Range of a Rifle Bullet
An educational, fair use website
| Bibliographic Entry | Result (w/surrounding text) |
Standardized Result |
|---|---|---|
| Cutnell and Johnson. Physics. New York:Wiley, 1995. | "A horizontal rifle is fired at a bull's eye. The muzzle speed of the bullet is 670 m/s." | 45,800 m (hypothetical maximum) |
| "M16A2 rifle." McGraw Hill Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 1995. | "The rifle (M16A2) has a maximum effective range of 880 m against area targets." | 880 m (effective) |
| Velleux, David L. Background Information on the United States Rifle Calibre 5.56mm M16. 1997. | "Using these finding, ORO stated a .22 caliber rifle firing a salvo of projectile with a controlled dispersion pattern would give the desired effect at ranges up to 300 meter." | 300 m (effective) |
| O'Neill, Richard. An Illustrated guide to the US Army: New York: Arco, 1983. | "The M16A1 has a maximum effective range of 274 M." | 274 m (effective) |
| Arrojado, John Paul. M16 Rifle 5.56 mm. | "M16A2 Maximum range 2,653 meters Maximum effective range 460 meters" |
2,653 m (maximum) 460 m (effective) |
| Norris, John. Rifles & Combat Shotguns: Assault & Sniper Rifles.Herndon: Brassey's, 1997. | "The effective range of the M16A2 is set at 400 M." | 400 m (effective) |
| "The effective range of the AK47 is between 150 m to 250 M." | 150 to 250 m (effective) |
The M16 rifle has influenced many other designs of weapon. It has been used by armies in the US as well as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Israel, and Britain. The version used currently is the M16A2 often referred to as "The Black Rifle". This rifle has been used in areas of desert heat and Arctic conditions and has still functioned reliably. The M16 has been regarded as a useful weapon and has been very popular. Today the only agencies in the US that do not use the M16 are the police, FBI, and Drug Enforcement Agency.
The range of a rifle bullet varies from 274 m to 880 M. The range is equal to the horizontal velocity multiplied by the time of flight. The range varies depending upon the angle that it is shot from. The maximum range occurs when the angle of elevation is to 45 degrees.
The Russian AK47 rifle has a range of only 150 m to 250 M. This is a much smaller range than that of the M16. The muzzle velocity is also much faster on the M16.
Jessica Worrell -- 2003