# two quick rounds



## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

If you fire two rounds just milliseconds apart, will the second round eventually catch up to the first round due to the slipstream effect from the first round? Just wonderin? :roll:


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## Wind In His Hair (Dec 31, 2009)

That is a thought provoking question. My thoughts are that there are so many parameters that must exist for this to happen that the chances are like one in a trillion. Sounds like a job for the Mythbusters. o-||


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

Wikipedia says this:
The term "slipstreaming" describes an object traveling inside the slipstream of another object (most often objects moving through the air though not necessarily flying). If an object is inside the slipstream behind another object, moving at the same speed, the rear object will require less power to maintain its speed than if it were moving independently. In addition, the leading object will be able to move faster than it could independently because the rear object reduces the effect of the low-pressure region on the leading object.

All of that tells me the second bullet will not catch up to the leading one.

Let's toss in another factor to your original post. What if those two rounds were fired just like you asked, but the leading bullet is a round nosed, flat based 175 gr, while the second is a flextip boattail 145 gr.

What do you think now?


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Bears Butt said:


> Wikipedia says this:
> 
> ...Let's toss in another factor to your original post. What if those two rounds were fired just like you asked, but the leading bullet is a round nosed, flat based 175 gr, while the second is a flextip boattail 145 gr.
> 
> What do you think now?


Too many variables to make a conclusion. But assuming they both leave at the same velocity I would assume the 145gr would overtake the 175gr in pretty short order. But in this case, slipstreaming would have virtually no effect. They 145gr would simply retain it's velocity better.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

I don't know but in Nascar both the front car and the tailgatting car can go much faster if they hug each other's bumper. Good question.


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## Mojo1 (Sep 8, 2007)

No


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

longbow said:


> I don't know but in Nascar both the front car and the tailgatting car can go much faster if they hug each other's bumper. Good question.


That was my thought as well.

I think that one other factor must be taken into account: the muzzle velocity must be as near identical as possible to prove / disprove the theory. So you wouldnt want to have cheap factory ammo with a +/- .5gr powder charge.


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## chet (Sep 7, 2007)

the second bullet would get much better fuel economy.............


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Wow, what a great scenario! What is the relative humidity? What's ?_t_ of barrel between shots? Elevation? Last 4 of your Social Security Number?

Kinda like: If you're driving at night faster than the speed of light, does the light from the headlights go out, or is it just following you?

Now I got a headache.


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## 2litl2l8 (Jan 16, 2008)

wyogoob said:


> Kinda like: If you're driving at night faster than the speed of light, does the light from the headlights go out, or is it just following you?


That is accutally easier to answer. If you are traveling at the speed of light and you turn on that light with behave as if it is standing still and will travel way from you at the speed of light. So you you it will be traveling the speed of light but to someone who is acctually not moving it would be traveling at twice the speed of light. In that regard it gets really interesting. If you were to be standing still and an object moved away from you at the speed of light, it would essentially disappear. Now if we were able to propel ourselves at the speed of light (not near the speed of light, but acctually as fast as light) then technically we would be able to do it over and over again which would be essentally teleporting. Now, how cool would that be?


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

Wait...what about fouling? The second bullet would be traveling down a barrel that is slightly more fouled than the first bullet. Would the additional fouling slow the second bullet slightly or provide a better gascheck thereby increasing the speed of the second bullet causing it to collide with the first bullet?


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

OK, you boys made some pretty good guess but here is the answer: In a perfect world wherein the second bullet leaves the barrel with ALL things being the same as the first round. The second round would catch up to the first round and impart all its remaining energy in a fusion of the two rounds. The combined energy of the two rounds, once fused, would be equal to the sum of the two uncombined bullets, thus the two-round fusion would impact the ground/target at the exact same velocity as the first round, had the second round never been fired.
Now that was simple enough wasn't it? :lol:


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

I went out on my back deck this morning and fired two quick rounds in the air. I didn't see nothin. :shock:


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