Muzzle energy
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Muzzle energy is the
Kinetic energy
The general formula for the kinetic energy is
Although both mass and velocity contribute to the muzzle energy, the muzzle energy is proportional to the mass while proportional to the square of the velocity. The velocity of the bullet is a more important determinant of muzzle energy. For a constant velocity, if the mass is doubled, the energy is doubled; however, for a constant mass, if the velocity is doubled, the muzzle energy increases four times. In the
Typical muzzle energies of common firearms and cartridges
Muzzle energy is dependent upon the factors previously listed, and velocity is highly variable depending upon the length of the barrel a projectile is fired from.
Legal requirements on muzzle energy
Many parts of the world use muzzle energy to classify guns into categories that require different categories of licence. In general guns that have the potential to be more dangerous have tighter controls, while those of minimal energy, such as small air pistols or air rifles, require little more than user registration, or in some countries have no restrictions at all. Overview of gun laws by nation indicates the various approaches taken. Firearms regulation in the United Kingdom is a complicated example, but is demarked by muzzle energy as well as barrel length and ammunition diameter.
Some jurisdictions also stipulate minimum muzzle energies for safe hunting. For example, in
In
See also
Resources
- Edward F. Obert, Thermodynamics, McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1948.
- Mc Graw-Hill encyclopedia of Science and Technology, volume ebe-eye and ice-lev, 9th Edition, Mc Graw-Hill, 2002.
References
- ISBN 978-0-07-740232-7.
- better source needed]
- Miljøministeriet. 2012-12-17. Ammunition. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
- ^ "NAPHA - Namibia Professional Hunting Assiation: Hunting Laws& Rifle Importation". napha-namibia.com. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
- ^ "Ab welcher Geschossenergie fallen Soft-Air-Waffen unter das Waffengesetz?" [From which muzzle energy does Airsoft guns fall under the gun law?]. www.bmi.bund.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
- ^ "Waffengesetz (WaffG)" [gun law]. gesetze-im-internet.de (in German). Retrieved 2015-09-19.