Contact shot, blast damage?

[surferdaddy]

Sooo, I have been known to carry a small revolver on occasion. I think that they have a few advantages over semis, especially at “bad breath” distance encounters. As distance increases the advantages of a semi-auto begin to shift the advantage.

I am a biologist by training and not a physicist but I was wondering if anyone has ever seen any test or know about blast damage of a contact shot. I know that energy has to go somewhere. I was wondering the if the blast after the projectile leaves the barrel would compound damage as it enters the wound channel. Would it be an appreciable amount of effect?

I think a test with a snubby 357 up against a brisket or other large piece of meat would be interesting. What do you all think?

Surfer

[surferdaddy]

Or even clear gel with slowmo would be pretty cool.

[srothstein]

When I went through the police academy, we were taught to look for the extra damage caused by the blast in a contact wound. One way to tell a suicide from a murder if the shot was in the temple was to look for the way the eyes were bulged out by the blast after the bullet penetrated. You could also tell a revolver from a pistol by looking for the ring of powder that escaped the cylinder gap and would be around the wound.

I forgot most of that since I would leave it for the M.E. and detectives to worry about, but I do know that there is damage caused by the blast too.

And as I finished that last sentence, I seem to recall an episode of Mythbusters (I think, might have been somewhere else) where they were testing the blast from the cylinder gap by strapping hot dogs alongside it to show why you do not hold your finger there on a revolver like you can on a pistol.

[ELB]

I have seen some autopsy photos of close-or-contact range shots that injected hot gasses into the subject. It did indeed make a mess, far more than the bullet itself would have done. Particularly dramatic is sticking a shotgun in the mouth and firing. Yechh.

[surferdaddy]

I have seen some autopsy photos of close-or-contact range shots that injected hot gasses into the subject. It did indeed make a mess, far more than the bullet itself would have done. Particularly dramatic is sticking a shotgun in the mouth and firing. Yechh.

Ew.

[crazy2medic]

Worked a suicide were the guy laid is head on the muzzle of a 30-30 and that was a mess, the selfishness of doing this where your family finds you is unbelievable! That will be their last image of them!

[surferdaddy]

Worked a suicide were the guy laid is head on the muzzle of a 30-30 and that was a mess, the selfishness of doing this where your family finds you is unbelievable! That will be their last image of them!

Yeah, that’s terrible.

[AndyC1911]

I was wondering if anyone has ever seen any test or know about blast damage of a contact shot. I know that energy has to go somewhere. I was wondering the if the blast after the projectile leaves the barrel would compound damage as it enters the wound channel. Would it be an appreciable amount of effect?

It is. There's a large amount of high-pressure gas that enters the cavity and tears and/or pulps tissues, depending on their ability to stretch - it can even fracture bone. There can also be an appreciable but variable amount of ejecta coming back the other way (blood, tissue).

[couzin]

Worked a towing company late 70s in Newark Del. Got a police cal to a location to standby an auto tow while suicide was being removed. This 18 yo kid shoved a shotgun in his mouth sitting on the hood of his fathers Duster and ended it. Kid was still there but on the ground, his jaw and throat was just exploded and there was a baseball sized hole in the top of his head. Worse part was we had to hold the Duster in the garage until police released to parents. Mom and Dad showed up to get the car a week later and mom, bless her heart, was picking at the chunks of bone and brain all over the car saying 'what is all this all over his car'? Dad quietly asked us to clean it and tow it to their home while he quickly escorted mom out... Seen lots of dead and dying, but that one still remains with me.

[surferdaddy]

Wow, these are some tragic and disturbing stories. I suppose “contact shot” is never going to be a good outcome for the recipient. It sounds as if the blast from say a snubby 357 contact shot would prove devastating beyond the simple ballistic effect from the projectile.

I dug around the inter webs a bit and found a couple of tests but they were not very clear. I would love to see a good ballistic gel test if anyone has any laying about!

Surfer

[Excaliber]

This article should answer the question.

[parabelum]

Fast forward to 2 min mark if you don’t have time to watch a whole video.




And the classic:

[ELB]

Worked a suicide were the guy laid is head on the muzzle of a 30-30 and that was a mess, the selfishness of doing this where your family finds you is unbelievable! That will be their last image of them!

Yes, had a guy shoot himself in the head with a revolver in the bedroom while his wife and kids were in the house. Didn't kill him immediately, the kids and wife were screaming and crying while we carried him out of the bedroom to the ambulance, blood pouring out of his head. At the time I was focused just on trying to keep his O2 mask on his face (blood is very slippery) while carrying him out, but later I was disgusted with him because we had to take him past his family like that. I pity that he felt despaired so much that he decided on suicide, but putting his family through that was awful.

He didn't make it, heart stopped twice in the ambulance on the way to the landing zone, and he went out for good during the helicopter ride.

Pertinent to the thread: I don't believe this was a contact shot, but close range, no exit wound IIRC, but a lot of blood. It has been my limited experience that GSW to the head bleeds a LOT. I guess there's no room for the blood to pool, like in the abdomen or chest, so it all comes gushing out.

[surferdaddy]

This article should answer the question.

So the residual blast can be fatal by itself it would seem. Craziness. Didn’t Brandon Lee die from blanks somehow?

[Excaliber]

This article should answer the question.

So the residual blast can be fatal by itself it would seem. Craziness. Didn’t Brandon Lee die from blanks somehow?

No, Bruce Lee reportedly died from an allergic reaction to a painkiller he had taken for headaches.