Going Ballistic

For some, this might be a re-fresher course, for others, an educational experience. We’re talking about ballistics, specifically for the handgun. Below is the conclusion from an article written by the FBI titled “Handgun Wounding and Effectiveness” written in 1989.

Physiologically, no caliber or bullet is certain to incapacitate any individual unless the brain is hit. Psychologically, minor or small caliber wounds can incapacitate some individuals. Those individuals who are stimulated by fear, adrenaline, drugs, alcohol, and/or sheer will and survival determination may not be incapacitated even if mortally wounded.

The will to survive and to fight despite horrific damage to the body is commonplace on the battlefield, and on the street. Barring a hit to the brain, the only way to force incapacitation is to cause sufficient blood loss that the subject can no longer function, and that takes time. Even if the heart is instantly destroyed, there is sufficient oxygen in the brain to support full and complete voluntary action for 10-15 seconds.

Kinetic energy does not wound. Temporary cavity does not wound. The much-discussed "shock" of bullet impact is a fable and "knock down" power is a myth. The critical element is penetration. The bullet must pass through the large, blood bearing organs and be of sufficient diameter to promote rapid bleeding. Penetration less than 12 inches is too little, and, in the words of two of the participants in the 1987 Wound Ballistics Workshop, "too little penetration will get you killed." Given desirable and reliable penetration, the only way to increase bullet effectiveness is to increase the severity of the wound by increasing the size of hole made by the bullet. Any bullet that will not penetrate through vital organs from less than optimal angles is not acceptable. Of those that will penetrate, the edge is always with the bigger bullet.

A very good and blunt statement regarding the effectiveness of a handgun. Some major (and common sense) points from the article …

• Bullet placement is critical
• Bigger bullets are more effective
• The deeper a bullet penetrates, the better.
• Never underestimate your opponent(s).

Caliber Selection

The information below was obtained from chuckhawks.com website and discusses types of ammunition and user preference. There are a number of considerations when it comes to caliber choice:

1. Terminal performance (will it stop an attacker)
2. Firepower (choice of caliber)
3. Availability (is the ammo readily available)
4. Price

Size can deceptive, the 38 Special and 357 magnum rounds look large in comparison to the other handgun rounds. However, the 38 Special delivers about the same Kinetic Energy* (KE) as the .380, and the .357 magnum's performance is matched by the physically smaller .357 SIG. The chunky .45's KE is also less than that delivered by the 357 SIG or 40, and only marginally higher than that of the much smaller 9mm.

No matter what others may say, no caliber is more accurate than the rest. In reality, all are capable of more than adequate accuracy when used in firearms of reasonable quality and user skill - accuracy is more a function of the gun/user than of the caliber.

Like most things in life, caliber selection is a compromise. Would you prefer to have a smaller caliber holding 16 rounds, or a similarly sized handgun with 8 rounds of a larger caliber? For many, the benefits of double firepower far outweigh any terminal ballistic benefit provided by the larger caliber.

Muzzle blast and noise may be an important consideration. The 357 magnum and 357 SIG rounds are especially loud. If you intend to use a small gun, then the more potent calibers may yield too much recoil to be comfortable - recoil forces are proportional to KE produced.

A light bullet will develop more kinetic energy than a heavy one, because the speed of the bullet is greater. Which means you get a flatter trajectory. Also, it'll tend to travel further. However, the heavier bullet will transfer more energy to the target when it hits.

Also, lighter loads have less felt recoil than a heavy load. High velocity low mass bullets do not have the knock down power of a high mass low velocity bullet. It really does depend on your application. What the target is. Do you need the faster bullet to travel further through the target than the heavier load's harder hitting, but not as deeply penetrating shot?

* Kinetic energy is energy that a body possesses as a result of its motion. It is formally defined as the

work needed to accelerate a body from rest to its current velocity.