22lr penetration test on aircraft aluminum

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I had very similar results with an old desk top computer tower. I could not get any .22 to penetrate the side of the computer. .22 magnums would go in but not go through the computer and out the other side under any circumstances.

WWB 9mm would not go through until the cards and such inside were destroyed. Even then the round was badly deformed and looked like it had lost major amounts of energy.
 
I'm going out on a limb here.....
Material looks like it should be some 2024T3 -annealed and taken to the "W" condition just before it was put on a stretch press and formed on the block/die,that is where those jaw marks on the edges came from .(then the part gets artificially age hardened to T4 temper...)
You got the scrap:rolleyes: I'm positive it was just gonna get trashed anyways.
It appears to be 0.125" from the photo
 
What is that a sheet of 7075 aged to T6? how thick?
I took a piece of CP TI .032 one time lead semi wad cutters out of a Model 60 38 special, just made big splashes on it but .223 out of the mini zipped right thru it.
 
geez guys lol, you know WAY more about aluminum than I do. T6 aged 7075 blah blah blah.


No idea. seriously this little test was basically " oh hey I should shoot this" and then I did.

I just thought it was interesting how the bulk ammo did vs the high test stuff. And how totally disappointing anything was coming from the pistol.

I am going to set up two peices tomorrow to see what the dents look like after it passes thru the first peice. should be interesting, but I dont expect much out of the second plate.
 
i would be interested in trying those rounds in a pistol from a smaller distance to simulate a self defense so, let's say 10-15 yards.
 
7075-O Means its the strongest of aluminums but it is also annealed, so somewhat soft at this point. Try a sheet of .016" 6al4v titanium. That is what I use for my 22 trap. Strong stuff. Neat test.
 
I'm a 40+ years retired Staff Manufacturing Engineer in aircraft parts, aircraft aluminum depending where it is used can be thin .025 or thick .125 or better. The piece in question is 7075-0 that was heat treat held in "W" so it could be formed probably on a skin press, then aged to T6 a hard aluminum condition. I find it kind of cool he was able to take out and play with. If it was a wing skin then maybe .063 to .080. Most of our stuff was 2024, 2219, 6061 or 7075 most all start in "O" for preform then are heat treated held in "W" (put in a freezer) then finished formed, these except for 2219 are then sent to age harden, aluminum trims great when its hard, 2219 grows during age so it is always trimmed to final size after age.
I know this is a gunsite but for those that don't know just a little facts on the process.
BTW Beer cans are "O: aluminum makes them easy to crush :D
 
An interesting side point though is that many things that are not considered cover, such as office equipment and furniture could in fact serve as cover albeit in imperfectly.
 
In fact over-penetration was why people avoided the 9mm for a long time. It was only when they developed bullets that spread out and didn't penetrate all the way through that the 9mm started becoming a popular round for self defense.
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Except in Europe and most of the rest of the world.

On the OP, cool test. I'm surprised any of them made it through.
 
Here's an explanation for you.
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Thanks for the explanation but my point was only related to penetration..some people think only momentum count in penetration which is not true..

Overall I agree with some of your statements...

And for hunting the main advantage to speed is a flat trajectory. But if I want to shoot a charging bear (standard gun board example employed here) I want something that's going to act more like the fat kid doing a cannonball at the local pool rather than the Olympic diver who barely makes the water ripple. I want tissue to splash around all over when I shoot a charging bear.
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That is more related to the shape than the weight...

In fact over-penetration was why people avoided the 9mm for a long time.
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To be frank, I think that in an human size target, the difference in effectiveness, for example, between a 9 mm FMJ round and a 45 FMJ round (assuming the same bullet shape, let's say flat point) is negligible at best...we are not comparing a needle with a hammer.....same thing for a deer hit by a flat point 30-30 or a flat point 45-70...is not going to matter much

IMO the best bullets are a compromise between speed and mass with a healthy dose of expansion technology.
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I totally agree on that...however penetration is fundamental when you have to get to the vitals of an animal...this is the reason why the best bear defense handgun bullets are solids or hardcast....they need every ounce of energy they have for penetration rather than expansion...

At what thickness does aluminum exhibit the same characteristics as living tissue?
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Drag and resistance is drag and resistance everywhere....some materials will exhibit more some less....don't beat around the bush...point is the heavier bullet failed to penetrate that alluminum sheet where a lighter faster bullet did (because of its higher energy).....period...
 
Drag and resistance is drag and resistance everywhere....some materials will exhibit more some less
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So again...how is the aluminum with more or less drag and resistance a predictor of something with a completely different level of drag and resistance?
I'm not even saying I disagree with you on the principles of penetration, I'm just saying that to say what happens when you shoot aluminum is the exact same thing that happens when you hit a wet, soft body many, many times thicker is silly.
If velocity/energy were the best predictors of penetration, a 290 at 2100fps(2859ft lb) would out penetrate a 530gr at 1500fps(2719 ft lb), but the latter penetrates almost twice as far.
 
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I would say I have to agree with all the people saying aluminum or metal is nothing like ......... anything other than aluminum or metal.

I will do a test into meat if you like, but saying this was anything other than fooling around shooting metal is a little silly.

How come I dont see more meat tests on forums like this?


I think I will take a bunch of deer steaks, stack em up sideways and fire into them. I dont care if they have a little hole in em before I eat em, the wife doesnt like venison anyhow.


I am thinking testing the bulk 22lr, the velocitor, the supermax, and doubletap +P+ 147 grain gold dots. I already know what slugs do, and rifle rounds will blow it up too much.
 
Just to add, I do think this was a cool and fun test, and I appreciate you posting it.

Drag and resistance is drag and resistance everywhere.
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Oh yeah, and the characteristics of the projectile are what determines how that drag and resistance affects the behavior of the projectile.
 
Alluminum is not animal tissue of course, I would never compare the two....however take the test for what it is....a lighter bullet penetrated where a heavier did not...

If velocity/energy were the best predictors of penetration, a 290 at 2100fps(2859ft lb) would out penetrate a 530gr at 1500fps(2719 ft lb), but the latter penetrates almost twice as far.
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You left out sectional density.....same caliber??
 
But as long as we're talking about SD too...

375 H&H Mt. Baldy FNGC 290gr 2,107fps 24.0" SD .295 Energy 2859 ft lb
45 Colt LBT 300gr 1,180fps 38.0" SD .21 Energy 927ft lb

This is penetration into soaked newsprint
 
Gryff is right, pretty much widely accepted that 16 is the ideal.

There is a pretty wide range in 22 ammo tho, as this test does show.

So not sure really. But I would assume a 16 incher would do everything a 22 would.

I will say that the 4 inch pistol failed miserably tho, so there is definatly a sweet spot between 4 and 16.

What the longer barrels are good for, is smooth swinging and stability offhand, and most of all for me, low noise.

<and personally I think they look cool>
 
I left it out because you did. You've been yammering on about velocity and energy with nary a mention of SD
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I apologize for the omission...usually I always hammer down about SD all the time with "pure momentum" proponents!!! :neener:
 
hey guys, I am going to try out that shooting into stacked up meat thing, should I worry too much about shooting a pile of meat multiple times then eating it? lead poisoning or whathaveyou.
 
"I left it out because you did. You've been yammering on about velocity and energy with nary a mention of SD
I apologize for the omission...usually I always hammer down about SD all the time with "pure momentum" proponents!!! "
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I hear an axe being grinded in the distance.............
 
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