Ricochets off people

[Ron3]

Follow-up question:

Is there really a difference in ricochets off people (especially heads) between RN, FN, FMJ, and JHP pistol bullets?

How about stories of JHP deflection?

The only thing I've seen is I've fired many types of bullets into the ground at steep and shallow angles and with all types if the angle is shallow enough, they will skip off grass and dirt. Can't say I noticed a difference between them.

[WS6]

Treated a bartender that had been shot at a distance of about 2 feet right at the center of his forehead. Round was a .32 FMJ, and scooted around the side of his noggin.

We see the guy laying on the floor in a large-ish pool of his own blood, and motionless. I see the entrance wound on his forehead, and decided to check out the other victim, standing with a decent bleeder.

I get my partner started on him, then go check on the bartender again. Just touched him to check for pulse when he sits bolt upright and yells "MF'er shot me!"

We transport, and I heard Radiology confirmed that the round never penetrated his Cro-Magnon skull. Mongo waddles out of the hospital the same day with a couple of stitches and a hell of a story.

Had an elderly patient once, scar on his forehead (more of a divot). I asked what happened. "Shot in the head" Oh, pistol, I presume?" A GODDAMN PIMP GUN!" and thus began his tirade about his LE years and how some thug shot him with a .25 auto.

[ace4059]

I have experience with two ricochets while hunting, one personally and witnessed the other. Both while hog hunting, and both with rifles.

The first one was with a 7mm mag, soft point hunting ammo. The pig was above me elevation wise and coming down a dirt embankment directly at me approximately 75 yards away. I went for a head shot as he was walking down and hit a few inches behind where I was aiming. The bullet must have ricocheted off his spine, or the back base of his skull. The filleted him open in a line all the way to his tail. Looked like a superficial wound from someone cutting him with a knife. I tracked him for over an hour, found him laying down and he jumped up to run off when I approached him. Another shot brought him down.

Second one was about a year ago, NV hog hunting with my cousin. We were scanning a field waiting on a sounder of pigs walking our way sitting with our back to the fence. We heard a noise and a lone boar passed through the fence beside us about 5 or 7 yards away. I guess he smelled us once he made it through the fence because he paused looking directly at us. My cousin shot it directly in the forehead with his AR using 62 gr SS109. I see blood stray in the thermal from his head. My cousin said he saw the impact wound in his NV but looked like the skull defected the bullet and was only superficial wound. That boar ran off to never be found.

Weird how sometimes bullets will ricochet, especially larger rounds, and then I've seen smaller rounds like a 22 LR kill a pig with a single shot to the head.

[flenna]

Years ago I read several articles and books by Jim Cirrillo of the famed Stakeout Squad. He said the .38 special 158 grain roundnose (standard police issue back then) was notorious for bouncing off skulls.

[Ron3]

Years ago I read several articles and books by Jim Cirrillo of the famed Standout Squad. He said the .38 special 158 grain roundnose (standard police issue back then) was notorious for bouncing off skulls.

I read some of his writing about that too.

But I wonder, were SWC's any better? Or JHP's, or 9mm?

You know, now that I think about it, this shouldn't be too hard a thing to test.

What object would be good to represent a skull? Or can we just use hard wood?

[WS6]

I read some of his writing about that too.

But I wonder, were SWC's any better? Or JHP's, or 9mm?

You know, now that I think about it, this shouldn't be too hard a thing to test.

What object would be good to represent a skull? Or can we just use hard wood?

People who shoot bowling pin competition settled this decades ago.

[flenna]

People who shoot bowling pin competition settled this decades ago.

Yes, Jim Cirrillo actually worked with the manufacturers of the Pin Grabber ammo to develop it into self defense round. A pretty neat round but it never took off.

[jaholder]

I've heard of this from muzzleloader where guys have shot game using patched round ball and had this happen. It's one of the reasons I use TC MAxi hunter bullets for my muzzle loader hunts.

[T2C]

I've heard of this from muzzleloader where guys have shot game using patched round ball and had this happen. It's one of the reasons I use TC MAxi hunter bullets for my muzzle loader hunts.

I don't hunt with patched round ball, but a few locals I shoot with do. On a deer a .50 caliber round ball flattens out as it enters the deer and creates a decent would cavity. Penetration is good as well. None of the hunters shoot at a deer any farther than 80 yards.

At what distances are round balls ricocheting off deer?

[Ron3]

People who shoot bowling pin competition settled this decades ago.

And what was their conclusion? They preferred jhp's or WC's or SWC's?