.22LR penetrative ability

[Puncha]

When shooting a .22lr semi-auto rifle made by any of the mainstream US firearms markers (marlin, savage, ruger...etc) and when using high velocity (NOT hyper velocity) ammo (mini-mags, winchester super-X high speed, RWS 100), what kind of materials penetration can we expect?

For example, can a mini-mag hollow point penetrate the following at 30 yards:

1)20 sheets of paper.
2)1/4" of plywood.
3)1/2" of hardwood (oak)
4)normal wooden door
5)4mm thick mildsteel plate
6)6mm thick aluminium plate
7)sliding door of a delivery van

Will the penetration be greater with copper jacket LRNs?

Some of my friends and I are thinking of doing some plinking at a scrapyard owned by my distant relative, for safety reasons, we want to construct the best backstop possible.

 

[AverageJoe47]

I’m no expert but I would say option 1) and 2) are defiantly out of the question

 

[Chipperman]

None of those are going to be ideal. The wood will be penetrated too easily, and the steel will have risk of ricochets.

Your best best will be a combo of some of the above. Something hard enough to prevent full penetration, but also with something softer in front to help stop ricochets and lead splatter.

 

[Schleprok62]

1)20 sheets of paper.

Yes

2)1/4" of plywood.

Yes

3)1/2" of hardwood (oak)

Yes

4)normal wooden door

(by "normal" do you mean a standard issue hollow core door?)
Yes

if we're talking about a solid pine, 6 panel "christian" door:
Yes

5)4mm thick mildsteel plate

No idea... but I doubt it

6)6mm thick aluminium plate

no idea... but I doubt it

7)sliding door of a delivery van

Probably the outer skin, but I don't think it would maintain enough energy to get through the inner door panel...


My ex brother in law and I did some "testing" with 2x4's and phonebooks a few years ago. 22lr bulk stuff would penetrate a 2x4 and lodge itself about halfway through a Pittsburgh, PA phonebook... from about 50 feet...

Does this help answer your question???

 

[LHB1]

Some of my friends and I are thinking of doing some plinking at a scrapyard owned by my distant relative, for safety reasons, we want to construct the best backstop possible.

Would suggest DIRT is your best and cheapest backstop material to stop bullets. May need some sort of frame to support a dirt berm. Try some tests with at least 3 feet of dirt.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

 

[flip180]

My local range one time had a file cabinet laying in front of the 100 yard bern. I took a few pop shots at it with my CZ 452 Super BRNO which has a 28.5 inch barrel. I was using Remington high velocity 36 grain bulk ammo. It penetrated the steel with pretty much every shot but would frangment inside. I've chono'd this rifle with this ammo at 100 yards and it still carries out at over 1000 fps. Here's a link to my post about it.

http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=163474

10 feet.
Hi=1262 fps. Lo=1205 fps. Avg=1227 fps. Es=57 fps. Sd=17 fps.

50 yards.
Hi=1112 fps. Lo=1040 fps. Avg=1075 fps. Es=72 fps. Sd=22 fps.

100 yards.
Hi=1031 fps. Lo=963 fps. Avg=1013 fps. Es=68 fps. Sd=20 fps.

I've clocked mini-mags at pretty much the same velocity ten feet from the barrel. I feel the same that dirt would be your best bet.


Flip.

 

[whm1974]

.22 LR will penetrate a lot more then people think it can.

-Bill

 

[goon]

The lowly .22 will shoot through a car door without too much trouble if it hits square and may shoot clear through the car and out the other door if it doesn't hit something else to stop it.
A regular lead bullet will shoot through a billet of pine or other relatively soft wood about 4" inches thick in my experience (I am not a lumberjack so don't ask for details). Never tried a "test" with a minimag or any other HV .22 ammo though.

I would also go with a big pile of dirt for a backstop. Enough dirt will stop about anything. If that isn't possible try mounting a peice of scrap steel on an angle so it will deflect the bullets into the ground rather than having them hit straight on.

 

[Starter52]

Bill's right about the .22 penetration. One of the first things we do with our beginner shooters is take a 2 foot 2x4 downrange and fire several shots at it from a .22 rifle (we use the very same rifle/ammo that the kids are going to shoot.)

After shooting we pass the 2x4 around and let every kid handle it. Really impresses them on how dangerous a .22 can be.

FYI every shot goes clean through the 2x4 every time.

 

[Crosshair]

Angle the steel plate 45 degrees so any ricochet will be deflected into the ground. The put the plywood and oak over the back to catch anything that does get through. 22 LR likes to penitrate when it hits head on, but if it hits at an angle it likes to spater.

 

[Puncha]

Some here have said that .22LR penetrates easily when it hits squarely and it has been shown that it penetrates sheet steel EASILY. However, at a range I once visited that had target frames made of solid 5mm thick steel bars, the remington yellow jackets (hyper velocity HPs) that hit the steel merely SCUFFED it while lead was spatterred all over my target paper. Why do thin steel rods have such balllistic resistance?

 

[Glock19Fan]

I have shot several things with my .22LR (Marlin 60).

Like mentioned, 2x4s are no problem for the little pill.

It will penetrate 5 milk jugs of water and keep on going.

