The American Rifleman goofs up on new Nosler cartridge

[230RN]

Reality check.

I was reading about the ballistics of the new .260 Nosler cartridge in the December issue of the American Rifleman (p. 46ff).

It's been a long time since I dealt with pressure measurements on a day-by-day basis, but this one jumped out at me in regard to the remarkably good ballistics of that cartridge on p 48:

And that's at standard atmospheric conditions : sea level, 59° R at a barometric pressure of 29.92 mb.

Yikes. Obviously, something got screwed up in the typesetting because it leaped out at me that 29.92 millibars was a pretty low atmospheric pressure. Like about, guessing, half a pound per square inch absolute.*

Then I wondered what the "59° R" was, and that's like 59 degrees above absolute zero on the obsolete rankine scale of temperatures.

Now them's some rough 'n tough hunting conditions. Like one of our outer planets or someplace.

Terry, 230RN

* We learned in high school (1940s), when using slide rules, to do pretty quick rough reality checks on our results. My mind went like this, pursuant to that training:

1 bar=1 atmosphere, 1000 millibars=1 atmosphere, 29.92, call it 30, 30/1000=3/100=3 percent. One atmosphere is 15 PSI, three percent of 15 psi=3X15=45, move decimal two places because it's a percent. So .45 PSI, call it half a pound.

Yeah, I had to write it down as I went along, but still...

 

[Captain33036]

Good catch!

I don't know whether to laugh or cry these days as more and more writers (let alone people in general) seem to have lost any knowledge of science or units of measurement.

And... mb... )) we will chalk that up to the whole confusion over the country going metric ...or not...all those years ago (dating myself by the mention of this ....)

Thanks for the chuckle

John

 

[Sam1911]

Yikes. Obviously, something got screwed up in the typesetting because it leaped out at me that 29.92 millibars was a pretty low atmospheric pressure. Like about, guessing, half a pound per square inch absolute.

Then I wondered what the "59° R" was, and that's like 59 degrees above absolute zero on the obsolete rankine scale of temperatures.

"There I was, peering through the reticle of the optic on my pulse rifle, listening to the bubbles burst in my bloodstream at 1/40th the atmospheric pressure of earth...or would have been had not the temperature been so low that even Brownian motion had nearly ceased..."

I think that would make for a rather short and uneventful hunting story...

 

[230RN]

Captain33036 lamented,

I don't know whether to laugh or cry these days as more and more writers (let alone people in general) seem to have lost any knowledge of science or units of measurement.

Well, I'm pretty sure it was a typesetting problem, and the "R" came from "Relative Humidity," or "RH," as it is usually stated in publishing ballistics. I guess something didn't get pasted right into the typesetting computers (or whatever they use).

But I had to laugh when I doodled it out on a scrap of paper. I used to have to convert pressures pretty routinely in a former job, and it "bounced" on me.

Yeah, "boiling blood" while shooting one's pulse rifle made me laugh, too, especially since most gaseous atmospheres would have been solid or liquid at those temps. So for a projectile rifle, a 3" drop at 400 yards would be pretty good for that .260 Nosler in those conditions.

Terry, 230RN

 

[moxie]

Well, if you take a CLOSE look at page 48, you will see they got the temperature right, at 59F. There's no "R" in the magazine. It's "F".

They did blow the pressure, which should have been 29.92 inches (of mercury), not mb, obviously.

So just a typo. Not a real goof at all. NO BIG DEAL!

"People who live in glass houses, etc., etc."

 

[Sam1911]

I don't think anyone was calling for mass firings of the editorial staff. Just finding humor where we may.

 

[mavracer]

.260 Nosler

It's 26 Nosler lol.

 

[jerkface11]

What powders would you guys recommend for those conditions?

 

[230RN]

Lithium hydride with one heck of a big, hot magnumboomie primer?

Quote:
.260 Nosler

It's 26 Nosler lol.

