking of getting started in the Practical/Tactical shooting game? Looking for ways to be more stable when shooting from unconventional positions? Then you may want to read Marcus Blanchard’s Practical Shooter’s Guide (A How-To Approach for Unconventional Firing Positions and Training). Unlike almost every “how to shoot” book on the market, Blanchard’s work focuses on the shooting skills and positions you need to succeed in PRS matches and similar tactical competitions. Blanchard provides clear advice on shooting from barricades, from roof-tops, from steep angles. Blanchard says you need to train for these types of challenges: “I believe the largest factor in the improvement of the average shooter isn’t necessarily the gear; it’s the way the shooter approaches obstacles and how they properly train for them.”
	The Rifle Shooter by G. David Tubb, $34.95 (Softcover) — $5.00 on Sale This book by 11-time National High Power Champion David Tubb focuses on position shooting and High Power disciplines. Section One covers fundamentals: position points, natural point of aim, breathing, triggering mechanics and follow-through, sling selection and use, getting started, getting better, avoiding obstacles. Section Two covers mechanics of offhand, sitting, and prone positions. Section Three covers shooting skills, including wind reading and mental preparation. Section Four covers the technical side of shooting, with extensive discussions of rifle design, load development, reloading barrel maintenance, and rifle fitting. We consider this book a “must-read” for any sling shooter, and there is plenty of good advice for F-Class shooters too.
	Precision Rifle Marksmanship by Frank Galli, $20.99 (Kindle), $24.88 (Softcover) Another fine book for PRS/NRL shooting is Precision Rifle Marksmanship: The Fundamentals by Frank Galli, founder of SnipersHide.com. Former USMC scout-sniper Frank Galli explains techniques will benefit any PRS/NRL competitor. Along with position shooting tips, Galli offers great wind-reading advice. Published in 2020, Galli’s treatise is four years newer than Blanchard’s book, so it includes more of the latest gear and equipment. Galli’s book covers the fundamentals of precision marksmanship with easy-to-understand methodology. The book follows the same instruction process Galli uses in his live marksmanship classes. Published in 2020, this well-illustrated, 272-page book covers the latest equipment (scopes, LRFs, chassis systems, magazines, bags, bipods, tripods) favored by tactical competitors in PRS/NRL type matches.
	The Book of Rifle Accuracy by Tony Boyer, $42.50 (Hardcover). Tony Boyer, the most successful shooter in the history of short-range benchrest competition, shares match-winning tips in this 323-page book. The book covers all aspect of the benchrest discipline: loading, windflags, rest set-up, addressing the rifle, and match strategies. This is a high-quality publication, filled with valuable insights. Every serious benchrest shooter should read Tony’s book. Boyer has dominated registered benchrest in a fashion that will never be duplicated, having amassed 142 U.S. Benchrest Hall of Fame points. The next closest shooter, Allie Euber, has 47 Hall of Fame points. This handsome, full-color book is 323 pages long, with color photos or color illustrations on nearly every page.
	Cartridges of the World (17th Edition) by W. Todd Woddard, $17.87 (Kindle), $37.27 (Softcover) Cartridges of the World (17th Edition), belongs in every serious gun guy’s library. This massive 704-page reference, the most complete cartridge reference guide in print, contains illustrations and basic load data for over 1500 cartridges. If you load for a wide variety of cartridges, or are a cartridge collector, this book is a “must-have” resource. The latest 2022 edition includes dozens of new cartridges and boasts 1500+ photos. The 17th Edition of Cartridges of the World includes cartridge specs, plus tech articles on Cartridge identification, SAAMI guidelines, wildcatting, and new cartridge design trends. Cartridges of the World now includes a full-color section with feature articles.

On the Applied Ballistics Facebook Page, there was a fascinating series of posts showing traces of bullets at various speeds from Mach 0.86 to Mach 3.0. At the slowest speed, Mach 0.86, i.e. 962 FPS, there is turbulence behind the bullet, but no clear shockwave. At the highest velocity, Mach 3.0 (3375 FPS at sea level, 68° F), there is a dramatic double nose and tail wave formation.

To learn more, visit TheScienceofAccuracy.com. On that site you’ll find exclusive video content and you can subscribe to member’s only Podcasts. And you can purchase Applied Ballistics books on the Science of Accuracy webstore.

Mach 3.00 Bullet Flight Image

At Mach 3 (3355 FPS) this bullet now has a strong and well established shock wave forming at the tip, and at the base. Unlike the transition through Mach 1.0, nothing really interesting happens to the aerodynamics or shock waves meaning the aerodynamics and stability are: continuous, easy to predict, and model. As you go faster, the shockwaves make a shallower angle because the bullet is moving forward 3X faster than the shock wave is moving away from it. So the shock wave makes an angle that has a rise/run ratio of 1/3.

If a bullet flew within 10 feet of you traveling this fast, it would be about as loud as a 22 magnum. You’d certainly want hearing protection as the energy contained in a Mach 3 shock wave is high! How high…? Well, in 10 yards, this bullet slows from 3355 FPS to 3334 FPS in a time of 0.0090 seconds. The 55 ft-lb of kinetic energy lost during this 10 yards is due to aerodynamic drag on the bullet, which is comprised of wave, base, and skin friction drag components with the majority of the drag being due to shock wave formation. Expending 55 ft-lb of energy in 0.0090 seconds requires a power output of 6111 ft-lb/sec = 11.1 horsepower, most of which goes into creating the shock wave. Remember it’s a 3-D cone that travels great distance, and it gets its energy by stealing velocity from your bullet!

Mach 1.00 Bullet Flight Image

Many shots were fired to capture an image of the transonic shockwave structure at exactly Mach 1.00. With the bullet now moving at the speed of sound, the local airflow on some parts of the bullet exceeds Mach 1.0. Anytime something is moving thru the air faster than the air can get out of the way, you get a compression wave, aka “shock wave”. That’s what’s visible in this image — the areas where the air density changes rapidly (in the compression wave) are visible as near vertical lines and a detached bow wave out front. As the bullet progresses through transonic speed, this shockwave structure develops which has strong effects on the drag (wind sensitivity) and stability of the bullet.

The exact development of the shockwaves and the resulting effects are unique and sensitive to the bullet geometry, and become very difficult to predict through the transition from subsonic (incompressible flow without shock waves) to supersonic (compressible flow with shock waves). Each bullet geometry does this differently which is why it’s difficult to determine transonic stability criteria for bullets of different shapes.

Mach 0.86 Bullet Flight Image

Here’s a bullet at Mach 0.86 (86% the speed of sound, which is 962 FPS at 61° F). As you can see, this 0.86 Mach is not fast enough to make any discernable waves but you can see turbulence in the bullet wake (right side in photo). The beginning of small shock waves can be seen on the bullet tip, and at the bearing surface/boat tail juncture. For the most part, all of the airflow around this bullet is subsonic. You wouldn’t hear a supersonic ‘crack’ from this bullet flying past the observer.