Free Republic

When a lead pellet impacts the target, the pellet deforms slightly, increasing its frontal area and transferring energy to the target more quickly...at the expense of reduced penetration. Steel and tungsten-iron shot pellets, on the other hand, are very hard and will not deform on impact. This results in deeper penetration with slower energy transfer than lead shot. It is common for steel and tungsten-iron pellets to pass completely through the target; it's less common for lead shot to do the same. Sectional density is a major factor in penetration capability. Round projectiles, regardless of diameter or type, have...

Tailor ammunition choice to Hunting area, Species, Shot distances to Maximize Best Options - Not all bullet profiles perform the same, and you should choose the profile that best suits your hunting scenario. Looking at ammunition advertisements, or while reading articles on hunting or shooting, you will invariably come across terms that are used to describe the shape and/or profile of a bullet. Ballistic coefficient, sectional density, boat tail, secant ogive, flatnose, roundnose, hollowpoint; the list goes on and on. Which design is best for your shooting or hunting needs? Looking back through the history of the projectile, the earliest...

OK, here I am again with another self-blog post. Again, too much to just quote my article, so I'm requesting people go travel to my free and very slow Azure WP site to go read it. It's still unmonetized, no ads, no begs for money. It's still not a caliber wars post; this is still the .380 ACP and not proselytizing to people who instead (or additionally) elect 9, .40, .45, 10, or whatever. Please enjoy; this is the end of this series unless an odd inspiration strikes.

Part 2 (or maybe 2.1, since the goal of thoroughly showing visualizations got sidetracked by a realization in one and where that led). This one has some meat in it, not just introduction. Again, yes, a blog post by me, but again not monetized, so have at it. This time I've tested the link so if it times out it's Azure being lame (this is their free server, not commercial).

After too long of a delay, I've finally started grinding out the words behind the study I've done of .380 ACP rounds, and posted part one. Yes, this is a bit of a blog pimping, but as I have no ads or monetization, one can hardly call it self-serving … it's just that there's too many words to make a good forum post. A short excerpt: ----- Our ideal round is not necessarily the same as the officer’s – but there are many similarities. If we’re forced to shoot in self-defense (presuming our threat doesn’t quit, run away, or hide)...

Terminal Ballistics as Viewed in a Morgue One of the benefits of working in a morgue is that I get to see what works and what doesn't. Ballistic gelatin is good as far as it goes, but there's nothing like seeing what a bullet actually does once it strikes bone, flesh, and organs. Suffice it to say, it doesn't always mimic ballistic gelatin. The other is that I get to hear some great CCW stories. Here's one of them: A recently-married couple living in one of the less desirable sections of Atlanta decided that for safety purposes they should get...

Anatomy and the Perfect (Undead) Headshot Does the creative team behind the hit TV show The Walking Dead take zombie anatomy as seriously as the legions of crazed fanboys? PM investigates. Horror aficionados judge onscreen zombie special effects by the quality of the cranial gunshots that kill the ghouls. The cameras of AMC's show The Walking Dead linger on the aftereffects of gunshots to the heads of their undead in a way that can only be described as lavish. The show's just-completed first season has been serious, emotional, well-written and epic. But for those kind of people who are obsessed...

A sniper crouches near an open window and zooms in on his target, who sits a half-mile away. He peers through a scope and holds his breath, preparing to squeeze the trigger. But it’s windy outside, and he can't afford a miss. What to do? A new DARPA-funded electro-optical system will calculate the ballistics for him, telling him where to aim and ensuring a perfect shot, no matter the weather conditions. Lockheed Martin won a $6.9 million contract this week for the second phase of DARPA’s One-Shot system, which will provide direct observations of a target, measure every variable that...

Agents test fire weapons to narrow leads in the June 8 killing of the girls near Weleetka. WELEETKA — More than three dozen guns from the Weleetka area were test fired over the weekend as authorities worked to narrow their leads into the June 8 slayings of two girls. Jessica Brown, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, said more than 60 letters were sent out to registered owners of .40-caliber handguns, asking them to voluntarily submit their weapons for testing on Saturday and Sunday at the Okfuskee County Courthouse at Okemah. Brown said about 40 of those owners...

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 24 /U.S. Newswire/ -- With the support of forty-one police chiefs from around the state, the state senate today passed a bill (22-18) that will help police solve gun crimes and catch gun traffickers The bill, AB 352, requires that a new ballistics identification technology be required on all new semiautomatic handguns sold in California after 2008. The new technology, microstamping, uses powerful lasers to make extremely precise, microscopic engravings on a handgun's firing pin or inside the firing chamber. These engravings reference the serial number of the handgun. When a bullet is fired from the handgun,...

