why doesnt it break the sound barrier the way that regular super sonic ammunition does?
if a pellet from an air rifle travels at 1200fps (818.182mph) why doesnt it break the sound barrier?
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why doesnt it break the sound barrier the way that regular super sonic ammunition does?
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The sonic rip is almost inaudible from the rear. Those folks on the side hear it plainly.
If you do not hear a sharp crack it is not breaking the sound barrier. Most of the 1200 fps velocity claims for air rifles are only for the extra light PBA pellets. Lead pellets will not travel that fast.
My .22 RWS model 48 produces about 900 fps with lead pellets. I clean it with felt pellets. The lightweight felt pellets are supersonic and produce a sharp crack.
Most claims of 1200fps velocities are not true. And on the very very rare occasion that it happens, the pellet will travel a very short distance before coming back down to sub-sonic levels....so you'll only hear it few a few micro seconds.
How do you know it's not? You are used to hearing the shot and the sonic boom from a regular rifle.
When you just hear the sonic boom, it is going to be tiny because the pellet is small and not traveling much over the speed of sound AND it is only supersonic for a short period of time before it goes subsonic.
Besides, have you actually chrono'd a shot from your pellet rifle?
Do you hear a little "crack" when you fire it? That is the tiny little pellet breaking the sound barrier. It happens immediately when you pull the trigger.
I'm assuming that you are talking about the muzzle velocity? Even with larger more power firearms, much of the sound/air pressure is absorbed back into the barrel, thus causing what's known as "the kick."
If you have access to firearms you can do your own experiments with firearms that have muzzle -breaks and those that don't. The firearms with a muzzle-break are much louder than the ones without.