Thread: Cast bullet Varminting / Medium game Project

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

I have read in the past that driving bands versus smooth sides make a considerable difference in monolithic solids at high velocity and I wondered if the same was true of subsonic projectiles.
The difference in the 220 swift was that with a turned brass projectile at very high velocity 3800 + there was almost no effect on a rabbit ( rabbit was seen to be hit but just flattened its ears) with a smooth projectile but with the next projectile which was turned to exactly the same weight and profile but had driving bands, converted the rabbit into confetti

interesting . . i went looking for Shadowgraphs of bullets with driving bands showing the shock waves but i couldnt find a good example, this is the best i could find but i have seen better examples.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:S...hadowgraph.jpg

i had always thought of the driving bands as just creating drag more than the added benefit of multiple pressure waves . . so cheers for that
@Moa Hunter it may help to explain why cast bullets at even moderate supersonic speeds seem to kill so much better than i would have guessed by only adding 3-400 fps compared to the 1000fps of subsonic.