Full Metal Jacket Wounds

Some where in my files I have an article about the effect of wounds made by various calibers of of full metal Jacketed projectiles.

The boiled down version is that all spitzer full metal jacket projectiles tumble upon entering the body. This is caused by the two factors of spin stabilization and the center of the mass of the projectile is in the rear third of the projectile. Essentially what happens is the point of the bullet starts slowing down upon contact but the body but the center mass of the projectile keeps on pushing from the rear. This causes the projectile to weathervane in which the lighter point trails the heavier base. The spin stabilization causes the point of the projectile to kick out of line of flight so the path of the bullet in the body is a sort of cork screw motion as the projectile changes from point first to base first. This key hole/corkscrew effect creates a lot more tissue damage compared to a straight through hole.

The 5.56 projectile has one other characteristic in that at velocities above 1800 fps the projectile tends to break up starting at the crimping band. This causes the projectile to fragment with pieces of the projectile flying in all different directions. It is the fragmentation that causes the massive wounds of the 5.56 mm and not the key holing effect. Interestingly enough the increase of spin caused by the faster turn of the rifling in the barrel makes this break up more likely and more pronounced.

Interestingly enough pistol round generally don't key hole as the center of mass of the projectile is closer to the center of the projectile. Also since the pistol round point is not as pronounced as the spitzer the projectiles tend to fly straighter through the body unless it strikes something like a bone. The the head of the pistol round become deformed and the deformation of the projectile dictates the path of the bullet.

The problem with the .22 cal rim fire is that they fragment upon impact with a large animal so the fragments fly off in many directions causing internal bleeding which difficult to stop because the point of bleeding may be a long distance from the entry point of the wound.

If anyone would like I guess I could hunt down my article and post it.

The Independent

I would like to see this article. Reading what you posted makes me wonder if this information on the 5.56 related to the old original loading or the new one. George in Las Vegas

Did you look in your shoe? Sometimes when I lose things, they turn up in my shoes.

if > ... new > ...

The old M-16 created some fearsome wounds. I don't theorize why that was so, but it certainly was so. In general, the M-60 made nice clean round holes. The M-16 tended to tear things apart.

Not a pleasant subject; I haven't thought about it in years.

ted > ...

#The old M-16 created some fearsome >wounds. I don't theorize why that was #so, but it certainly was so. In general, >the M-60 made nice clean round #holes. The M-16 tended to tear things >apart.

The reason why 5.56mm FMJ ammo - in the right rifle, under the right conditions - is so deadly is that the bullet flips over about 5' into the flesh, then shatters. You have to have a barrel 16' or longer - and be within 200 yds. - to get this effect, so forget all those shorty uppers you see. .30 rifles don't deliver this effect with FMJ ammo - be they ours or Warsaw Pact. LOTS of good, detailed research on the Web on this; try Google by 'Fackler' and '5.56' and 'SS109.'

As an amusing aside, I believe it was Dr. Fackler who pointed out the similar performance of the Swedish 7.62x51mm ball round. The Swedes, led by pin-headed NGO, SIPRI (Swedish International 'Peace' Research Institute), were whining about the 'cruelty' of the M193 ball round... until testing demonstrated that the Swedish issue ball round consistently demonstrated even more devastating properties.

# Some where in my files I have an article about the effect of wounds made # by various calibers of # of full metal Jacketed projectiles. # # The boiled down version is ...

Hey guys, check out: http://www.ammo-oracle.com/

They have the best disscussion on the subject of 5.56/.223 wound effects. (And on ammo in general.)

I don't remember anything that directly contradicts anything in the original post.

I have seen many FMJ wounds. I have concluded that in most small arms the path and result with an FMJ round is not real reliable. the only thing a noted was if any of the bullets up to ,30 cal hits a large bone, it's going to do odd things and if it exits it is unlikely to be on the same axis that it entered. now when a human is hit with a .50 BMG it just bores on like nothing was there. .50 in .50 out and a real mess in the soft tissue.

# Some where in my files I have an article about the effect of wounds made # by various calibers of # of full metal Jacketed projectiles. #

If you want more information of bullet wounds and the type of bullets that make them, you should pick up a copy of P.O. Ackley's handbook for shooters vol.1. He writes extensivley of his military testing of projectiles and the wound channels they create. Interesting reading. The information is not for the sqeemish as they used live animals on some of the tests, usually pigs. But the information is by far the most accurate I've seen.