Artillery rear sight question
 

Hi there enthusiasts!

Concerning the rear sight of the artillery luger, why is the sight increasingly off axis to the left as it is raised to different heights?

Is it that the gun twists in your hand because of the rifling twist (does this really happen before the bullet has left the barrel)?

Or is it that for some reason the bullet flies a bit to the right in flight?

Sincerely,
Bill Jensen

Bill,
You basically have the concept. The camming of the rear sight to the left is intended to compensate for the drift of the bullet at long ranges due to the right hand spiral imparted by the rifling. It does not happen before the bullet has left the barrel but is, as you suspect, designed to overcome the tendency for the flight of the bullet to drift during flight.

Hi Ron,

Is this drift due to a spiralling bullet mass from the Coriolis effect from the rotation of the earth? If so, does the bullet fly the other way in the southern hemisphere? And straight at the equator?

Sincerely,
Bill Jensen

Is this drift due to a spiralling bullet mass from the Coriolis effect from the rotation of the earth? If so, does the bullet fly the other way in the southern hemisphere? And straight at the equator?

Man! That WOULD be something the Germans would do!

the drift of the bullet at long ranges due to the right hand spiral IMPARTED BY THE RIFILING.


Jerry Burney

Interesting question. The drift of the bullet has nothing to do with the Coriolis effect. The Coriolis effect deals primarily with fluid dynamics, i.e. atmospheric movement and sink drains, not the solid and aerodynamics of ballistic flight.

Greetings, Gentlemen,

Let me add my two cents. The bullet has a right hand twist. It is constantly falling, so the air friction is greater on the bottom. The bullet has a tendency to roll to the right, using the air cushion as a platform.

I think.

I'm glad Ron cleared up the Coriolis issue.
I was wondering if I should hold right if shooting below the equator.

I think you will find that unless your an Artilleryman and actually firing a serious piece of artillery, several miles with pin point accuracy, you will not have to worry too much about the earths rotation .

Are there any Navy Gunners on board ? they can probably tell us a thing or two about this also ?

You guys can't be serious....

Jerry Burney