In this listing of the specifications of the Browning Hi-Power Mk I, immediately below the standard muzzle velocity entry (of 350 m/s) there is also another listing for velocity. It is abbreviated as: “V[sub]12.50[/sub]” (and gives a figure of 340 m/s).
I’ve not seen the term V[sub]12.50[/sub] before. Although I’m sure it’s defined on a webpage somewhere, damned if I can find it. So I’ll ask here: anyone know what it is?
Thanks!
The velocity at 12.5 meters from the muzzle which is about as far as most handguns are used in real situations?
Does the question mark mean you’re not certain? I think it’s very clever and certainly makes a lot sense - it would be a relevant measure in the real world and would be consistent with a 10 m/s drop off 12.5 m from the muzzle.
If it’s not the right definition, it should be!
It could also be the velocity 12.5 feet or 12.5 yards from the muzzle.
That makes no sense as a statistic as compared to muzzle velocity. Any velocity loss is insignificant.
Could it not make sense for a pistol? Just a WAG, but might some pistols (i.e. the bullets they fire) experience a pretty rapid drop off in velocity? The one cited is about 3 percent; might some have, say, a 10 percent drop off? That would translate to a loss of almost 20 percent of the muzzle energy and might then be considered a figure worth knowing.
This charthas handgun ballistics at muzzle, 50, yds, 100 yds.
A 9mm 147 grains only loses 40 fps in 50 yds.
Looks like the chart fits with MichaelEmouse’s interpretation, i.e. if you interpolate the figures provided in it to 12.5 m, many of them seem to fit the idea that there’d be about a 3 percent drop in velocity at that point. (ETA: for example, some show a 15 percent velocity drop at 50 yards)
And did they measure the velocity at the barrel, or did they measure the velocity as 12.5 meters and worked backward ? I think they gave the raw = directly measured, data, v12.50 ,and v0 is derived… (or both are derived off time to travel 12.5 )