# Where do bullets fired into the air come down? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2004, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-bullets-fired-into-the-air-come-down/231470 "2004-02-27T14:50:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Willander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Willander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Willander)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-bullets-fired-into-the-air-come-down/231470/21 "2004-02-29T02:34:11Z")
I’m more curious about not where but when the bullet lands. How long does it actually take for a bullet to come back down to earth? Let’s say you fire a standard Berreta or something straight up. How long will it take before the bullet comes back down? ---
**Author:** ![gbrohman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3be4f8/32.png) [@gbrohman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gbrohman)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-bullets-fired-into-the-air-come-down/231470/22 "2004-02-29T05:34:32Z")
> [@cdhostage](#): > > Assuming an airless planet, a bullet fired directly up would come directly down. If you stood still for a couple minutes in this situation (time depends on muzzle velocity of bullet) it would come down through the line drawn through the barrel, usually also drawn through the right side of the shooter’s body. > > A whole lot of things come into play in real life : imperfections in the bullet (increased air drag on one side), imperfections in the barrel, imperfections in the aim, and the effects of wind (many different vectors to add to the bullet there). There are probably more. I wouldn’t be outside or under anything that wouldn’t stop the bullets at point blank range in the city where those bullets were fired. I think you forgot to mension the planets rotation would have to stop also for your model. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-bullets-fired-into-the-air-come-down/231470/23 "2004-02-29T06:38:36Z")
gbrohman: Not so. The bullet, while still in the barrel (and while it’s in the magazine, and while it’s still in the ammo case for that matter) is moving at the same speed and direction as the Earth’s movement. Therefore, as the bullet is traveling through the air, it’s not only moving in the direction fired, but also in the same direction as everything else on that particular chunk of the Earth. ---
**Author:** ![patchbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dc4da7/32.png) [@patchbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/patchbunny)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-bullets-fired-into-the-air-come-down/231470/24 "2004-02-29T08:08:41Z")
> [@Willander](#): > > I’m more curious about not where but when the bullet lands. > How long does it actually take for a bullet to come back down to earth? > Let’s say you fire a standard Berreta or something straight up. How long will it take before the bullet comes back down? I posted some info on this before [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=225315), tho I didn’t have the bullet’s flight time. Haag’s paper does have that info. Unfortunately, I just finished moving today, and there’s no way in hell I can dig up the article anytime soon (you don’t want to know what I have to move to get to that box). IIRC, for your pistol, I believe the flight time is in the 20-30 second range. If I find something more in the next few days I can post some numbers. –Patch ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2004, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-bullets-fired-into-the-air-come-down/231470/25 "2004-02-29T08:48:30Z")
If sitcoms and “Three Stooges” shorts have taught me anything it’s that…When you fire a bullet in the air it usually results in the bullet hitting a chandelier(sp?) or a light that comes crashing back down on the shooter with typical hillarious results. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-bullets-fired-into-the-air-come-down/231470.md?page=1)