Terminal Performance of Lead-Free Pistol Bullets in Ballistic Gelatin Using Retarding Force Analysis from High Speed Video

摘要

Due to concerns about environmental and industrial hazards of lead, a numberof military, law enforcement, and wildlife management agencies are givingcareful consideration to lead-free ammunition. The goal of lead-free bullets isto gain the advantages of reduced lead use in the environment while maintainingequal or better terminal performance. Accepting reduced terminal performancewould foolishly risk the lives of military and law enforcement personnel. Thispaper uses the established technique of studying bullet impacts in ballisticgelatin to characterize the terminal performance of eight commercial off-the-shelf lead-free handgun bullets for comparison with earlier analysis ofjacketed lead bullets. Peak retarding force and energy deposit in calibratedballistic gelatin are quantified using high speed video. The temporary stretchcavities and permanent wound cavities are also characterized. Two factors tendto reduce the terminal performance of these lead-free projectiles compared tosimilar jacketed lead designs. First, solid copper construction increase barrelfriction, which reduces muzzle velocity and energy, and thus reduces theability of the bullet to exert damaging forces in tissue simulant. Second, thelower density of copper requires a longer bullet for a given mass and caliber,which reduces remaining powder volume in the brass cartridge case, which alsotends to reduce muzzle velocity and energy. The results of the present studyare consistent with earlier analysis showing that expansion is necessary tomaximize the potential for rapid incapacitation of enemy combatants. In spiteof some new non-expanding nose designs that moderately increase forces betweenbullet and tissue, the largest retarding forces and highest incapacitationpotential requires expanding bullets which maximize frontal area.