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How to Calculate Ammunition Pressure Curves

An ammunition pressure curve is a representation of the pressure profile inside the barrel of a gun once fired. Ammunition pressure curves are used extensively in ammunition cartridge testing and help design certain loads and performance characteristics. The action of a bullet being fired down a barrel takes a matter of milliseconds.

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare the expansion chamber by loading an ammunition holder ring with a live cartridge. Set the chamber instruments to begin recording data.
- 2
  Fire the ammunition with the firing mechanism and ensure the data was recorded. There should be a series of pressure readings and corresponding millisecond readings.
- 3
  Graph the pressure curve by drawing a horizontal line on the paper and then a vertical line connecting the corners. The graph axis should look like an ̶0;L̶1;.
- 4
  Plot the data with evenly spaced marks on the horizontal and vertical axis. The horizontal axis is the time in milliseconds and the vertical axis is the pressure in psi. Plot the data in the middle of the graph using each corresponding pressure/time as one point. Connect the points with a smooth curve. The result should look like a bell.

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