Shell velocity
How fast a shell travels, in metres per second, which decides how far ahead of a moving target you have to aim.
Also known as muzzle velocity, shell speed.
Shells travel, they do not arrive instantly. At 700 metres per second a shell takes half a second to cross 350 metres, and a target moving at 50 kilometres per hour has covered seven metres in that time.
Fast shells are therefore easier to land on moving targets, which matters more than most stat lines suggest: a gun with excellent accuracy and a slow shell will miss things a mediocre gun with a fast one hits.
Velocity also drops with distance, taking penetration with it, which is why penetration is quoted both at the muzzle and at 500 metres.
Related terms
PenetrationHow much armor a shell can defeat, in millimetres, rolled plus or minus 25 percent on every shot and compared against the effective thickness it hits.AccuracyA gun's dispersion at 100 metres, in metres: the radius of the circle a fully aimed shot can land in, where lower is better.Armor-piercingThe standard solid shell: reliable damage, moderate penetration, five degrees of normalization and a ricochet beyond 70 degrees.