Soldier's tooth stops bullet!

[jefnvk]

Freak accident, could have happened with anything. As others have said, probably a light powder charge or ricochet.

Not saying 9mm is perfect, but I'm not calling it underpowered based on one report. I'd b willing to be there are thousands of freak accidents with .45, .357 and .44 Mag as well.

 

[Harley Quinn]

This is a perfect thread for those who wish to pulver the 9mm
But in all honesty, all they are going to do is hit them selves in the foot.

It is a story, nothing else and not a lot of back up to boot.

Edit:
Looking at the base end of the bullet in his mouth (between teeth), I'd say it was not a 9mm.
Looks to small, plus you can see some of the tooth next to it.

 

[mjrodney]

Fluoride containing compounds such as sodium fluoride, calcium fluoride, and sodium monofluorophosphate are commonly added to toothpaste, drinking water, prescribed treatments, and other commercially available oral hygiene products because fluoride strengthens the tooth enamel.

Fluoride.....that's what it is......fluoride.......

 

[Odd Job]

The X-ray on Snopes appears to match the teeth on the photograph, and the image of the deformed round on the X-ray is consistent with other deformed rounds I have seen in gunshot victims.

The only conclusion you can come to in this case is what I have been saying for a long time: the human face represents the most complex of targets in the human body. Odd things happen. I've seen one or two gunshot faces and I can tell you that sometimes it is very difficult to understand the nature of the terminal trajectory, especially if you get a case of 'pinball.'

 

[Sistema1927]

I, for one, am glad that the 9mm failed in this case.

This will not, however, keep me from pocket carrying a Kahr PM9.

 

[Sharps-shooter]

Well, miracles work in many ways. This particular miracle may have included just the wrong bullet being in the chamber at just the right time.

I don't think it matters if it was 9mm parabellum or corto or whatever. They all should be good for a face shot at close range. If there's enough powder behind the bullet.

I can take a 45-70 cartridge and load it so that a 400 grain bullet won't penetrate a piece of sheetrock. If you don't put anything but the primer in it, it just pops out the end of the barrel like a corkgun.

Someone, somewhere loaded the round in this story. I wouldn't be surprised if it was done at a sweatshop where time and powder were both in short supply.

Just my guess, not meaning to say that it wasn't divine intervention all the same.

 

[Kevin108]

Talk about biting the bullet...

 

[C-grunt]

Definitly a deffective round. The 9mm is known for its penetration ability. Isnt that the whole argument against the 9mm ball...."It just zips right through the BG without doing a whole lot of damage."

The few insurgents that I saw the Iraqi Police shoot with their 9mm ball Glock 19s all had through and through wounds.

 

[Noxx]

Show me an article where a 45 is stopped by a TOOTH and I'll start to get excited. Until then, I'll stick with 45

Didn't one member of the newton gang catch 4-5 .45's in the upper body and survive?

Freak shots happen, nothing's guaranteed.

 

[Scanr]

I'd give my eye tooth to be that lucky.

1. Someone was praying for that boy.

2. Time to trade my 9 in for a 40 or 45.

 

[Harley Quinn]

Old Cole Younger lived through many a shot, with a 45 I think
I'd heard stories about the 45 going around the skull and under the skin and coming out the same hole, Hmmm maybe that was a 25

Gettin pretty hard of hearing of late, to many 30 cals and 45s back in the 50's and 60's. Huh

 

[Blackbeard]

Man, you guys will jump all over one data point and call it proven. There are too many questions here to draw any conclusions about effectiveness.

What type of cartridge was it? Maybe it was a squib load. How many guys have been shot in the teeth with a .45? Any of them get deflected? What was the angle of impact? Maybe his head turned away and the bullet just grazed his tooth, knocking it out. He did say he thought the shot missed. I don't think a point-blank perpendicular shot in the face is going to be confused with a miss.

 

[MachIVshooter]

People taking handgun rounds to the face and the round failing to penetrate into the brain cavity is not all that uncommon. Lots of relatively thick bones up there with strange angles.

Yes, this soldier was very lucky indeed. But he is not the first - nor will he be the last - individual to survive a handgun wound to the head at point blank range.

