Difference Between Heavy and Light

[tatu_ph]

Good Day!

I've been reading the topics regarding the different bullet weights but it seems that it's all focused on recoil. How about the way it hits on moving targets? Let us say a 200grn vs 230grn both on 170PF, will the slower velocity of the heavier one greatly affect the way one should shoot moving targets? How about when it comes to longer distances? When you are zeroed to about 20mtrs and engage target about 30mtrs, does one have to compensate that much on the heavier bullet?

[Steve RA]

Faster is better on moving targets as it lessens the amount of lead you must use.

[njl]

I'd say it depends on all sorts of things. Given equal PFs of ~170, we can assume the 230gr is doing 740fps and the 200gr is doing 850fps. Heavier/slower bullets tend to have more elastic collisions, spending less of their energy deforming the bullet and more of it moving the target...so on reactive targets where hitting hard matters (like bowling pins), heavier is better...but heavy + too slow can send bullets back at you.

For moving targets at range, the speed of your bullets affects how long it takes them to get from your gun to the target, and how much lead you'll need to hit the target...though doing the math, a moving target at 30yds, the time difference in a 740fps bullet arriving on target vs an 850fps bullet is only 0.0158s. How fast is the moving target moving? At 1fps, that moving target will only have moved 3/16" in 0.0158s.

disclaimer...it's late...my math could be hosed...but I don't think so.

[RH45]

I'm not a great shooter, but, really haven't noticed any difference on swingers or drop turners, whether I'm shooting a .45 with 230 grain bullets at 750fps, or a .40 with 165 grain bullets at 1025 fps.