At 100 yards, it will barely dent a 1/8 stainless plate, but at less than 25 it puts a pretty good dent in it. 1/4 inch steel however would probably barely scratch.

It will penetrate a road sign with no problem (I found a "water falling from bridge" sign at the local shooting range a few months ago and did some testing). I think these are made of aluminum however. The .22s had no problem going through them, except at extreme angles.

In ballistic gelatin a 40 grain RLN bullet will usually penetrate 15-18 inches. Hyper velocity HPs (like Stingers) dont usually go more than 8-9 inches, and 36 grain HPs dont usually go further than 10 inches.

I agree, many people underestimate this caliber.

 

[Spiggy]

if it helps any, .22LR vs a granite slab at 100yrds the bullet turns into a flat disk

 

[Geno]

I see two topics emerging:

1) How to build a good back-stop: buy it at Bass Pro or else where. A steel trap for .22LR is about $49.00

2) What or how much can a .22LR penetrate: I used a 10/22 Heavy barrel, zeroed at 225 yards to harvest woodchucks on the family farm. One-shots kills were common-place. The projectile completely penetrated the critter, even at 225 yards.

Those were Remington Thunderbolts. Without a doubt, the .22LR is my favorite round! Bar none. They are cheap; they are powerful and they are capable of extraordinary accuracy!

Edited to say, this is THE BEST scope ever invented for the .22LR:

https://tp-commerce.techpro.com/shepherdscopes/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1&cat=Scopes

Doc2005

 

[Puncha]

Out of curiosity

How will high velocity .22 LRHV LRNs fare against these additional targets at 12 yards?

1) computer CPU with casing
2) construction site hardhat mounted on a pole
3) re-enactment medieval steel helmet
4) 10mm thick tempered safety glass

 

[rockstar.esq]

Allright Puncha here are your answers.

Firstly, the reason that a "bar" of steel isn't getting cut in two has everything to do with it being round. The "angle of incidence" for your bullet is likely anything BUT straight on. As such the round profile helps to deflect the bullet.

The computer will be toast. As will the glass.

The hardhat will offer no resistance whatsoever. For a more interesting target check out what safety glasses will do.(hint: they melt more)
The medieval helmet will likely far a little better than the hardhat but not enough to matter.

A standard 40gr .22LR @ 1000fps has approximately 887.311 foot pounds of kinetic energy at the muzzle. Consider your average sledgehammer and you begin to see the tactical significance of gunpowder.

 

[dfaugh]

Well, on my backyard range i have several old appliances (1 refrigerator, 2 wachers, 1 dryer)....Behind that are several sections of tree trunk (18 to 24" in diameter) and a hillside beyond that.

Any way a .22LR will easily go completely through the sheet metal (and internal parts) of the appliances, and 2-4 inches into the pine logs. In fact, they penetrate almost as far as 9mm hardball. Even 7.62x39 doesn't penetrate all that much farther into the wood.

In short, wood is a good backstop, but you need several inches to be safe, and a .22LR will penetrate a variety of materials farther than you might think. And, as mentioned dirt is the best.

 

[shecky]

A standard 40gr .22LR @ 1000fps has approximately 887.311 foot pounds of kinetic energy at the muzzle.

I think you may be off by, oh, a little bit. Put the decimal point to the left one digit.

Not to downplay the penetration of .22lr, of course. A lot of folks seem to mistakenly think it's just a small notch above a Red Ryder.

 

[Canuck-IL]

A standard 40gr .22LR @ 1000fps has approximately 887.311 foot pounds of kinetic energy at the muzzle

Wow! No more lugging that heavy old 45 around!
/B

 

[Don't Tread On Me]

My findings on .22LR echo dfaugh's post above...



I set up 2 planks of pressure treated lumber. 2x6's. One infront of the other, with about 1/4" space between them.


I used the cheap bulkpack Winchester (one with the big giant lead HP)..not nearly as fast as the Velocitor.


I shot them at about 15 yards. The bullet completely cleared the first board, and was about 1/16" from breaking out the back of the 2nd one. The back was split and buldged where the bullet was. It was mushroomed and stopped just short of exiting. I pryed it out with a pocket knife from the rear of the 2nd board. That's nearly 4" of penetration in wood.


.22LR is no joke. People constantly talk about is mousegun bla blah ...but ALL firearms are serious, and all of them can penetrate more than you think. Never assume anything. Never get into the habit of thinking a particular cartridge doesn't penetrate well.

 

[Grump]

Ooohhhh,

(I am not a lumberjack

. . . but you're okay???

The huge problem with wood as a backstop is that your shots tend to cluster towards the center of your aiming points and the wood rapidly gets destroyed. IME, you can even get 25-yard splashback of bullet lead as the next rounds impact the growing mass of lead accumulated inside your backstop.

Within those limits, standard old wimpy fir 2x4s will much more handily stop .22 LR rounds if you are hitting the wood end-on, or parallel with the grain. I've seen inch, to inch 'n a quarter penetration.

When shooting a .22lr semi-auto rifle

Action type is irrelevant.

 

[LAK]

No lead .22RF Long Rifle bullet is going to punch 4mm steel plate or 6mm aluminum even right off the muzzle. .22 solids do very well on soft tissue and quite well on softwoods etc. But even thin sheet metal and glass can deflect them at angles.

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