How fast shotgun bullet

Military and hunting rifles are designed to deliver bullets with more KE at a greater distance than are handguns and shotguns. The type of tissue affects wounding potential, as well as the depth of penetration.

Bartlett, Specific gravity density and elasticity are the major tissue factors. The higher the specific gravity, the greater the damage. The greater the elasticity, the less the damage. Thus, lung tissue of low density and high elasticity is damaged less than muscle with higher density but some elasticity.

Liver, spleen, and brain have no elasticity and are easily injured, as is adipose tissue. Fluid-filled organs bladder, heart, great vessels, bowel can burst because of pressure waves generated. The speed at which a projectile must travel to penetrate skin is fps and to break bone is fps, both of which are quite low, so other factors are more important in producing damage.

Belkin, Designing a bullet for efficient transfer of energy to a particular target is not straightforward, for targets differ. To penetrate the thick hide and tough bone of an elephant, the bullet must be pointed, of small diameter, and durable enough to resist disintegration. However, such a bullet would penetrate most human tissues like a spear, doing little more damage than a knife wound.

A bullet designed to damage human tissues would need some sort of "brakes" so that all the KE was transmitted to the target. It is easier to design features that aid deceleration of a larger, slower moving bullet in tissues than a small, high velocity bullet. Such measures include shape modifications like round round nose , flattened wadcutter , or cupped hollowpoint bullet nose. Round nose bullets provide the least braking, are usually jacketed, and are useful mostly in low velocity handguns.

The wadcutter design provides the most braking from shape alone, is not jacketed, and is used in low velocity handguns often for target practice. A semi-wadcutter design is intermediate between the round nose and wadcutter and is useful at medium velocity.

Hollowpoint bullet design facilitates turning the bullet "inside out" and flattening the front, referred to as "expansion. A frangible bullet composed of a powder is designed to disintegrate upon impact, delivering all KE, but without significant penetration; the size of the fragments should decrease as impact velocity increases. The FMJ bullet has exposed lead at the base of the bullet.

The TMJ bullet is fully covered with a copper plating. Also, the TMJ reduces the amount of lead contaminants expelled into the air, which is an advantage in indoor ranges.

A TMJ bullet is not recommended for ported firearms, because there is an increased likelihood that part of the casing may be sheared off as the bullet leaves the barrel. These weapons are easily concealed but hard to aim accurately, especially in crime scenes. Usually, low caliber weapons are employed in crimes because they are cheaper and lighter to carry and easier to control when shooting.

Tissue destruction can be increased at any caliber by use of hollowpoint expanding bullets. Some law enforcement agencies have adopted such bullets because they are thought to have more "stopping power" at short range. Ragsdale, However, there is a myth, kept alive by portrayals of shooting victims on television and in films being hurled backwards, that victims are actually "knocked down" or displaced by being struck with the force of a bullet.

In fact, real gunshot victims relate that they had no immediate reaction. Fackler, The maximum momentum transferred from different small arms projectiles, inluding large caliber rifles and shotguns, to an 80 kg body is only 0. Karger and Knewbuehl, Incapacitation of gunshot victims is primarily a function of the area of the body wounded. Immediate incapacitation may occur with gunshot wounds to the brain and upper cervical cord.

Rapid incapacitation may occur with massive bleeding from major blood vessels or the heart. Karger, The two major variables in handgun ballistics are diameter of the bullet and volume of gunpowder in the cartridge case. Cartridges of older design were limited by the pressures they could withstand, but advances in metallurgy have allowed doubling and tripling of the maximum pressures so that more KE can be generated.

Many different cartridges are available using different loads and bullet designs. Some of these are outlined in the table below to compare and contrast the ballistics. What can be learned from specific cartridge data? If the 44 magnum is compared with the magnum, the effect of bore diameter is seen. The larger area of the 44 magnum creates more force with the same pressure, allowing the 44 magnum to produce more energy at the muzzle.

The effect of case capacity can be demonstrated in a comparison of the 9 mm parabellum para with the magnum. These cartridges have similar diameters and pressures, but the magnum is much longer, yielding more case volume more powder , and delivers more energy. Finally, despite the Colt 45 having the largest bore diameter and one of the longest cases, it does not deliver the maximum energy because the outdated design of this cartridge case severely handicaps its pressure handling capability.

The Glasser "safety slug" has been designed to consist of a hollow copper jacket filled with 12 birdshot. It has been designed in several calibers. When the bullet hits the target, the pellets are released over a wide area.

