Today marks 11 years since Carlos Hathcock passed away. What a great guy and what a great shot.
Carlos Norman Hathcock II (May 20, 1942 – February 23, 1999) was a United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills. Hathcock’s record and the extraordinary details of the missions he undertook made him a legend in the Marine Corps. His fame as a sniper and his dedication to long distance shooting led him to become a major developer of the United States Marine Corps Sniper training program. He has, in recent years, had the honor of having a rifle named after him: a variant of the M21 dubbed the Springfield Armory M25 White Feather.
via Carlos Hathcock – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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Several people have asked me how to modify the Safariland Comp-3 
speed-loaders for better reliability . If you have used a Comp-3 you may have experienced difficulty getting the cartridges to eject into the cylinder in a timely manner. Much of this issue has to do with the hole drilled in the center of the plunger, this hole was originally meant to keep the Comp-3 from actuating the center pin on the extractor rod. Since we are not worried about the extractor rod, while reloading, efficiency can be found in plugging the hole in the Comp-3.
To modify your Comp-3 you need a $0.30 part, which can be found at most hardware stores. Find the nut, bolt and nail section and look for Nylon Push in Fasteners: Size PIF 53 had the correct dimensions to plug the Comp-3 hole.
Simply push the fastener in the hole, no adhesive or other bonding agents are necessary. Once complete you will find the Comp 3 loads cartridges much smoother and it releases a little quicker.
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This topic is the age old discussion that is ongoing in most IDPA and USPSA clubs. The first time some one told me a heavier bullet has less recoil, I though they were nuts. After all Newton’s Third Law tells me that:
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Logic would dictate if you increase the weight of the bullet the recoil would also be increased. Thus a heavier bullet should have a heavier recoil, conversely a lighter bullet would have a lighter recoil. One thing that is often overlooked in the concept of a “heavier bullet has a lighter recoil” is the fact that part of the statement is left out; as I found through some basic research.
I started my research by looking up the mechanical physics concepts for both of the measurable elements. The measurable elements, in this case, are the Recoil (Newton’s Third Law) and the Power Factor (Momentum)
Newton’s Third Law
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. The size of the forces on the first object equals the size of the force on the second object. The direction of the force on the first object is opposite to the direction of the force on the second object. Forces always come in pairs – equal and opposite action-reaction force pairs.
via Physics in the classroom.
Momentum
In classical mechanics, momentum is the product of the mass and velocity of an object (p = mv). It is sometimes referred to as linear momentum to distinguish it from the related subject of angular momentum. Linear momentum is a vector quantity, since it has a direction as well as a magnitude.
via Momentum – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Measuring Recoil
In this case, to measure the recoil, I am relying on the fact that Newton’s Third Law is correct, and the hypothesis that the muzzle energy of a bullet (the force at which the bullet is traveling away from the gun) will translate into recoil acting on the gun.
For example a 124 grain bullet traveling 1008.6 feet per second (FPS) has a muzzle energy of 280.04 foot pounds (Ft-Lbs). Multiply the product of the weight of the bullet (in grains) times the velocity squared and divide by two times the acceleration of gravity (32.174 FPS) times 7,000 grains per pound.
- (124 * (1 008.1^2)) / (2 * 32.17400 * 7 000) = 279.766572
Measuring Momentum
To measure the momentum of the bullet I simply used the IDPA formula for determining power factor which is identical to the momentum formula for physics. For example the Power Factor of a 124 grain bullet traveling at 1008.6 FPS is 125,066.
- 124 * 1,008.1 = 125,004.4
Putting it All Together
If I take the formulas and concepts above and do some quick calculating using a 124 grain 9mm vs. a 147 grain 9mm bullet, both at a 125,000 power factor (PF) I find the following:
Velocity required to make 125,000 PF
124 grain bullet = 1008.1 FPS
- 125,000 / 124 = 1 008.06452
147 grain bullet = 850.3 FPS
- 125 000 / 147 = 850.340136
Muzzle Energy at 125,000 PF
124 grain bullet = 280.04 Ft-Lbs
- (124 * (1,008.1^2)) / (2 * 32.17400 * 7 000) = 279.766572
147 grain bullet = 235.95 Ft-Lbs
- (147 * (850.3^2)) / (2 * 32.17400 * 7 000) =235.954682
So how is it all possible? How is it that the heavier bullet has 45 foot pounds less recoil? The answer lies in the mathematics used to calculate each factor. While Energy increases exponentially as the velocity increases the Power Factor only increases linearly. Thus by increasing the bullet weight and lowering the velocity to meet the power factor, the energy is exponentially reducing from the drop in velocity, while the power factor remains constant. So next time you hear “Heavier bullets have less recoil” make sure you correct the statement to its true form: “Heavier bullets have less recoil, if the power factor is held constant.”
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