Comparing Measured Bullet Weight with Manufacturer Specifications

Abstract

Most rifle bullets are sold with a nominal bullet weight listed on the box, but few boxes give the tolerance or uncertainty of the bullet weight. This article presents careful measurements of bullet weight, giving the mean, standard deviation, and extreme spread for a number of makes and models. Since Berger Bullets is the only company (to the authors knowledge) to publish bullet weight tolerances, the weight measurements of several makes of Berger Bullets are graphed in comparison with their weight specifications. Bullets were measured from 49 boxes representing seven different manufacturers and calibers from 0.224 inches to 0.308 inches. The smallest standard deviation was 0.038% (Berger 168 grain VLD in 0.308) and the largest standard deviation was 0.470% (the lead-free 50 grain Barnes Varmint Grenade in 0.224). Bullets showed a distinct trend for lead-free bullets to have greater weight variations than conventional jacketed lead construction and for military bullets to have greater weight variations than commercial bullets designed for hunting and target applications.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 2012
Accession Number
ADA555976

Entities

People

  • Aaron Oats
  • Lionel Magee
  • Michael Courtney

Organizations

  • United States Air Force Academy

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Acquisition
  • Air Force
  • Competition
  • Computing-Related Activities
  • Consistency
  • Data Science
  • Department Of Defense
  • Information Operations
  • Information Science
  • Interdisciplinary Science
  • Measurement
  • Muzzle Velocity
  • Specifications
  • Standards
  • Statistical Samples
  • United States Air Force Academy

Fields of Study

  • Geology

Readers

  • Marksmanship and Weaponry.
  • Regression Analysis.