Terminal Ballistics

Dave Spaulding did a couple of videos on handgun ammunition stopping power. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWMGBCVtTrM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myKGVV7xVDI

Below is the email I sent him concerning terminal ballistics. 

I enjoyed your videos on handgun ammunition.  As is typical with anything based on reality, there’s very little to disagree with.  When I read terminal ballistics discussions on “The Internets” I’m often reminded of the old aeronautical engineers who would use the theories and formulae of the era to “prove” that bumblebees can’t fly. 

Here are a couple of links you might be interested in; although, you may already be familiar with the material. 

The first is my standard reference for explaining the mechanics of the wounding mechanism to new shooters who are interested in the subject.  The second is Veral Smith’s book on bullet design. 

While I’m interested in the science, I find it has very little effect on how well I shoot and understanding it is unnecessary to applying firearms in the field.  Theories (or wishful thinking) won’t change how something works in real life.  It’s difficult for some people to accept that both exterior and terminal ballistics are well understood (not necessarily by them) sciences.  When we start denying reality we move from science to fantasy and, while fantasy is fine for video games, it can seriously degrade your performance in real life.       

http://www.rathcoombe.net/sci-tech/ballistics/wounding.html

http://lbtmoulds.com/books.shtml

Back in the early 1990s, I sold a bunch of ammo to one of the Sheriff’s departments in my area.  They bought a lot of generic 115 grain 9mm ball and some 147 grain hollow points.  The Sheriff intended to issue the cheaper ball for training and the more expensive hollow points for carry. 

The next time he stopped in, I asked him if anyone had had any feed problems with the 147 grain ammo.  He told me they hadn’t test fired any of the 147.  I strongly recommended that they do so.  When he returned, he was absolutely horrified that approximately half the pistols (about evenly divided between Berettas and Smith and Wessons) had some feed problems.  I wasn’t keen on buying back a whole bunch of expensive 147 grain 9mm ammo so I suggested he try some of the same brand and bullet style in 124 grain and issue that to the guys who couldn’t use the 147 grain.  I also suggested they run at least a couple of hundred rounds through each pistol before using it as carry ammo.  That worked out fine.