I need to know the approximate penetration likely for a 147gr .308 projectile after it has travelled 2km - yes, 2,000 meters. I know … sounds :rolleyes:
I’m assuming it is very shallow, and that the bullet likely impacts rather sideways, but if anyone has any hard data it would be very useful.
This info is to counter potential claims being made that friendly forces shot someone when in point of fact it was virtually certain to be Taliban shooters.
simply look up the velocity of the round at that distance than look up the penetration for that velocity.
for kicks, also check how far that round drops at 2k
There are a whole lot of variables that come into play here; however, in an extremely simplified generalization, the bullet will be traveling very slowly–like 700 fps and is going to act like a FMJ handgun projectile if it hits point forward. Obviously, there will be virtually no temporary cavitation. Thus figure approximately 20" of penetration +/- a few inches. If the projectile hits sideways or at a high yaw angle, penetration will be dramatically reduced and possibly even only cause a bruise, depending on what clothing is being worn. Again, there are a substantial number of variables that greatly effect this scenario, so an absolute answer is very difficult to determine absent a great deal more information…
Also consider the trajectory the bullet would have if it was launched from 2000 meters away. If the wound didn’t result from plunging fire, I don’t see anyway it could have been shot from that range.
The wounds we were shown had small entrance and large exits, in a thin, older male - consistant with close-range fire, and not what I thought we should be seeing from the very long-range fire that was claimed to have caused them.
Cobra - yes, plunging fire would be a good description of what was sent outbound … yet, “strangely”, the trajectory of the wounds was close to horizontal. In addition, there were multiple, closely-spaced hits - inconsistant with the cone of fire of an MG at 2km+.
Pretty much what I thought - the TB was trying to blame their murder on our guys. No surprise.
Did the autopsy x-rays (if available) show any bullet fragments in the wound?
Also check to see which type of M80 ball you are using, steel jacket or copper jacket (use a magnet).
At the ranges you are talking about, the most that is going to happen is that the bullet yaws over–even if the exit wounds occur when the bullet is at maximum yaw, the wounds will likely appear as a stellate slit where the edges can be folded back down and no tissue loss is noted due to the slow impact velocity. Obviously, if the bullet is nose or base forward on exit, only a punctate hole will be present, very much like an entrance wound. Also, the angle of incidence is critical, for as Cobra66 noted, it will likely be at a steep plunging angle if hitting from 2000m…
As Doc noted, I would expect wounds from 2000 meters would be more on line with those inflicted by lower powered pistols, like a .32acp firing ball ammo, or an ice pick.
A massive and noticeable difference from close range rifle fire.
I had to do a reconstruction a couple of years ago, parolee stated he wasn’t involved in a gunfight at a local club, he was actually at home complying with the conditions of his house arrest and minding his own business when he was mysteriously shot by a stray bullet from said gun fight, he claimed he was hit from over 300 yards away if he was telling the truth.
I got with CCI since the brass we recovered had their headstamp, I found the drop was something like 40+ feet at that range and he would have been hit by plunging fire basically, and he wasn’t.
That was a fun case since I actually got to do some of that CSI TV crap and use it on a bad guy successfully.
A hunter shot at a bird in a treetop, do not recall if the bullet struck the bird or not, but the end result was the bullet traveling c. 1.5 - 2 KM and struck his brother in the back while he was sitting at a fire.
No autopsy was performed - this civilian was brought to military forces by local nationals who believed he was killed by Taliban, but wanted to get assurances that wounds supported this and contradicted the claims of the Taliban that we shot him.
Unsure exactly what ammo was - it’s not US manufacture, it’s from Norway. I’m pretty sure it’s steel jacketed, though.
The wounds are consistant with multiple hits from close range, and there’s nothing to suggest that friendly forces shot the guy - I’m quite sure we were just a handy excuse (indeed, the engagement may have been started by the Taliban to cover up a murder.
In addition, there were multiple, closely-spaced hits - inconsistant with the cone of fire of an MG at 2km+.