It’s Friday and we are overdue for a shoot the shit. Between, COVID-19, Governor Cuomo and Afghanistan you must be looking forward to the colonization of Mars, as I am. But, look, there are things you can do to make yourself feel good in the midst of this massive cluster-fuck. I’ll begin by saying that the last thing you want to do is see a therapist. Remember that a therapist majored in psychology so they could understand themselves. The other thing you absolutely must do is not get your COVID information from social media and the media. Someone shared a social media video with me of some jackass advancing the theory that if you have gum disease you are 9 times more likely to succumb to the virus than someone with healthy gums. Get your COVID direction from your family doctor and no one else.
So, what should you do to get through these crazy times? Schedule a shoot the shit! A shoot the shit is a social event in which any topic can be discussed, participants don’t need to know anything about the subject, they are free to make any unsupported comment, use uncensored profanity, insult anyone the wish or change the subject altogether. The more participants the merrier, and having some eats for participants enhances the experience. A shoot the shit will also save you the $150 per hour that a therapist will cost you.
So let’s get started.
Colonizing Mars has to be an amazing experience. I personally believe that space travel holds the key to our collective futures. So, the other day while sitting with a cup of coffee and a contraband Partagas cigar I found myself looking through online pictures of Mars’ surface..
When I saw the picture on the right, I thought man this spot would make a great rifle range. I reasoned that Mars’ atmosphere is not the same as Earth’s so I would need to develop a new dope book. I couldn’t rely on Kestrel until they release a Mars meter, so I researched the planet’s surface temperature, which is a –80 Fahrenheit, and its density altitude of 114,832 feet. With that information, I ran some ballistics calculations .
I wanted to see how the ballistic solutions would differ for a 168 grain .308 Win out to 1000 yards.
The image on the left is the ballistic calculation on Earth out to a 1000 yard target. The shooter would need an elevation of 40.4 MOA or 11.8 Mils. On Mars, assuming my data is accurate, the shooter would need only 19.5 MOA or 5.7 Mils to engage a 1000 yard target. On Earth, a 168 grain projectile goes transonic at about 1100 yards. At this range, the projectile is no longer supersonic and becomes unstable loosing accuracy. In Mars at 1150 yards the projectile still has a velocity 2627.9 feet per second and an energy of 2576 foot pounds. At a range of 3000 yards on Mars, the projectile still has a velocity of 2593.6 feet per second and an energy of 2509 foot pounds. The elevation needed to engage a 3000 yard target on Mars using a 168 grain .308 round is a mere 66.4 MOA.
Virtually any existing load would produce a sonic boom because the speed of sound on Mars is 792 fps.
Moving on …
If you are a manufacturer of magnified optics, the future looks bright and I don’t mean optically.
Market Forecast BV, Amsterdam, has published a market analysis titled “ Global Riflescope Market and Technology Forecast to 2029”
Their analysis reveals, that the Global Riflescope Market accounted for USD 2.20 Billion in 2020 and is anticipated to reach a value of around USD 8.00 Billion by the year 2029. The market growth dynamics account for a
Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 13.08% over the forecast period, 2021-2029. The high CAGR is expected on account of the market value of 2020, which is a downfall compared to its previous years, due to the impact of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
You can purchase the report at ASD REPORTS
In closing, I have a beef to share. Every day, we see more red dot and reflex sights entering the market; many are also front-ended by 3x, 4x and even 6x magnifiers. Wouldn’t it be nice if manufacturers etched their glass with a range finding tool, say “a la Dragunov.” All of that magnification is great but I’d like to have some idea of the range to my target.
Don’t let all the crap get to you, have a nice weekend and schedule your own shoot the shit with your buds or family.
FOG HORN 