The formula for an object thrown straight up is v 2 /2g, where v is the initial velocity of the bullet and g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81m/s 2 ). The muzzle velocity of a 9mm handgun is roughly 380m/s, so this works out to 7,360m (about 4.5 miles). The 5.56mm NATO round used in British Army rifles has a bit more oomph and would reach over 43,000m (27 miles). But that’s in a vacuum. Air resistance drastically reduces (and complicates) this calculation, so maximum heights might be no more than a fifth of these figures.
LV