Ballistics by the Inch :: Results (original) (raw)

ATTENTION: Effective Sept 1, 2020, the BBTI Project is in "Archive Status." No further tests will be conducted, but we will maintain this site and data for the use of the firearms community. Thank you.

• .22
• .22 Mag
• .25 ACP
• .32 ACP
• .32 H&R
• .327 Mag
• .380 ACP ('08)
• .380 ACP ('10)
• .38 Special
• 9mm Makarov
• 9mm Luger
• 9mm Ultra
• .357 Sig
• .357 Mag
• .40 S&W
• 10mm
• .41 Mag
• .44 Special
• .44 Mag
• .45 ACP ('08)
• .45 ACP ('15)
• .45 Colt
• .45 Super
• .460 Rowland
• .223 Rifle

.22 Mag Results in fps

An additional note on the .22 Mag (officially, the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire) data: this sequence of tests presented a real challenge for our chronographs, probably because the .22 Mag is one of the smaller bullets commercially used yet is driven at high speed. Modern chronograph technology is based on optical sensors used to determine the period of time a bullet takes to pass between two sensors. The smaller the bullet, the harder it is for the optical sensor to detect it, and the more necessary it is to get the bullet exactly over the sensor's field of vision. For most of the test we were confident that our results were accurate, and if you look at the raw data sheets you will see that we were able to usually get four or five 'good' readings (out of six possible - three shots each over a pair of aligned chronographs). However, towards the end of the tests (when the barrel was starting to get very short) accuracy became an increasingly difficult proposition. At that point we switched to a more expensive Oehler brand chrono system, which uses twin chronographs to automatically calculate one reading. For the last measurements in the chop tests - when the barrel was only 2" - we were only able to obtain one or two readings for each type of ammo. The readings were consistent with the curves we had seen through the rest of the testing, but doesn't have the same degree of supporting data.

Click here for a Muzzle Energy graph for the tests in this caliber.

Other Resources

BBTI is not the end-all of ballistics testing, just one more component available for the common good. In addition to extensive discussion about ballistics to be found at many gun forums, here are some other great resources pertaining to ballistics testing you should check out. (And if you would like to recommend a site to list here, please send an email.)

• BrassFetcher: excellent resource, with an emphasis on bullet performance in ballistic gelatin
• The Box O' Truth: testing ammo penetration through various barriers
• Terminal Ballistics Research: Specializes in the research of cartridge & projectile performance, using hard data gathered from 20 years of hunting game.

Acknowledgements

We'd like to personally and specifically thank Pat Childs at Fin & Feather in Iowa City, as he not only helped get most of our ammunition and other supplies, he was the brilliant gunsmith who worked with us to make this insane project much more practical. Without his help all of this would have been much more difficult and perhaps impossible. Anyone who uses our data owes him a debt of gratitude.

And thanks to our spouses, who were not just tolerant but enthusiastically supportive of this rather nutty project.

Disclaimer

This project, and all of its results, is only our fault. We (well, Jim K, mostly) paid for everything ourselves, and we did not receive any kind of sponsorship or remuneration from anyone. We did all the work. We used products we were either familiar with, or because they were what was available, and mentioning them by name does not constitute an endorsement of any kind. Furthermore, the data is provided purely for entertainment purposes - to better facilitate arguments over what ammo or caliber or gun is "best." How you use the data is entirely up to you. And if you think you could do better, feel free to spend the money and do the work and publish your own results. Or not. Your choice.