# Bullet Speeds (Muzzle Velocities)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bullet-speeds-muzzle-velocities/276214>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 23, 2004, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bullet-speeds-muzzle-velocities/276214 "2004-11-23T02:07:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bullet-speeds-muzzle-velocities/276214/1 "2004-11-23T02:07:13Z")

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What’s the typical speed of a handgun bullet? Rifle? Also, what is the fastest (top speed) of any bullet we have, and how does that compare to the speed of sound (roughly, under ambient air conditions…afterall, this isn’t rocket science! :D)?

- Jinx

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**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bullet-speeds-muzzle-velocities/276214/2 "2004-11-23T02:22:07Z")

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This is speaking just roughly off the top of my head - and these are all RIFLE velocities.  
A .22 caliber bullet travels at about 1,000 feet per second (and maybe a bit faster). The speed of sound is roughly 1,000 feet per second.  
I believe the fastest commercially available round is the .17 caliber which screams out of the muzzle at 4,200 feet per second.

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**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bullet-speeds-muzzle-velocities/276214/3 "2004-11-23T02:28:02Z")

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I shoot .308 rifles, and I believe the muzzle velocity is around 2700 F.P.S.

Handgun bullets are slower. I believe the typical 9 mm bullet clocks in at around 1250 F.P.S.

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**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bullet-speeds-muzzle-velocities/276214/4 "2004-11-23T02:37:10Z")

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> [@Jinx](#):
>
> what is the fastest (top speed) of any bullet we have

My lab shares the same building with another R&D lab that builds two and three-stage gas guns. They recently shot a small projectile (about the size of a pencil eraser) to a velocity of **8 kilometers / second** under controlled laboratory conditions. That’s fast.

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**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2004, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bullet-speeds-muzzle-velocities/276214/5 "2004-11-23T03:00:55Z")

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And to make comparisons easier, here’s a good velocity converter:  
[http://www.1728.com/convvel.htm](http://www.1728.com/convvel.htm)