muzzle velocity

American  

noun

Ordnance.

1. the speed of a projectile, usually expressed in feet or meters per second, as it leaves the muzzle of a gun.

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muzzle velocity British  

noun

1. the velocity of a projectile as it leaves a firearm's muzzle

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Etymology

Origin of muzzle velocity

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

However, if it is given a higher muzzle velocity, vb, its higher speed carries it farther before it hits the ground at point b.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

He was using a Sig Sauer MCX rifle firing .223-caliber ammunition at a muzzle velocity of about 3,200 feet per second.

From Washington Post • Jun. 22, 2016

This is roughly seven times the speed of sound—and about three times the muzzle velocity of a conventional naval gun.

From Economist • May 7, 2015

They combine the accuracy and added muzzle velocity of a very stable rifle with the firepower of a rapid semiautomatic weapon.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2013

Example 2.—Determine the remaining velocity v and time of flight t over a range of 1000 yds. of the same two shot, fired with the same muzzle velocity V = 2150 f/s.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2 "Baconthorpe" to "Bankruptcy" by Various