What is the maximum distance 5.56 bullet will travel  ?   I don't mean effective range,  I mean maximum travel distance like Olympic discus throwing.    

Will 75 grain travel farther than 62 grain ?  Again ,I mean absolute distance, not effect range.  

Will the bullet lose its spin and tumble to the ground after losing  velocity  traveling X distance ?

Thanks.


Edit "  Imaging firing the rifle at high angle, something like 45 degrees at the  range.  How far downrange will the bullet travel ?"

It wont lose its spin.  Yes 75 will travel further.  It loses speed more slowly even though it starts slower so it will eventaully catch up and pass a 62 grain round.  It may get a little squirrly as it goes transsonic and wobble a bit but it will keep on spinning at a very high RPM and stay stable.

The bullet will accelerate towards the center of the earth at 32 feet per second per second.  Gravity acts on the bullet the same whether it is moving horizontally at some velocity or just dropped with no horizontal velocity, so, if fired horizontally, it will take as long to hit the ground as if you dropped it from the same height.  The difference in distance traveled will relate to the velocity of the bullet in air because it will travel farther in the same amount of time.

Max range is a couple of miles at optimum angle of elevation (~40 degrees).

Unlike a particle in a vacuum, the maximum distance for a rifle bullet is achieved at a angle between 28 and 35 degrees above horizontal.  The particle in a vacuum will achieve the maximum distance at an angle of 45 degrees.  The actual distance will vary due to actual bullet, and atmospheric condtions.  I don't know exatly the figures for .223/5.56 but a 30-06 generally has a maximum distance of about 5 miles.

Given that the ballistic coeficients for the .224 diameter projectile are slightly lower than the .308 ones, I suspect that the maximum distance would be slightly shorter.  To be on the safe side, however, assume that the bullet will still land a bit over 5 miles away when shot at an angle of about 30 degrees.  Just don't plan on effective area fire at that range.

You got a neighbor off in the distance with barking dogs ?

Interesting questions and answers.  I'm sure there is a formula out there.  All depends on ballistic coefficient of bullet, air density, angle, muzzle velocity and bullet weight.   And maybe others...winds aloft.  I think however as far as effective range though, it still might be a factor.  I say this because long range cannon and/or mortar fire are mostly lobbed shots and they can tend to be very accurate given the right conditions.  Of course for a small bullet to be affective it would have to hit something.  With an exploding round, not so much!  ;-)

This.

All else being equal (muzzle height, muzzle angle, air density, curvature of the earth, same gun, etc.), the maximum distance traveled will depend on the muzzle velocity and the ability of the projectile to maintain its velocity (inertia) while resisting friction (drag).  This is where bullet mass and its ballistic coefficient matter.

Allowing for miniscule differences caused by different shapes and centers of gravity, the two bullets will fall from a given height at the same speed and this time should be essentially identical to the times of flight. (Assuming they are fired on the horizontal with no loft.)  What matters is their average velocity while in flight.

That said though, that difference in *maximum* range is likely to be relatively minor between any of the rounds for a particular chambering.  Of course, this should not be confused with the maximum *effective* range.

From this site: http://www.eskimo.com/~jbm/calculations/calculations.html

77gr Sierra HPBT @ 2750 fps:
Initial Angle:35.0 deg Terminal Angle:66.8 deg
Terminal Range:4133.3 yds Terminal Velocity:412.2 ft/s

62gr Speer FMJBT @ 2950 fps:
Initial Angle:30.0 deg Terminal Angle:62.7 deg
Terminal Range:3876.7 yds Terminal Velocity:383.0 ft/s

I forget the exact figure offhand, but in the Army for range planning I believe we use 3500 meters for max distance (5.56) which jives with theses numbers.  Notice the angle is lower than you think it would be.  There is a point where more angle just means the round goes higher and falls short.

It's no different than when a place kicker in football lines up for a 50+ yard field goal. If you watch the trajectory it is almost always aimed at an angle less than 45 degrees. Same amount of power that goes into a kick at 45 degrees will fall far shorter than that of one at say 30 degrees. Hence why there are so many blocked kicks at that range.

Relating that back to the bullet trajectory it explains why the angle matters so much. Effective range is completely different though.

Trajectory Geek Speak

That should answer questions!

I think I recall reading in the army study guide when I was going to the promotion board that the max range of a m855 62 gr projectile fired from a 20" barreled m16a2 is 3600m. hope that helps