Ballistic coefficient

**Anwar** · 05-11-2008, 09:19

I see ammo manufacturers mention the ballistic coefficient of their ammo, even the handgun ammo.......
How important is this for handgun ammo? I seem to think that it does'nt make that much of a difference, especially for sd ammo.....
any takes on this?

**Corné** · 05-11-2008, 10:34

What is the correct definition of B.C. and how would it impact on performance regarding SD performance? If in hunting you are looking for a higher B.C. as this increases incapacity performance....would the same not apply to SD?

**Anwar** · 05-11-2008, 11:01

From my understanding, BC is the the measurement of how the bullet slows in flight due to air resistance.
For handguns, velocities are not as high as rifles and for SD most targets/BG are at a fairly close distance. As BC is a calculation of bullet drop over distance, this should not make much of a difference in handguns especially for SD situations.
But like I said, this is my understanding, might be wrong. I am open to any other point of view

**Corné** · 05-11-2008, 13:08

Sorry me bad....was thinking about something else and not B.C. ........Ignore my previous post as not relevant....

**Anwar** · 05-11-2008, 14:47

No problem,
just wondering if my understanding is correct. Maybe somebody can confirm or deny my understanding. If i'm right, then why do some manufacturers list BC on specs for handgun ammo.......... the marketing department i presume! whip

**BigT** · 05-11-2008, 16:56

Corne I think you are thinking about Sectional Density.

**Corné** · 05-11-2008, 17:01

Originally Posted by BigT

Corne I think you are thinking about Sectional Density.

Yes, I was thinking about Sectional Density......got the two mixed up for a moment........

**ikor** · 07-11-2008, 10:52

Ballistic Coefficient...

[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballistic_coefficient[/ame]

Sectional Density...

[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sectional_density[/ame]

**para** · 07-11-2008, 12:34

"wikipedia"

finally something more clever than my ex wife

**ikor** · 07-11-2008, 12:57

Originally Posted by para

"wikipedia"

finally something more clever than my ex wife

Hah! happy0065

Yes, Wiki is a decent place to do a quick lookup on a topic and get the gist, but never trust it as a seriously definitive source...too many edits by those who have an agenda on many topics.