How fast do bullets from handguns and machine guns travel?
They are all different. Pistol-caliber bullets travel much slower than rifle and MG bullets because of the lesser charge held by the smaller cartridges and also because of shorter barrel length. Typically, an old-style 6-shooter from the 1800’s had a muzzle velocity of around 700ft/sec. Newer pistols have improved this somewhat, but basically 700-1000ft/sec is about the limits of pistol-cartridge technology. Rifle and MG bullets such as the venerable .30-06(military 7.62mm x 63mm), used in such weapons at the M-1 Garand, B.A.R., Browning .30 cal. LMG, and M-14, have a muzzle velocity of between 2500ft/sec-3150ft/sec. The bigger the casing, the longer the barrel, the faster the bullet.
