What causes these elongated bullet holes?

That could be what is called "key holing", when the bullet is tumbling through the air. Like a football that is thrown with a nice spiral it travels more uniformly, but when I throw a football it is wobbling and sometimes going end over end.

What was behind the target? It could be the paper just tore when the bullet hit it. If you were shooting hollow points it could have grabbed some paper.

I know you are asking because you don't know, but what do you guess caused it? Maybe you don't have any idea, that's okay.

Looks like keyholeing. That would be caused by bullet tumbling and spiraling from the barrel. I am not positive but that is what it looks like to me.

Target paper is specially made so that the paper fibres are randomly oriented. This is done so the bullet holes will be nice and clean and round.

Ordindary paper is vibrated or is moved continuously and rapidly in only one direction, so the fibers tend to align, and will tear in preferred directions. This is especially evident in newsprint, which is cheaply made. Tear one way, and the rip is nice and straight. Tear at 90 degrees, and it is difficult to get a straight tear.

Chances are these targets were printed on ordinary paper. Eight will get you ten that if you rotate the targets 90 degrees, the tears will appear horizontally when shot at.

The holes do not look like the ordinary "keyholing" of unstable bullets.

Terry

REF:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_machine

230RN said:

Target paper is made by vibrating the Fourdrinier screens in all directions so that the paper fibres are randomly oriented. THis is done so the bullet holes will be nice and clean and round.

Ordindary paper is vibrated in only one direction, so the fibers tend to align, and will tear in preferred direction,

Chances are these targets were printed on ordinary paper. Eight will get you ten that if you rotate the targets 90 degrees, the tears will appear horizontally.

They do not look like the ordinary "keyholing" of unstable bullets.

Terry

REF:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_machine

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I agree it doesn't look like ordinary key holing.

Not key holing as there are perfectly round holes above every tear.

My guess is you were shooting at a free hanging target with no backer behind it.

So the paper is trying to get out of the way.

rc

As mentioned, that isn't keyholing. Paper's ripping as the bullet goes through. No big deal.
Key holing looks like the side view of your bullet.

Key holing looks like the side view of your bullet.

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Yeah, kinda like the attached photo - 68 Gr bullet fired in a 1-12 twist .223. One hole appears almost normal but the other 3 show varying profile hits.

Yup. My first thought was key holing, but I must agree with those who say it is a characteristic of the paper, and possibly contributed to by hanging the paper instead of it being stapled to a board or other form of a backstop. The creases in the paper below two of the bottom tears also lend credence to this theory.

Woody

Eight will get you ten that if you rotate the targets 90 degrees, the tears will appear horizontally when shot at.

Click to expand...

Agree with Terry.

Highland Ranger said:

Good - I thought there was something wrong.

You are correct - paper target hanging with nothing behind it.

Funny it did it with the 45 and not the 9mm's. Guess the bigger bullet made more wind.

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More likely it's due to the fact that the 45 is fatter and slower.

Woody

Funny it did it with the 45 and not the 9mm's. Guess the bigger bullet made more wind.

Click to expand...

No, the 9mm is a lot faster then the .45.

So the paper doesn't have time to try to jump out of the way.

rc

Good diagnosis. I will also add that if it were keyholing, the ellongated holes wouldn't all be going in the same direction, they would be somewhat random. Keyholing is more prevalent with rifle rounds than pistol.