Thread: Shot speed?

Just looking at some advertising brochures here and I have a question or two for those in the know.
If the speed of sound at sea level is approximately 1100 feet per second, why dont we hear some kind of crack from the higher speed shotgun rounds , as we do when we shoot any rifle when not using subsonic ammunition?

Does this have to do with where the speed of the advertised shot is measured?

Not an expert but my guess is that you do, but don't notice it over the muzzle blast. A high power air rifle can break the sound barrier but it's not as loud as say a .22 so I'm guessing it's to do with the size of the object that's being pushed though the sound barrier and shot gun pellets are very small and don't fly above the speed of sound very far. You can get moderators for shot guns and guess when these are used you will get a sonic crack which you don't ordinary notice.

Originally Posted by C404

Just looking at some advertising brochures here and I have a question or two for those in the know.
If the speed of sound at sea level is approximately 1100 feet per second, why dont we hear some kind of crack from the higher speed shotgun rounds , as we do when we shoot any rifle when not using subsonic ammunition?

Does this have to do with where the speed of the advertised shot is measured?

i heard a helluva racket from a o/u at the lake not so long ago sounded plenty fast enough and loud to me
im pickin mate its because shot loses it speed so rapidly.??

well if you are firing any remington hypersonic rounds you will have cracks in your head....... and if not lucky your shottie too. they are just plain old nasty. give me a 1500-1500fps load of steel #2s any day.
steel loads are louder by far than old lead loads..the ASteel powder has something to do with it.

Originally Posted by gsp follower

i heard a helluva racket from a o/u at the lake not so long ago sounded plenty fast enough and loud to me
im pickin mate its because shot loses it speed so rapidly.??

Yep that sounds about right to me too, and like r87mm says, the shot probably doesnt stay supersonic very long. Turbulent air from the rest of the shot string and a sphere isnt the most aerodynamic shape either.....
As for a " certain O/U" sounding loud? Mmmmm. Sounds like pilot error to me? There may be a lot to be said for 72" barrels in certain mai mais.