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Terminal ballistics 1

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15 views

Terminal ballistics 1

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basarica
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Terminal ballistics

Terminal ballistics is a sub-field of ballistics concerned with


the behavior and effects of a projectile when it hits and
transfers its energy to a target.

Bullet design (as well as the velocity of impact) largely


determines the effectiveness of penetration.[1]

General
The concept of terminal ballistics can be applied to any
projectile striking a target.[2] Much of the topic specifically
regards the effects of small arms fire striking live targets, and a
projectile's ability to incapacitate or eliminate a target.

Common factors include bullet weight, composition, velocity,


and shape. Bullet parts: 1 metal jacket, 2 lead
core, 3 steel penetrator

Firearm projectiles

Class of projectile
Projectiles are primarily designed for compatibility with the constraints of the device used to
launch them, and secondarily according to some balance of logistical practicality, practicable
accuracy, and terminal effect. Prior to the development of rifling, the majority of projectiles
purpose built for shooting consisted of fitted round balls, or multi-projectile shot loads. In modern
times, this approach to shooting persists, as well as other means which have been refined within
unique settings over centuries. In addition to advances of barrel design, means of propulsion
available have also diversified, including guns designed to use black powder, smokeless powder,
compressed air, and electromagnetic force.

Ammunition, and the components thereof, can be categorized in an assortment of fashions. Among
other ways, it may be approached according to the shape, the weight, the dimensions of a projectile
or cartridge, the customary charge of powder, velocity, intended purpose, and recommended
applications. Though some projectiles and ammunition are designed from the beginning for the
sole purpose of target shooting, the minimal powder charges necessary to force a metal projectile
down the length of a barrel may be potentially lethal, and should be treated as such.

Conventional forms of projectiles:

Round Ball - Spherical in shape prior to loading, used in smooth or rifled barrels
Shot - Multi-projectile load, typically spherical or semi-spherical, best used in smoothbores
Slug - A nose heavy design that uses air drag from a light hollowed base or wad to aid stability
Pellet - (Specific) A self sealing, non-spherical projectile, typically designed to obturate with a
rear skirt
Bullet - (Specific) A semi-cylindrical projectile, often with a frontal nose, stabilized
gyroscopically from rotation

Target shooting
For short-range target shooting, typically on ranges up to 50
meters, or 55 yards, with low-powered ammunition like a .22
long rifle, aerodynamics is relatively unimportant, and
velocities are low compared to velocities attained by full-
powered ammunition.

As long as a bullet's weight is balanced, it will not tumble; its


shape is thus unimportant for purposes of its aerodynamics.
For shooting at paper targets, bullets that will punch a perfect
.32 ACP full metal jacket, .32 S&W
hole through the target —called wadcutters— are preferred. Long wadcutter, .380 ACP jacketed
They have a very flat front, often with a relatively sharp edge hollow point
along the perimeter, which punches out a hole equal to or
almost equal to its diameter, thus enabling unambiguous
scoring of the target. Since cutting the edge of a target ring will result in a higher score, accuracy to
within fractions of an inch is desirable.

Magazine-fed pistols tend not to reliably feed wadcutters because of their angular shape. To
address this, the semi-wadcutter is often used. The semi-wadcutter consists of a conical section
that comes to a smaller flat point and a thin sharp shoulder at the base of the cone. The flat point
punches a hole, and the shoulder opens it up cleanly. For steel targets, the concern is to provide
enough force to knock over the target while minimizing the damage to the target. A soft lead bullet,
or jacketed hollow-point bullet, or soft-point bullet will flatten out on impact (if the velocity at
impact is sufficient to make it deform), spreading the impact over a larger area of the target,
allowing more total force to be applied without damaging the steel target.

There are also specialized bullets designed for use in long-range precision target shooting with
high-powered rifles. The designs vary somewhat from manufacturer to manufacturer. Research in
the 1950s by the U.S. Air Force discovered that bullets are more stable in flight for longer distances
and more resistant to crosswinds if the center of gravity is biased to the rear of the center of
pressure. The MatchKing bullet is an open-tip match design with a tiny aperture in the jacket at
the point of the bullet and a hollow air space under the point of the bullet, whereas previous
conventional bullets had a lead core that went all the way up to the point.[3]

The U.S. military now issues ammunition to snipers that use bullets of this type. M852 Match and
M118LR ammunition are issued, for the 7.62×51mm chamber: both use Sierra MatchKing bullets;
for 5.56×45mm those U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine snipers who use accurized M16-type rifles are
issued the Mk 262 Mod 0 cartridge developed jointly by Black Hills Ammunition and Crane Naval
Surface Warfare Center.

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