I remember a few years ago when I was a wee lad, my dad used our HK USP to kill a cow we were going to butcher. It was a large cow for sure. He shot the cow in the forehead, right throught the brain, with cheap hardball. When we butchered we found a wound channel through the base of the skull all the way down the animal's neck, in the muscle. We found the bullet buried in the what I think is the sternum, breastbone. At least 3 proably a good 4 feet of penetration through real tissue. Definately surprised us.
45 ACP penetration story
- Thread starter zahc
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P95Carry
Moderator Emeritus
Quite impressive! I'd guess tho that the bullet may have missed the cervical vertebrae, having made it that far ..... more bone contact could have slowed it quicker. Mind you, once in thoracic cavity, only soft tissue to hold it up until reaching sternum.
Had that been a hollow point ... I'd say that would have been an entirely different story!!!
Had that been a hollow point ... I'd say that would have been an entirely different story!!!
George Hill
Member
"cheap hardball"
LOL...
I'll have to get me some of that!
LOL...
I'll have to get me some of that!
ambidextrous1
Member
Hey, the American GI has kicked a LOT of butt with "cheap hardball".
I think we all worry too much about finding the "magic bullet"; I don't want to be on the receiving end of ANY .45 ammo!
Ditto .30 S&W
Ditto 9MM
Ditto .32 ACP
Ditto .38, special & Magnum
Ditto .44, special & magnum
.25...will you pay me a LOT to do this? I'm thinking...
I think we all worry too much about finding the "magic bullet"; I don't want to be on the receiving end of ANY .45 ammo!
Ditto .30 S&W
Ditto 9MM
Ditto .32 ACP
Ditto .38, special & Magnum
Ditto .44, special & magnum
.25...will you pay me a LOT to do this? I'm thinking...
Mike Irwin
Member
Hum...
I've heard that the .45 won't even penetrate a winter coat at close range...
I've heard that the .45 won't even penetrate a winter coat at close range...
Pendragon
Member
I think they were using .45 revolvers on the Moros.
Didnt the uprising start in like 09 or something?
But this is why they wanted a .45 auto...
Didnt the uprising start in like 09 or something?
But this is why they wanted a .45 auto...
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
The only way a normal 230 gr. .45 acp all round traveled 3-4 feet inside a cow would be if it somehow had a clear channel to follow, such as the throat down toward the stomach. Even then, I would be surprised if the round penetrated the forehead, passing through the brain, and then punching out the bottom. The frontal bones are pretty solid, much more so than found in humans and the frontal bones of humans are pretty amazing in regard to their strength.
Given the trajectory of the head and neck that the bullet must have followed, then am I to assume it was impacted on the inside of the sternum? That would be rather amazing.
By chance, did your dad also shoot Kennedy?
Given the trajectory of the head and neck that the bullet must have followed, then am I to assume it was impacted on the inside of the sternum? That would be rather amazing.
By chance, did your dad also shoot Kennedy?
00-naught...
Have you shot much game with a handgun? Those big ol' slow slugs can be flat amazing at how much critter they'll sail through. While the LBT & SWC designs generally follow a pretty straight path, RN designs are known to wander a bit. Ask anybody who's set in on some autopsies.
Have you shot much game with a handgun? Those big ol' slow slugs can be flat amazing at how much critter they'll sail through. While the LBT & SWC designs generally follow a pretty straight path, RN designs are known to wander a bit. Ask anybody who's set in on some autopsies.
Selfdfenz
Member
"The frontal bones are pretty solid, much more so than found in humans and the frontal bones of humans are pretty amazing in regard to their strength."
More that humans.... yes
Pretty solid....no
I've dug more that a few 22 bullets out of pig and cow skulls shortly after they were shot. The bone thickness never impressed me as being overly thick or supernatually reinforced.
The little 22s always took it in stride. Recovered every one IIRC and they typically pilled up in the "somewhere" near where the spinal column connects. All started lfe as solids and were pretty deformed. I have never seen a pig or cow shot with anything other than 22s but I can only imagine from the profound way them preformed that something like a 38 or 45ACP would have been effective in the extreme given a good shot.
I've examines about a dozen bovin skulls that were older and either "preserved" after being shot or they were encountered in the white the woods in dump piles. Of those dozen or so several were shot with something considerably larger than 22s. I never encountered the slug in any of them and we crushed the "woodland finds" attempting to find the slug if there was no evidence of a exit wound, which was sometimes the case. Not too sure that I learned much from the disarticulared skulls other than some people shoot cows with bigger guns that 22s and a dried out cow skull will appear to be thinner thickness-wise in the frontal area than the a fresh version. BTW all the "old" cow skulls I ever had a chance to examine had horns but all the beef cattle I ever participated in dispatching were without horns. So, disclaimer there due to genetics.
S-
More that humans.... yes
Pretty solid....no
I've dug more that a few 22 bullets out of pig and cow skulls shortly after they were shot. The bone thickness never impressed me as being overly thick or supernatually reinforced.
The little 22s always took it in stride. Recovered every one IIRC and they typically pilled up in the "somewhere" near where the spinal column connects. All started lfe as solids and were pretty deformed. I have never seen a pig or cow shot with anything other than 22s but I can only imagine from the profound way them preformed that something like a 38 or 45ACP would have been effective in the extreme given a good shot.
I've examines about a dozen bovin skulls that were older and either "preserved" after being shot or they were encountered in the white the woods in dump piles. Of those dozen or so several were shot with something considerably larger than 22s. I never encountered the slug in any of them and we crushed the "woodland finds" attempting to find the slug if there was no evidence of a exit wound, which was sometimes the case. Not too sure that I learned much from the disarticulared skulls other than some people shoot cows with bigger guns that 22s and a dried out cow skull will appear to be thinner thickness-wise in the frontal area than the a fresh version. BTW all the "old" cow skulls I ever had a chance to examine had horns but all the beef cattle I ever participated in dispatching were without horns. So, disclaimer there due to genetics.
S-
ACP
Member
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This is the thread I'm referring to:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18606
It is my wise a$$ way of informing others that the .45 ACP is a good round.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18606
It is my wise a$$ way of informing others that the .45 ACP is a good round.
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