Common Sense

[Squatch]

I though that a falling bullet would be similar to a falling coin but I guess I was wrong. Read the last three paragraphs of this http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a950414b.html

aha, the straight dope. the definitive reference for random but important questions

[runethechamp]

If the shot is not fired straight up, the horizontal speed will contribute significantly to the speed of the bullet, and could kill from very far away. I don't know how much a bullet slows down, but probablt not that much.

[Villiage Idiot]

The terminal velocity of a free falling bullet is not even going to be high enough to break your skin let alone kill you!

That's just not true. I heard about a hail storm that killed a whole town one time.

[ak_powder_monkey]

nothing like shooting at a flock of geese and having it hit the birds and bouce off their body armour

(OT I know)

[Squatch]

If the shot is not fired straight up, the horizontal speed will contribute significantly to the speed of the bullet, and could kill from very far away. I don't know how much a bullet slows down, but probablt not that much.

It depends a lot on the angle. Long story short, the bullet would have to be fucking hauling when it reaches the apex of the path. Remember, wind resistance affects both horizontal and vertical speed. If the wind resistance is strong enough to offset the gravitational force, it's a significant force. Keep in mind that, after you fire the bullet, there is no horizontal force on the bullet that serves to increase it's speed. If you were to shoot a bullet at a 45 degree angle, the projectile path would be such that it would land straight down. Don't believe me? Spit; the wind resistance seems to stop the spit in midair, such that it eventually falls straight down, at a speed less than or equal to its terminal velocity.