How far can a bullet fired from a handgun travel?

Asked by: John Sheridan, Ireland

A 9mm-calibre Luger Parabellum round fired from a handgun travels at about 370m/s. To optimise its range, it would be fired at an angle of 45° and should cover about 2,300 metres. Pistols are obviously not long-range weapons. But heavy artillery is capable of ranges in excess of 30,000 metres.

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