Why is the barrel size important for the muzzle velocity and the range?
In: Engineering
When a bullet is fired, the powder inside ignites and creates an explosion. The bullet is forced out of the barrel because that’s the only direction the force can be pushed, since all around the bullet in other directions is the gun barrel. The shape, texture, and length of the barrel affect the movement of the bullet. (a barrel that’s too wide means the bullet inside might rattle around losing its energy rather than travel in a nice straight path out. Rifling (spiral grooves cut inside the barrel) help give the bullet spin like a football to stabilize its flight. The length of the barrel translates into more time for the propellant force to do the work of pushing the bullet forward (before escaping out the end of the barrel and dissipating into the air). As such, longer barrels typically result in higher muzzle velocity, to a point. TOO long of a barrel, and the expanding gasses lose pressure, but the barrel itself introduces friction and you’d lose exit velocity, so you have to strike a balance.
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