However, the pellets quickly decelerate over a short distance, so they may penetrate poorly and are less likely to hit surrounding targets. They are designed to stop, but not kill, an attacker while avoiding injury to bystanders. At close range, they may produce substantial injury. The Winchester "Black Talon" cartridge, which comes in several calibers, is designed with a lead core locked to a copper alloy jacket by a unique notching process that is done to prevent separation of teh core and the jacket on target impact via controlled expansion.

This expansion is desinged to occur in a delayed fashion at the muzzle velocities of the bullet in order to provide deeper penetration. In addition, the jacket is thicker at the tip than at the heel, with precutting of the thick portion to that, upon target impact, six sharp copper points are raised in a radial fashion. The purpose of this design is to increase expansion and cavitation with greater transference of energy. In one study with test firings, black talons penetrating plastic sheeting simulating elasticity of skin expanded irregularly, while those fired into ordnance gelatin simulating soft tissue uniformly expanded.

The copper points create a potential hazard in bullet removal by surgeons or forensic scientists. Russel et al, In a study by Speak et al , it was found that, in handguns, either shorter barrel length or larger caliber produced larger pellet patterns. Armour-piercing bullets are designed to penetrate soft body armor such as bulletproof vests worn by law enforcement officers.

Though they penetrate such armor, they produce no more wounding than ordinary bullets of similar size. Some have teflon coatings to minimize barrel wear with firing.

They may demonstrate less deformation when recovered. Diagrammatic representations of standard handgun and rifle cartridges are shown below. The metal casing encloses the powder, above which the bullet is seated. The powder is ignited through the flash hole when the primer is struck. A case with a rim is found with revolver and lever action rifle cartridges, and also with some some bolt action and semi-automatic rifles. The radiographic appearance of a.

Standard shotgun shells contain the powder, wadding, and shot, enclosed in a plastic or cardboard casing, as diagrammed diagrammed below:. The length determines the amount of powder, and the amount of ounces of shot can vary within the shell, based upon the size and number of shot pellets.

A "magnum" load has slightly more powder and more pellets, so that the muzzle velocities are not greatly increased, but the total kinetic energy is greater because of the greater mass of pellets.

A greater number of pellets increases the likelihood of hitting a target at longer ranges, because of the dispersal pattern of the pellets that increases with range. The amount of kinetic energy possessed by any individual pellet can vary, based upon multiple variables and interactions among the shot mass. The size of pellets varies from large "" to small "9".

Larger pellets have more kinetic energy, but fewer pellets disperse rapidly and accuracy in hitting the target is an issue.

Greater numbers of smaller pellets have a better chance of hitting the target, but each pellet has a small amount of kinetic energy. For example, a skeet shooter trying to hit the clay pigeon wants many smaller pellets capable of hitting the target at a shorter range, while a deer hunter wants larger pellets capable of inflicting greater damage at longer range.

Shot may be primarily composed of lead or steel, along with combinations of other metals. The main reason for use of steel shot is environmental, to reduce lead contamination, but steel has inferior ballistic qualities from an energy standpoint less mass , but can be partially overcome by increasing powder loads and velocities.

The spread of the pellets as they leave the muzzle is determined by the "choke" or constriction of the barrel at the muzzle from none to 0. More choke means less spread. Full choke gives a 15 inch spread at 20 yards, while no choke gives a 30 inch spread at the same distance.

DeMuth et al, A "sawed-off" shotgun has a very short barrel less than 18 inches so that, not only can it be concealed more easily, but also it can spray the pellets out over a wide area, because there is no choke. Shotgun slugs can produce significant injury, because of the slug's size and mass. At close range, survival is rare.

In treating shotgun injuries, it is necessary to remember that the plastic shell carrier and the wadding which may not appear on radiographs can also cause tissue damage and may need to be found and removed. Gestring ML et al, Shotgun shells can be loaded with a variety of objects as projectiles, ranging from rubber pellets to needle shaped metal "flechettes" to rock salt to pepper balls.

These have a novelty aspect, but their usefulness is questionable. Some, such as the "bean bag" with a fabric bag containing shot, is purportedly "less lethal" have been utilized in law enforcement.

