Stupid KYW hype

[skyjerk]

Listening to the radio on my way home from work and KYW news reported on a story about a drug and weapon bust in Norristown.

They (authorities in Norristown) made a huge deal about the fact that there were AK-47's and stated
that they can shoot 3300 yards from one side of Norristown to the other.

I MEAN FOR GODS SAKE!

How many rifles are there that are not even a little scary, and can fire a bullet even father?

Is the distance a bullet could travel if the rifle is fired upward at a 45 degree angle now a measure of how evil and bad it is?

[Toxicodendron11]

I heard that too. The Montco. DA made that statement about an AK being able to "shoot across Norristown". The people arrested were "selling drugs on the corner's and in the alley's". I would bet that theses people had prior convictions and they had been given parole or some othe slap on the wrist. Another example of the gun being demonized when the real problem is the revolving door that is our courts.

[Statkowski]

Don't know what the maximum range of a 7.62x39 round is, but according to one ballistics table the round drops 3 inches in 225 yards. Even if aimed at a 45-degree angle, I doubt an AK's round would make it 3,300 yards.

[stephpd]

I'm currently reading Hatcher's Notebook. This guy was involved when these new fangled guns were just coming into being. He was involved with the 1903 springfield, 1917 Enfield and the M-1 garand. Worked in Army ordinance for most of his career.

The part I read today had to do with the 1917 Enfield 30-06 and that the 'book' said that it could shoot 5500 yards. He and his team were on the beach at Daytona testing out that theory. The best they could do was about 3500 yards. Something like 29 degrees.

It wasn't until the M-1 ball were they able to get past that distance. These guys were shooting 1000 yards with a 2x scope at places like Camp Perry in competitions. Because many ranges weren't able to handle M-1 ammo the military had to make M-2 ammo. Instead of 170gr spitzer/boattail they made 150gr flattail to not shoot as far.

And all this was close to 100 years ago.

[Rosco the Iroc]

I've shot mine once @ 500Y and it made it. Didn't make it in the same place twice, but still 3000y, sure the round may make it but it would bounce off of glass.

[skyjerk]

In the interests of fairness I would like to state that it was Montgomery County DA,
Risa Ferman that made the comments about the AK-47.

KYW was reporting on her statement.

[stephpd]

No problem.

In all fairness, the book I'm reading (see above) also went into shooting a bullet straight up in the air. The military's conclusion was that a falling bullet didn't have enough force to do serious damage.

They fired all sorts of 30-06 ammo into the air. It took ~ 18 seconds to go up 5000 ft and another 34 seconds to come down. Estimated speed was 300 fps. And only 30 ft/lb force. They estimated 60 ft/lb force is need to do serious harm.

The DA is correct in using those number. But only if he includes the other pertinent facts. That the paper repeat this without doing their homework makes them just as guilty for spreading half truths.

[Statkowski]

Shooting vertical as opposed to shooting in a ballistic trajectory are two very different things. The vertical shot has to fight far more gravitational pull against its velocity; the ballistic trajectory shot has gravity fighting its flight path, but not necessarily its velocity.

On a vertical shot the bullet actually comes to a complete stop before returning earthward at terminal velocity (accellarating at 32fps/ps until it reaches 300 fps, at which point air resistance vs. bullet weight balances out).

On a ballistic trajectory (with a 45-degree angle being the most desirable), gravity and wind resistance brings the bullet back to earth, but the bullet still retains a good amount of kinetic energy upon impact.

The question is: Exactly how far will a 7.62x39 cartridge's bullet fly from an AK-47?

[CommonHighrise]

The question is: Exactly how far will a 7.62x39 cartridge's bullet fly from an AK-47?

Until it hits something.

Thank you, thank you. Be here all week. Try the veal.

[skyjerk]

The question is: Exactly how far will a 7.62x39 cartridge's bullet fly from an AK-47?

Well, according to Risa Feman it will travel 3300 yards, so now regardless of what the real number is, most of the folks that heard that story now believe that people will be looking to kill you from all the way on the other side of town using AK-47's.

Most robberies and shootings occur within what? 15 feet?
The figure quoted by the DA was totally irrelevant to the story that was being reported and was released for the sole purpose of inflaming the uneducated publics irrational
fears about the evil "assault weapons"

I would be curious to know how much energy that 7.62x39 bullet would still have after traveling 3300 yards.

Would it still kill?