That said, it is strange how sometimes people survive some absolutely horrific injuries, yet others die from relatively minor ones.

 

[ozwyn]

The only lesson learned here is don't be stingy on shooting. I don't care if it is 9mm, .45, .38 or whatever.... if you need to shoot it, shoot it twice or three times until the threat is stopped.

 

[Odd Job]

The other thing to remember is that this is essentially a gunshot wound to the maxilla, not to the tooth.

 

[Heavy Metal Hero]

It also this is evidence there is a Higher Authority looking after the good guys at times.

 

[Durby]

A guy who I went to high school with is in the hospital right now, he joined the Marines at 17 and a couple years later shipped out to Iraq. Last week a sniper hit him in the head. I have no idea the cartridge used, or the range, but the kid took a rifle round to the face and survived. It was just in our local paper. A head shot definitely does not mean a kill, which as these stories prove, is a great thing at times, and a horrible thing at other times.
He is expected to make a full recovery. Sorry no link to the article.

 

[10 Ring Tao]

Given the wound and appearance on xray, I'm putting in my vote for a .32.

 

[Harley Quinn]

10 Ring Tao,
Looking at the picture of the base of the bullet stuck in between the tooth I am thinking that also. Or it could even be smaller.

The teeth (mine) at that point are about 3/8th of an inch across..So if we use 1000 as an indicator..
a .355 is going to take up the whole of the socket I'd believe. Now as I see it in the picture if a 32 or 7.65 is to be the factor we are looking at .308/.312.

A 25 auto is more the size of what it appears or the 32, the 25 being .257 or around a distorted 1/4 of an inch or 32 being about 9/32nds =7.65

Which to me is what you are saying or smaller Hmmmm
I said that once.

I used many variables for all to understand or be completely lost

 

[Odd Job]

Unfortunately it is impossible to measure the calibre of the projectile on that radiograph. These are the reasons:

1) The radiograph is produced by a form of tomography. You can think of tomography as a layer-specific radiograph. It relies on the technologist/radiographer setting the 'focus' or alignment of that layer to match the patient's upper and lower jaw, not the retained bullet. That bullet is likely to be posterior to that imaging plane and is therefore out of focus or not optimally defined by the imaging process.

2) The projectile is deformed. Even if static radiographs are taken of this retained projectile, the attitude of the projectile relative to the X-ray beam may make it impossible to discern the two edges of the bearing surface. Without that, you have nothing to measure.

3) All radiographs of retained projectiles are subject to magnification because X-ray beams diverge like light rays from a flashlight. In order to work out what the degree of magnification is, you have to conduct the radiography with prospective controls and documentation in place. In other words you have to plan this before you do the X-rays. I highly doubt that they would try that sort of radiological investigation at a battlefield hospital in circumstances where the calibre of the projectile is not the focus of a forensic investigation. I suspect it would be far easier to examine the captured pistol and spent cartridge case as a start, instead of going for retrospective analysis of the radiograph.

 

[ConfuseUs]

Lucky guy, that's for sure.
Probably just a fraction of an inch difference in shot placement and the story would be totally different. Seems to me like the bullet struck exactly on an area where the bone structure is strong enough to absorb the energy without too much damage. The picture of the entry wound makes it look like the soldier might not even get much of a scar out of it either.

 

[Vonderek]

For everyone here who wants to get rid of their impotent 9mm's, I'll gladly give you 10 cents on the dollar!

 

[greenflash107]

I have shot enough 9mm in the last 30 years (along with just about every other caliber) that I don't worry one bit about the 9mm being my personal choice of carry. If I ever have to use it(and I pray I do not), I am sure it will do what I need it to. The rest is just bashing.

 

[davhina]

I am sure glad he survived. Pure luck for sure.
I alternate carry between a .45 and 9mm depending on how i am dressed.
I trust both to do the job if necessary.

 

[Mokothar]

Hundreds of possible explanations for this. Now, regardless of the actual caliber, why on earth would you only fire one shot? Maybe it was so grossly underloaded that the gun failed to cycle properly?
Learn to properly shoot, twit!