Weird Bullet Behaviour.

[TStone]

This is not the first time I have seen this happen but it is rare enough that it is noticeable. The bullet in this case is a 167gr Peregrine VLR4 but I have seen similar behaviour from Peregrine, Barnes TSX and even once a 154gr 7mm Hornady Interlock.
In this case the bullet, from a .30-06, broke both shoulders of a gemsbuck, the shank of the bullet pierced the skin on the far shoulder but the expanded section got stuck in the skin.

[Andrew Leigh]

Amazing

[oafpatroll]

Wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it.

[aimpoint]

Shit, at least the bullet mushroomed and did its job. Can’t help wondering at what point it started tumbling…


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[TStone]

Shit, at least the bullet mushroomed and did its job. Can’t help wondering at what point it started tumbling…


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Looking at the wound channel, I'd say very close to when it stopped.

[Pirate]

Looking at the wound channel, I'd say very close to when it stopped.

I'm we've had this discussion before and I explained what happens...

[TStone]

I'm we've had this discussion before and I explained what happens...

True. But I can't find that post.

[Pirate]

True. But I can't find that post.

Yeah, things on the Internet are forever, but unfortunately finding the stuff we put on the Internet becomes more and more difficult! It's like when someone at work tells me "it's on the network", and then I tell them "but if no-one can find it, it may as well not exist!"

Anyways... at impact, the bullet deforms (mushrooms) and starts traveling through the target medium. Because the latter is far denser than air, the bullet rotation slows down and the gyroscopic stability decreases. At the same time, (because the center of mass is behind the center of pressure) the thing wants to flip gatoorkop, but this is countered by the gyroscopic stability and the orientation is maintained. At some point the gyroscopic stability reduces to a point where it can no longer maintain the initial orientation, and it flips tail-end forward, which is a stable orientation, because the mushroom creates drag behind the center of mass. If the bullet has enough retained momentum it will therefore punch tail-end first through the opposite skin, but then then get caught by the mushroom, resulting in what you see there.

[TStone]

Thank you.

[Pirate]

Thank you.

with pleasure