There is no Magic Bullet - part two

This informative article is part-two of "Training Tips" written by Matt Canovi of Canovi and Associates, LLC and republished here with his permission. The material presented here can be viewed on Canovi and Associates, LLC website and is for the more experienced shooter, but it can be helpful for beginners as well.

Training Tips
For those of you looking for a reliable bullet design with reduced penetration through a target, a quality, brand name jacketed hollow point (JHP) is an acceptable alternative, but it does not achieve Knock Down Power.(17) Remember research proves there is not such thing as Knock Down Power.

The JHP does reduce bullet penetration, but it can't guarantee not to penetrate through the target. However, a minimum of 200 rounds of that particular JHP ammunition should be fired through your semi-automatic handgun without a malfunction to prove reliability, before you carry it for self defense.

Finally, you may not want to believe all the hype the ammunition manufacturers write about the muzzle energy in their rounds.

Muzzle energy is supposed to represent the kinetic energy (Ke) of the bullet/projectile leaving the barrel of the weapon. The ammunition manufacturers use the following formula to establish their muzzle energy (also used to imply "Knock Down Power")

A chart on muzzle energy shows the muzzle energy for a .45 ACP round equals 366 lbs. out of a 5" barrel, yet according to a second recoil chart, a .45 ACP with the exact same bullet weight and relatively the same velocity only show recoil of 15.0 lbs. Right now a skeptic might say that the recoil spring and rearward moving upper slide of a semiautomatic pistol caused this extreme variance. However, this same variance is found in the .38 Special revolver,s recoil chart figures, and a revolver has no recoil spring or rearward moving upper slide to affect the recoil.

Recoil energy is found in three simple steps. First find the recoil impulse (I) from equation 1, then using the recoil impulse calculated, calculate the free-recoil velocity from equation 2. Finally plug the calculated free-recoil velocity into equation 3 and solve for the recoil energy (E).

The items that affect recoil are gun weight, bullet weight, powder charge weight and muzzle velocity. Using a heavier gun, shooting a lighter weight bullet, cutting the powder charge or reducing the muzzle velocity or a combination of these items can reduce recoil. (http://www.loadammo.com/Topics/August01.htm)

Science had proven that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. (22) Since we know this to be a proven scientific fact, how can the same bullet coming out of revolver have a muzzle energy/ke of 366 lbs. pushing the bullet out of one end and only 15 lbs. of recoil energy/Ke pushing back at the opposite end?

These charts lead me to believe that in reality the target is getting hit with recoil energy/Ke and not the claimed muzzle energy/Ke. This is why in real life shootings, we don't see the manufacturers chart implied "Knock Down Power".

The recoil energy numbers can be supported by my eye witness experience and my real life interviews with people who have shot other human beings; however, the manufacturer's muzzle energy charts cannot be supported by my eye witness experience or my real life interviews with people who have shot other human beings.

The bullet manufacturer's give us muzzle energy formulas, in which they show the muzzle energy behind the bullet as it leaves the weapon, but they do not give us the formula(s) showing how much muzzle energy it takes to knock down a person on the receiving end of the bullet. For example: how many pounds of energy is required for a specific weight bullet with a specific muzzle energy to push over a 185 lb. man, if the bullet remains inside and the bullet's muzzle energy is completely dispersed in the body?

This is the question, we need to answer. The bullet manufacturer's formulas imply that the 342 pounds of muzzle energy behind a bullet which expands and completely disperses inside the body of a 185 lb. man would knock the man over, because 342 lbs. of energy over powers his 185 lbs. of body weight. However, numerous real life shootings of animals and people over the last hundred years prove this does not consistently happen, and the manufactures are surely aware of this inconsistency.

If these recoil formulas are correct, we should be able to use them to answer our question. They show how gravity pushing downward on a weapon causes a drastic reduction in the amount of muzzle energy pushing a bullet forward.

Therefore, if the weapon weighs 2.25 lbs. and that weapon fires a .38 Special +P 158 grain bullet out of its barrel at a velocity of 996 Ft/s which creates a muzzle energy of 342 Ft/lbs., and the vertical force of gravity pushing downwards on the weapon (2.25 lbs.) can reduce the muzzle energy of 342 Ft./lbs. down to 2.9 Ft./lbs. of rearward force; this means that the downward force of gravity causing a man to weigh 185 lbs. should reduce that same muzzle energy (342 Ft./lbs.) down in equal measure, when that same bullet impacts against that 185 lb. man and the bullet completely disperses it energy inside the body.

The previous recoil chart, created by the above noted recoil formula, demonstrates that the vertical force of gravity pushing downwards on the weapon (2.25 lbs.) can reduce the forward muzzle energy (342 Ft./lbs.) down to 2.9 Ft./lbs. of rearward force; this reveals that every 1 lb. of downward gravitational force reduces the amount of forward muzzle energy by 150.71 Ft./lbs. Therefore, when we multiply the man's body weight (185 lb.) by the gravity reducing effects of 150.71 Ft./lbs., we find that it take 27,881.55 Ft./lbs. of muzzle energy to just equal the body weight of a 185 lb. man, so we can deduce that it would take far more than 27,881.55 Ft./lbs. to knock over a 185 lbs. man. Since this amount of muzzle energy would be realistically unachievable, we can also deduce that there is no realist amount of knock down power as it relates to muzzle energy.

These deductions are consistent with Sir Isaac Newton's concept that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction (dependant on the downward forces of gravity), and it could explain why the manufacturer's muzzle energy implications do not translate to consistent knock down power in real life shootings of animals and people.

This is not the definitive, imperially researched answer to our question; however, I do believe the FBI's physiological incapacitation findings as well as my logical rational clearly support my deductions, and therefore they should be given due consideration, when you or your police department choose defensive ammunition or a defensive handgun caliber.

Don't depend on marketing, myths, folklore or hearsay, when it comes to choosing your department's defensive ammunition or your personal defensive ammunition. Do the research yourself. It may save your life or the life of another police officer not to mention possibly millions of dollars in civil law suites.

Remember there is no magic bullet. A well maintained handgun with reliable proven ammunition and realistic accurate/practical handgun training are the keys to surviving a gunfight. Stay alert, keep practicing and stay safe.