Flechette
Member
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2011
- Messages
- 481
For non-central nervous system hits incapacitation is largely caused by a quick drop in blood pressure. Hitting the heart does that quickly. For other areas the blood pressure drop will take a bit of time.
Exit wounds seem to be advantageous as it would make two paths for the blood to exit the body. A single wound with the bullet in the target can still make a bit of back pressure to slow bleeding. Bleeding is more difficult to stop if there are two exit paths.
It seems to me that exit wounds were talked about much more in the past and not so much today. Today bullet performance conversations tend to be about bullet expansion and a minimum penetration of 12 inches...ostensibly to get to vital organs and not necessarily to make an exit wound.
Another aspect of this issue is that a bullet leaving the target faster makes for a larger exit wound than one that barely makes it out. I have seen this in pumpkin shoots. Many times a .45 and a .357 will penetrate the same number of pumpkins, but if you look at the exit wounds from the .357 they are noticeably larger.
Exit wounds seem to be advantageous as it would make two paths for the blood to exit the body. A single wound with the bullet in the target can still make a bit of back pressure to slow bleeding. Bleeding is more difficult to stop if there are two exit paths.
It seems to me that exit wounds were talked about much more in the past and not so much today. Today bullet performance conversations tend to be about bullet expansion and a minimum penetration of 12 inches...ostensibly to get to vital organs and not necessarily to make an exit wound.
Another aspect of this issue is that a bullet leaving the target faster makes for a larger exit wound than one that barely makes it out. I have seen this in pumpkin shoots. Many times a .45 and a .357 will penetrate the same number of pumpkins, but if you look at the exit wounds from the .357 they are noticeably larger.