Adjusting the balance of bullets - 02

By placing a plastic ball into the jacket, compressing it, and then placing a small quantity of

tungsten powder in the jacket followed by a final plastic ball, the weight can be increased and the

balance shifted, so that a combination of material quantities and positions can be developed that will

deliver good stability with any of the weights. Moving the weight toward the tip tends to make the

bullet more stable, but a point will be reached where the bullet does not turn to follow the trajectory

arc. At that point, the bullet is “over-stable” in the sense that rifling no long is required to keep it

pointed nose first, but instead the mass forward of the center of form will do this. If the trajectory is

very flat, or the range is quite short, the bullet will appear to be accurate.

But if the trajectory or range is normal for a rifle or long-range handgun, the bullet will be

pointed in the same direction as it was when it emerged from the barrel all the way to the target. That

is, it refuses to turn because it is so stable. In this case, the bullet presents an angle to the direction of

flight and thus offers a very low ballistic coefficient, compared to the same bullet with the center of

gravity shifted slightly further toward the rear. Extreme examples have resulted in the bullet dropping

sideways through the target (and the normal wind and air currents cause it to drift in an extreme

pattern from shot to shot, which appears to make the bullet seem inaccurate—and in practical terms,

it is).

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