Just checkin' to see if anyone was paying attention.

And it's .26 Nosler anyhow.

No, I goofed too, really.

Like me Sainted Mither used to say, "Terry, if ye were perfect, ye'd be an angel. And we all know ye ain't no angel."

That's what me Sainted, Blessed Mither used to say, G-d rest her heavenly soul.

 

[Tommygunn]

FINALLY, something more interesting than an ignorant reporter talking about a .9MM. handgun being used in a crime ......

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

While we are picking at nits, .260 and .26 are equal, just depends if you are expressing in three places or two. Finding fault over insignificant things is a prime symptom of a character defect.......

 

[Thermactor]

Went right past me. I was too busy drooling on the Kimber on the back cover. Must..resist

 

[CoalTrain49]

Engineering & Science Conversion Chart

1,000,000,000,000 Microphones = 1 Megaphone
1,000,000 bicycles = 2 megacycles
500 millinaries = 1 seminary
2,000 mockingbirds = 2 kilomockingbirds
10 cards = 1 decacards
1/2 lavatory = 1 demijohn
0.000001 fish = 1 microfiche
453.6 graham crackers = 1 pound cake
1,000,000,000,000 pins = 1 terrapin
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 picolos = 1 gigolo
10 rations = 1 decoration
100 rations = 1 C-ration
10 millipedes = 1 centipede
3 1/3 tridents = 1 decadent
5 holocausts = 1 Pentacost
10 monologs = 5 dialogues
5 dialogues = 1 decalogue
2 monograms = 1 diagram
8 nickels = 2 paradigms
2 snake eyes = 1 paradise
2 wharves = 1 paradox

 

[Tommygunn]

LOL, Coaltrain49.


You owe me a new keyboard though ...

 

[Rusty59]

Stupid rednecks

 

[morcey2]

FINALLY, something more interesting than an ignorant reporter talking about a .9MM. handgun being used in a crime ......

That's nothing. I saw a news story a couple of weeks ago where both a 40mm and a 45mm automatic pistols were used in a shooting. :banghead:

Matt

 

[mstreddy]

Matt,

Were those Bofors or Oerlikons?

I tell you, the streets are getting mean.

 

[230RN]

"1,000,000,000,000 Microphones = 1 Megaphone"

That threw me at first, and I was about to squawk, then I realized the base unit was microphones.

Duh.

Good one on me ! Like me Sainted Mither used to say, "Terry, you ain't perfect." G-d rest her Blessed Soul.

But then I started to wonder how "micro" got into the word for an acoustic pickup device. You'd think it should be "mouthphone," like "earphone." And maybe guitar pickups should be "stringphones."

???

That sounds like it might be a George Carlin bit, but I just thunk of it all by myself, just now.

Terry

 

[Kosh75287]

If 2 wharves = 1 paradox, does 1 paradox = 2 physicians?

And SPEAKING of stupid stuff reporters say about guns, is it at all encouraging that those dreaded "semi-automatic revolvers" the reporters kept identifying as being the weapons used in a crime have all but vanished? I was kinda hoping to hear MORE about them! I'd LOVE to pick up a Webley-Fosberry revolver, somewhere! Even a HOT one! )

 

[morcey2]

Matt,

Were those Bofors or Oerlikons?

I tell you, the streets are getting mean.

My father-in-law lost his hearing running a Bofors battery on a heavy cruiser during WWII. Deaf as a post for women's and children's voices, but he could hear me just fine.

So I'm going to say Bofors. I just haven't seen the handgun version.

Matt

 

[230RN]

morcey2 remarked,

My father-in-law lost his hearing running a Bofors battery on a heavy cruiser during WWII. Deaf as a post for women's and children's voices, but he could hear me just fine.

There are some... certainly not myself, who avoids getting into trouble with women at all costs.... who would say that was a tremendous comfort in life.

But not me.

Since I wouldn't like to get in trouble with women by saying so.

Terry