Wounding is a function of the type of shot, or pellets, used in the shotgun shell. Weight, in general, is a constant for a shell so that 1 ounce of shot would equal either 9 pellets of 'double O' buckshot or pellets of 8 birdshot. A 00 or "double ought" pellet is essentially equivalent to a low velocity. At close range less than 4 feet an entrance wound would be about 1 inch diameter, and the wound cavity would contain wadding. At intermediate range 4 to 12 feet the entrance wound is up to 2 inches diameter, but the borders may show individual pellet markings.

Wadding may be found near the surface of the wound. Beyond 12 feet, choke, barrel length, and pellet size determine the wounding. If the energy is divided between the pellets, it can be seen that fewer, larger pellets will carry more KE, but the spread may carry them away from the target. Pellets, being spherical, are poor projectiles, and most small pellets will not penetrate skin after 80 yards. Thus, close range wounds are severe, but at even relatively short distances, wounding may be minimal.

Range is the most important factor, and can be estimated in over half of cases, as can the shot size used. Wilson, A rifled slug fired from a shotgun may have a range up to yards. Mattoo et al, The Polyshok Impact Reactive Projectile IRP is a form of shotgun ammunition with a lead bead core encased within a single, plastic projectile.

The lead core is designed to disintegrate on impact so that lead fragments are distributed over a small area. This reduces the likelihood of exit or collateral damage on missed shots.

This projectile produces a single entrance wound, and both plastic and lead components can be found within the wound, regardless of the range of fire.

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We doubt it! But exactly how fast can you run? With the help of a friend or family member, measure out an area of about feet. Get a stopwatch and have someone time how fast it takes you to run that distance. Then use a little simple division to determine how many feet per second you can run.

How does that compare to a bullet's speed? Now you can find out! Simply head online to watch Slow Motion Bullet Impacts. What do you think? Do the impacts look like you thought they would? Why or why not? To learn more about exactly what's inside your average bullet, read through The Anatomy of a Bullet online. Write down at least five interesting facts you can share with a friend or family member. Did you get it? Test your knowledge. Wonder Words leap gun fuse pin path spin bound bullet wobbly recoil trigger target locomotive propellant explosive gyroscope resistance corkscrew Take the Wonder Word Challenge.

Join the Discussion. Yyyyyyyyyyyyooooooooouuuuuuu Sep 30, I did not like the video of the iPad ball and watermelon getting destroyed RIP watermelon iPad and ball: Cry cry cry cry. Oct 3, It just shows how much damage a bullet can do!

Nathaniel Reinhold Dec 12, Dec 17, That sure is a lot of information. Thanks for sharing, Nathaniel! May 23, Peter Feb 19, First of all you're not right, a bullet in this case a 9mm has three parts.

One is the casing of the round that will hold the gun powder and the bullet it self. Not related to the topic take a Glock, when a bullet is fired all that gas from the bullet and pushes it back and cycles the next round into the chamber.

Spencer Feb 5, Feb 20, Thanks for sharing, Peter. Sounds like this Wonder aligns with your explanation. Peter Feb 21, Feb 24, B Feb 28, How far does a bullet go in a second? Once i got to shoot a paintball gun at cans. Richard Jan 25, Jan 25, Hi, Richard. Thanks for adding more information and joining the conversation! Mar 6, Sammy Jan 10, Jan 11, We don't think so, Sammy--that would be awfully dangerous! Aidan Hamburg Jan 11, There is the primer, powder, casing, and bullet. The bullet is just the lead part at the front not all are lead.

When you described it you said it as though the whole thing was called the bullet. Other than that, you did fine! Jan 22, Sounds like you know this topic well, Aidan! Thanks for sharing! Cristian Dec 12, Dec 15, We're glad you liked this Wonder, Cristian!! Jason Jul 9, In Roy Weatherby achieved 5, fps with his. As newer propellants emerged, others have obtained even higher velocities with the same round, up to 6, fps.

Jul 10, Mat Jun 3, Just like to point out, some speciality, though still mainstream cartridges can move in excess of feet per second, the fps you quote here is kind of the average modern rifle speed. For examples of these extremely quick bullets, check out rounds like the.

Jun 5, Tyler Mar 10, Mar 13, Agreed, Tyler. Thanks for checking out this Wonder! Feb 27, Is valuable, we agree. Thanks for displaying some, James! Does getting hit by a bullet hurt? Mar 1, Jan 24, Karter Dec 5, I've always wondered how fast a bullet travels. Dec 6, You're welcome, Karter! Sixgun30 Oct 27, Oct 28, Oct 25, Hello, edvjwhebdkjwbj!