We measure and verify our bullets’ Ballistic Coefficient at the Energetic Materials Research Lab and Testing Center in New Mexico.
Doppler data for each bullet’s drag profile is gathered and tabulated as Cd (drag coefficient) vs. MACH (velocity relative to the speed of sound). These results are provided for our Flat Line Bullets, allowing shooters to utilize exact ballistic profiles for our bullets.
The Ballistic Coefficient (BC) is a numerical representation of an object’s ability to overcome resistance in flight. In simple terms, it is an indicator of how well an object can punch through the air.
As long-range shooters, we use a bullet’s BC to quantify how well it will perform during its trajectory to the target. A bullet’s BC will indicate its ability to retain velocity during flight and buck the wind.
A bullet with a higher BC will drop (elevation) and deflect (windage) less when compared to another bullet of the same caliber, fired with the same muzzle velocity, but with a lower BC.
Getting technical, a bullet’s BC is inversely proportional to the negative acceleration, where a higher number indicates a lower negative acceleration – better. With a higher BC, the drag on the bullet’s body is small in proportion to its mass.
Keeping it simple, A HIGH BC IS BETTER.
The G1 and G7 Ballistic Coefficients are based on aerodynamic drag models of ‘standard projectile’ shapes. The G1 standard shape is short flat-based while the G7 standard shape is a boat-tail with a longer, sleeker profile.
In general, modern ballistics has accepted the G7 to better approximate and predict the trajectory of our modern, low-drag, long-range bullets.
As you’ll notice in our Flat Line Projectile doppler data charts, each bullet’s BC varies at different MACH numbers, or bullet velocity. Thus, a bullet’s claimed BC is only an approximation of its true ballistic character.
Some modern solvers often incorporate a stepped-BC to accommodate for this variation. Today, there is a push toward doppler, a measured and true representation of a bullet’s drag performance throughout its entire trajectory. While we provide an average BC for our bullets, we include this tabulated Cd vs MACH curve for each of our Flat Line Bullets.