Perspective on Terminal Ballistics

I read a fair bit of material on firearms and ballistics and from time to time an article, concept or book really stands out. Today I am sharing one of those concepts, an article from Shooting Illustrated about the 3 primary factors to consider in terminal ballistics. It is simple and covers the basic precepts of the topic well.

As you can see by the picture, those 3 concepts are Penetration, Expansion and Velocity. Penetration and expansion diameter are obvious in their effects, but we have to consider velocity as well for temporary cavity production. Faster projectiles create more tissue disruption and a larger temporary cavity than slower projectiles. This certainly is a factor in terminal ballistics.

If you use a firearm for hunting or defense, it is up to you to match the caliber / cartridge / bullet type to the task at hand. You want a projectile that will penetrate enough, create a large enough wound channel and offer some level of tissue disruption. This is especially important when hunting to ensure a ethical kill of the animal. I have written before about using non-lead bullets as well for hunting for environmental reasons. If choosing a cartridge for defense, over penetration becomes a more important consideration. You don't want a projectile that carries a lot of velocity past a target because that projectile has the opportunity then to harm or kill someone unintended as a target.

Fortunately, there are lots and lots of resources available today to help you estimate these factors for most given cartridge and firearm combinations.