NCJ Number
34301
Date Published
1975
Length
32 pages
Annotation
RATINGS ARE PRESENTED ON THE RELATIVE DEGREE OF INCAPACITATION EACH OF 142 DIFFERENT TYPES OF HANDGUN AMMUNITION, FROM 9MM TO .45 CALIBER, IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE.
Abstract
THESE RATINGS WERE COMPILED AS A RESULT OF EXPERIMENTS TO DETERMINE EACH BULLET'S BEHAVIOR ON STRIKING AND PENETRATING ORDNANCE GELATIN, MEASUREMENT OF THE FORMATION AND SUBSEQUENT DEVELOPMENT OF THE TEMPORARY CAVITY PRODUCED IN THE GELATIN, AND MEASUREMENT OF THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF EACH BULLET AS IT PENETRATED THE GELATIN. OTHER EXPERIMENTS OBTAINED MEASUREMENTS OF THE IMPACT VELOCITY OF THE BULLETS, WHEN FIRED BY VARIOUS HANDGUNS CURRENTLY USED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, AND MEASUREMENTS ON THE RICOCHET AND PENETRATION POTENTIALS OF EACH BULLET, AS A FUNCTION OF ANGLE OF INCIDENCE AND VELOCITY WHEN STRIKING VARIOUS COMMON MATERIALS. THE STANDARD OF INCAPACITATION USED TO DEFINE THE RELATIVE STOPPING POWER OF THE ROUNDS REQUIRED THAT THE TARGET (ASSAILANT) BE RENDERED INCAPABLE OF POSING A CONTINUED THREAT TO THE OFFICER BY USE OF A HAND HELD WEAPON. PAIN ALONE WAS NOT CONSIDERED SUGGICIENT FOR INCAPACITATION. THE AMMUNITION RATINGS ARE PRESENTED BOTH IN ORDER OF POTENTIAL FOR INCAPACITATION AND BY CALIBER SIZE. (SNI ABSTRACT)