Quote:
Originally Posted by Superman
Upon further review, I have further questions. So....the Keith is a bullet? A heavier one, requiring more gun powder for similar velocity and trajectory? Where do I find these rounds? Not Cabelas?
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Elmer Keith was a cowboy from Salmon, Idaho, born in 1899. He had a keen interest in firearms of all kinds, but big bore revolvers in particular. He was instrumental in the development of the .357 Magnum cartridge in the 1930's. His real claim to fame, however, is the .44 Magnum. He is the guy who convinced Smith and Wesson to build the revolver and Remington to load the ammo. On the rifle front, he was the man responsible for the .338 Winchester Magnum.
Keith was never satisfied with the bullet designs available for revolvers during his time. The round nosed, or round nosed flat point designs are simply ineffective. He noticed he had much better luck on game shooting target wadcutters, which cut a full diameter hole not only in paper (to make scoring easier) but in game as well. So he went to work...
The end result of his efforts is what as known as the "Keith type semi wadcutter" bullet design. It has a broad flat point and, most importantly, a secondary, full diameter shoulder behind it, at the base of the nose. This part of the bullet serves two purposes - it cuts a full diameter hole in whatever it hits, and the full diameter driving band leads the way from the cylinder, across the barrel/cylinder gap, and into the forcing cone, keeping the bullet coaxial to the bore through this important transition.
In the photo below, you can clearly see the secondary shoulder, the full diameter front driving band, on the bullet in the middle - the "Keith" bullet. The other two (that are not "Keith" bullets) have a nose that flows smoothly into the full diameter of the bullet, lacking this secondary shoulder.
So, a "Keith" bullet is a design, not a weight, not a specific caliber. Molds and commercially manufactured bullets are available in all popular revolver calibers, and a number or weights in each caliber. Many companies load this bullet design in their ammunition. Not all of them will pay homage by calling it a "Keith" bullet, but will rather refer to it as a "semi wadcutter". Cabela's might very well have stout .45 Colt ammo loaded with a "semi wadcutter" bullet design. It's worth looking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldE
"Lighter bullets will not shoot to the sights, and will impact low. Heavier bullets will shoot higher. "
There's almost nothing I like to show off more than my ignorance:
Jeff, is the phenomenon you describe possibly due to the lower mass bullet losing velocity faster and therefore dropping more by the time the target is reached?
Best
Les
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That is absolutely the case in very long range rifle shooting. Most folks can't believe that heavier bullets shoot "flatter" at long range, since their starting velocities are lower. But, you got it exactly right - the lighter, fast bullets lose velocity faster and, in the end, are going much slower and dropping faster.
In handguns, however, we usually are not dealing with extended ranges where there is time and distance for this to occur. This is where handguns get kind of counter-intuitive sometimes. With handguns, it's all about the recoil and barrel time. Heavier bullets will simply generate more recoil, and since they are going slower, they will spend more time in the barrel. So the barrel tips up higher, and has longer to do it before the heavier bullet exits the barrel. So it hits higher. At least at "normal" handgun ranges.