# auto energy



## WalleyeRon (Oct 24, 2006)

Is there much energy or speed lost when shooting an auto?
I suspect it is minimal, but it would see logical that some energy would be lost due to needing to cycle the bolt. A loss in energy would result in less speed. Speed kills, right? Thanks


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

I would say so little you would never know the difference.


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## Csquared (Sep 5, 2006)

A buddy and I had debated this very issue from a physics standpoint until we decided to settle it from a practical standpoint instead, so he shot identicle loads from a 870 and a 1100 through a chronograph and the difference between the two was negligible...well within expected standard deviations. My take on it is shotgun powder burns so fast that the shot column has reached peak velocity by the time it reaches the gas ports in the barrel, and we're talking about a very small amount of gas released from the barrel anyway.


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