Love The Lube Bullet Trail

[Win94ae]

One thing I do like about cast bullets, is you can see the lube vapor trail very well.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4_nfVFoEiA

I think that is so cool!

Having a vapor trail is also good for seeing what the wind was doing at different areas of the bullet's trajectory.... after the fact, in my video. I don't really notice it when I'm actually shooting; a spotter might be able to see it.

[Scharfschuetze]

I see that smoke trail sometimes with my Trapdoors when using SPG lube.

Nice video. I think that your last video a few months ago also showed the supersonic shock wave (trace) from high velocity rounds.

[youngda9]

I'm not sure that lube is being shed the entire flight. I think it is a rainy day and that is the boolit blasting through the rain.

[Scharfschuetze]

I see that lube trail on sunny or cloudy days when using a soft black powder type lube.

My experience with bullets hitting rain drops is that usually just a single puff of vapor at the point of impact is noticeable. I've noted that phenomenon many times through a spotting scope while coaching high power rifle teams in the rain. I noted it again just last week while shooting in the Northwest drizzle while spotting for another shooter aiming at the 200 yard gong.

[Oreo]

I thought lube shedding in-flight was bad? It destabilizes the boolit. I read that you want it all to shed the instant the boolit leaves the bore or you want it to stay on the boolit all the way to the target. Preference for instant shedding.

[MarkP]

Looks similar to pushing jacketed 22's at 4,000 + fps and or fast twist 22's with SX bullets. more of a grey streak but does not trail that far.

[Win94ae]

I'm not sure that lube is being shed the entire flight. I think it is a rainy day and that is the boolit blasting through the rain.

Yes, Scharfschuetzer is correct; rain is just a puff of vapor for each drop hit.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFyQLS2KXBc

I've had clean bore shots, which the bore still had a bit of oil in it, make a vapor trail lasting 300 yards.

[Win94ae]

I thought lube shedding in-flight was bad? It destabilizes the boolit. I read that you want it all to shed the instant the boolit leaves the bore or you want it to stay on the boolit all the way to the target. Preference for instant shedding.

If the lube's texture was very hard and inconsistent, I could see how the bullet could destabilize if sections would not spin off while others would... but only as s freak occurrence.
I don't see how you can get the lube to dump all at once, even liquid oil leftover in the bore, carried by a jacketed bullet, will last as at least 300 yards.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoqG6_DaO38

I've never had gun oil or lube affect the external ballistics that I know of; those clean bore shots have the same POI as the fouled bore shots.

[Win94ae]

Actually, upon looking at my info, I was incorrect, that was a fouled bore.

.Now that I think of it, that was a cold/clean bore shot; so there was also residual gun oil from the bore making the vapor trail even more pronounced.

[TXGunNut]

I think it's just a vapor trail on a humid day. Saw them often on humid mornings at PPC matches; those slow .38 WC's make pretty good ones when conditions are right.

[Win94ae]

I think it's just a vapor trail on a humid day. Saw them often on humid mornings at PPC matches; those slow .38 WC's make pretty good ones when conditions are right.

I used to think that too, but when shooting jacketed bullets from a clean bore; if the first shot trails, then the next shots don't, it isn't the humidity.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcSeCA3GaoA

[Win94ae]

I think it's just a vapor trail on a humid day. Saw them often on humid mornings at PPC matches; those slow .38 WC's make pretty good ones when conditions are right.

Of course, it does it every single time with pan lubed cast bullets.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MI6li3tktc

It all depends on the lighting, the background, and if the wind is blowing too greatly, as to how well you can see it.


It is humid in the raindrop video above, yet no vapor trail with the jacketed bullet.