Monday, February 11, 2008

Firearms Industry Bullet Penetration Data

This is a segment of an earlier article posted on this blog where I suggested that the contents could be view as an authoritative source of Data and Research. The same claim is made of the contents that follow:

According to Dr. Martin Fackler and the IWBA, between 12.5 and 14 inches (318 and 356 mm) of penetration in calibrated tissue simulant is optimal performance for a bullet which is meant to be used defensively, against a human adversary. They also believe that penetration is one of the most important factors when choosing a bullet (and that the number one factor is shot placement); if the bullet penetrates less than their guidelines, it is inadequate, and if it penetrates more, it is still satisfactory though not optimal. The FBI's penetration requirement is very similar at 12 to 18 inches (305 to 457 mm).
A penetration depth of 12.5 to 14 inches (318 and 356 mm) may seem excessive, but a bullet sheds velocity--and crushes a narrower hole--as it penetrates deeper, while losing velocity, so the bullet might be crushing a very small amount of tissue (simulating an "ice pick" injury) during its last two or three inches of travel, giving only between 9.5 and 12 inches of effective wide-area penetration. Also, skin is elastic and tough enough that it can cause a bullet to be retained in the body, even if the bullet had a relatively high velocity when it hit the skin. About 250 ft/s (76 m/s) velocity is required for an expanded hollowpoint bullet to puncture skin 50% of the time.[citation needed]
The IWBA's and FBI's penetration guidelines are to ensure that the bullet can reach a vital structure from most angles, while retaining enough velocity to generate a large diameter hole through tissue.

Until next time,use the information republished here as factual and reliable, but continue to read the full article that this text was taken from for a full understanding of ballistic and ammunition.....full length article on handgun stopping power and bullet effect on the human body.



DISCLAIMER:
The articles posted on this Blog will be written by the Moderator and not by Matt Canovi or Canovi and Associates, LLC.

No comments: