Recently, while recuperating form the Flu, I took 4 days and re-read Mann's book about the Bullet's Flight. Interesting, and Pope's marginal comments were also revealing. Dr. Mann, after exhaustive testing, and record keeping, came to two basic reasons for inaccuracy: First, the bullet in the bore rotates around center-of-form, and second, when airborne it rotates around center-of-gravity, which seems to be two entirely different points in/of the bullet. Makes sense. He goes on to mention that he found that one in five shots was a “flyer". (Sound familiar?) He was able to mutilate bullets in such a manner as to control the direction of self-made “flyers” and predict where they would land, with respect to the major center of grouping. He also pinpointed wobble of the airborne bullet, and how much so, caused by several forces. This intentional inaccuracy was caused by both mutilating the base, and the point, (or forward portion) He also measured the base of bullets for other than 90 degree angle; he found that, out of 122 bullets recovered, 120 had a malformation of the bullet, caused either by the molds, by sizing, (even very carefully done, precision sizing) or by the rifle bore. Thusly, his conclusion seemed to be that the bullet hadn't much of a chance of precision impact. He also mentions that, when casting, the bullets cool from the outside inward. Logical. He also claims that the CG seldom conforms to the CF. Actually, the entire thing while well thought out and well supported by thorough research and documentation, was pretty discouraging. He never did come up with a “cure” for that one-in-five we all hate. I'm throwing this out for those folks who may be interested, and either not have the book, or didn't want to wade through it, or came up with different conclusions. Reading it was a bit tedious. Bill
In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is. My fate is not entirely in Gods hands, if I have a weapon in mine.