Scheduled speaker for the July 26 membership luncheon at the Harborview Center is Jon R. Thogmartin, M.D., District Medical Examiner for District 6, Pinellas and Pasco Counties, since December 2000. Dr. Thogmartin was born in Wellington, Texas, and received his doctorate in medicine in 1990 from University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and his bachelor of science in biology from Southern Methodist University in Dallas in 1986, magna cum laude. Dr. Thogmartin was Associate Medical Examiner in Broward County and Dade County before becoming District 15 Medical Examiner in Palm Beach County in April 1999, a position...

The Washington Times www.washingtontimes.com Ballistics statute faultedBy Brian WitteASSOCIATED PRESSPublished January 18, 2005 BALTIMORE -- A law requiring Maryland State Police to collect ballistics information from each handgun sold in the state should be repealed because the expensive system is flawed and has not helped a criminal investigation since it was adopted in 2000, a state police report has concluded.     The report recommended transferring laboratory technicians who work on the Integrated Ballistics Identification System to the state police DNA Database Unit.     "The program simply has not met expectations and does not aid in the mission statement of the Department...

<p>BALTIMORE (AP) - A law requiring Maryland State Police to collect ballistics information from each handgun sold in the state has not aided a single criminal investigation and should be repealed, a state police report has concluded.</p> <p>About $2.5 million has been spent on the program so far. Col. Thomas E. Hutchins, the state police superintendent, said he would prefer spending the money on proven crime-fighting techniques.</p>

No subject in the firearms industry generates more print or heat than terminal performance. In the last fifteen years this issue has even become one of considerable moment with federal agencies, the FBI particularly, leading to the decision to replace entire arsenals of sidearms. Similarly, within the commercial industry we have seen the development of numerous, and occasionally exotic, bullet designs based upon various theories of wounding behavior. Some have worked well, while others have not. But for the most part, shooters and many in the firearms community still do not understand why these things work or fail. My purpose...

California Rifle and Pistol Association, Inc. 271 East Imperial Highway, Suite 620 Fullerton, California 92835 (714) 992-C2R7P7A2 .FAX (714) 992-2996 Media Release December 27, 2002 For Immediate Release: December 27, 2002 For Additional Information Contact: Chuck Michel, CRPA Spokesman Tel: (310) 548-3703 Cell: (310)722-1324 LOCKYER COVERING UP SECOND BALLISTIC IMAGING REPORT DOJ REFUSES TO RELEASE NEW STUDY ON FEASIBILITY A gun ban lobby proposal to establish a ballistics imaging computer database was introduced this legislative session by state Senator Jack Scott (D-Altadena). State Attorney General Bill Lockyer, who apparently supports the proposal, has recently tried to dispute a research report...

Gun Land: Overview from the Producer President Bush will soon put his signature on the Homeland Security Bill. And that will set into motion new government efforts that will eventually ask all of us to sacrifice in the fight against terrorism. How big a sacrifice? Conservative columnist William Safire painted a startling picture this week in THE NEW YORK TIMES. He warns that the bill could mean the creation of a vast government dossier — with total information on every U.S citizen including every credit card purchase, medical prescription, bank deposit, web click...and much more. But a double standard has...

<p>Ballistic fingerprinting is the new magic crime-solving tool, and after the sniper at tacks in the Washington area, there is an understandable desire to do something. According to the Brady Campaign, recording the markings on bullets from all new guns "would have solved this crime (the sniper shootings) after the first shooting." Today the Assembly is voting on requiring such a system for New Jersey.</p>

Proposals for a Ballistics Imaging and Comparison national database has drawn fire from the Fraternal of Police (F.O.P.) which warns that the technology has multiple drawbacks that make it unwise to implement it and the national firearms database the plan would require. Anti-Second Amendment forces aided by the largely pro-gun grabber media have exploited the tragic Washington area sniper shootings to justify creating the database that would, in effect, accomplish their longed-for goal of national gun registration despite the fact that as an effective law enforcement tool, such a program is shot full of holes. The F.O.P. describes the ballistics...

<p>Washington's Beltway sniper has local politicians scrambling to gain advantage by appearing tough on guns. Take Montgomery County, Md., where most of the carnage has taken place. Two candidates for Congress, one a Democrat, the other Republican, each brag that they're more despised by the National Rifle Assn. than the other.</p>

Hey gang, Crossfire is doing a segment on ballistic fingerprinting. My wife (Bubbles) has been asked to interject questions regarding this during the program. She intends on ripping them a new one. Watch it if you can. it will be on CNN at 7:00PM est tonight. Mike