brain teaser
most long range shooters reading this will know the answer, but it’s a great question for those who don’t, because it can be answered by thorough consideration alone; no special knowledge or testing required:
prelim
the speed at which a bullet drops is mostly removed from its horizontal speed; a bullet falling straight down will theoretically drop at the same speed as a bullet shot level with the surface (perpendicular to drop). therefore, bullets are “lobbed” at targets when shot from almost every angle. the farther away a target is moved for a level shot, the more the gun barrel must be raised to account for bullet drop during the longer trip (more time = more drop).
gun
rifle
shots
- level (0 degree vertical angle)
- 60 degrees uphill
- 60 degrees downhill
assumptions
- on earth, not in a vacuum
- no wind
- no changes, deviations, or quirks other than those mentioned
- the rifle is set for an accurate shot 1 (i.e., adjusted for bullet drop to hit on target for shot 1) when aimed directly at the target visually.
- shots 2 and 3 (uphill and downill) are aimed directly at the target visually, using the same bullet drop adjustment set for shot 1.
- all shots have 300 yards actual distance (not measured horizontally) between muzzle and target. (imagine a 300 yard string held taut between muzzle and target, not a map measurement as though muzzle and target are necessarily at the same altitude.)
questions
|
| stuck? here’s a hint (highlight area between brackets to view) [consider a shot that goes straight up. what about straight down? now work your way to level. don't bother with math or anything overly geeky. the straight up and straight down shots answer the question.] |
| answer (highlight area between brackets to view) [shots 2 and 3 each hit above the target.] |