" Blueskies" wrote in message
...
But just imagine, as the bullet falls to earth, it will remain horizontal
for a while due to the gyroscopic spin caused by the rifling...

Quite a while, actually. If you fire it straight up, it will likely land on
it's butt - still spinning. Ever done the math to figure the rpm of a .45
ACP? The twist of the barrel IIRC, is one turn in 9 inches. If it's
traveling at 820 fps at the muzzle, that is 1093 nine inch increments per
second or 65,580 rpm. No wonder the gun twists in your hand during recoil.

Rich S.