Could FPS of a pellet be actually measured in 1920?

[45flint]

I just bought a BSA brochure and correspondence from the BSA dealer in the US that is dated 1920. They say in the correspondence that the BSA #1 in .177 had power of 800 FPS? Maybe a bit of marketing but not sure I have seen FPS quoted in print that was dated that early?

[Vic Thompson]

They could determine approximately velocity (as far as I am aware) by use of ballistic sledges or ballistic pendulums. As to whether or not electronic means of determining velocity were available, I don't know. I'd guess that work was going on in that direction at least, but as to whether or no any viable system that gave fairly accurate results was available then remains a guess to me without a bit of research via "Google" and its friends.
Also, as regards non electronic means, I'm led to believe that some systems used a series of spaced paper cards on a carefully set up range and measured drop between the cards and worked out velocity using Newtons Laws.

Vic Thompson.

[Shed tuner]

not electronically, but the spinning paper disc device mentioned here would do the job, or the broken thread screen version.. so yes, I think 40 years later they definitely could.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_chronograph

also here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen_chronograph

[BSFNUT]

Even in the 1970's BSA were using 'pine boards of a controlled thickness' to test power - Mercury and Scorpion pistols pictured in AG Digest

[edbear2]

Book for sale in USA item number 292909017990 about the 1872 Le Boulenge device, claimed accuracy over shot distance was 1/40,000 of a second ....


ATB, Ed

[cringe]

Hi, I remember about 50 odd years ago!] my uncle Stan built a machine, it was a rotating electric motor driven shaft which he attached 2 cardboard discs at one foot apart. He had worked out the RPM some how? & by some mathamaticle equation ? he could work out the FPS when a pellet was shot through the 2 rotating discs. I have never seen one since, regards Al.