GBullet
02-08-2005, 01:38 AM
It is a sad fact of life for shooters that most of the books about our sport seldom stay in print more than five or six years. After that, we have to search used book stores for the classics.
Shoot Better Three by Charles W. Matthews is one such classic. This 562 page book offers the reader two, well-written sections.
One section explains ballistics in a way that will appeal to shooters of any technical background. This is a real feat that ballistics books seldom achieve. Most ballistics books are either childishly simplistic, or so mathematical that they bore non-engineers to tears. This book strikes a good balance.
The other section is a collection of trajectory tables that fills most of the book. This section offers shooters a treasure of sight-in data. For each listed cartridge, brand, and specific bullet, the author gives: bullet drop, wind drift, velocity, energy, time of flight, how far to lead a running target, and maximum point blank range data for peak bullet rises of 1-6 inches!
Though the author would probably not remember me, I spoke with him by telephone on a research issue about ten years ago. He was knowledgable, helpful and friendly.
The book covers cartridges that were available up through the early 1990's, so it doesn't include the .17 rimfires or WSSM's. I have personally confirmed the book's data for certain cartridges using my own, self-written programs and on the range. To date, I have not found an error or typo in this book.
This book is out of print, but can still be found. It was published by:
Bill Matthews Inc.
P.O. Box 26727
Lakewood, CO. 80226
All-in-all, this is an excellent book that I highly recommend.
Shoot Better Three by Charles W. Matthews is one such classic. This 562 page book offers the reader two, well-written sections.
One section explains ballistics in a way that will appeal to shooters of any technical background. This is a real feat that ballistics books seldom achieve. Most ballistics books are either childishly simplistic, or so mathematical that they bore non-engineers to tears. This book strikes a good balance.
The other section is a collection of trajectory tables that fills most of the book. This section offers shooters a treasure of sight-in data. For each listed cartridge, brand, and specific bullet, the author gives: bullet drop, wind drift, velocity, energy, time of flight, how far to lead a running target, and maximum point blank range data for peak bullet rises of 1-6 inches!
Though the author would probably not remember me, I spoke with him by telephone on a research issue about ten years ago. He was knowledgable, helpful and friendly.
The book covers cartridges that were available up through the early 1990's, so it doesn't include the .17 rimfires or WSSM's. I have personally confirmed the book's data for certain cartridges using my own, self-written programs and on the range. To date, I have not found an error or typo in this book.
This book is out of print, but can still be found. It was published by:
Bill Matthews Inc.
P.O. Box 26727
Lakewood, CO. 80226
All-in-all, this is an excellent book that I highly recommend.