# Speed/effectiveness of bullets underwater **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 4, 2007, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speed-effectiveness-of-bullets-underwater/398728 "2007-04-04T16:38:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speed-effectiveness-of-bullets-underwater/398728/1 "2007-04-04T16:38:03Z")
In the film _Saving Private Ryan_ we are shown bullets hitting soldiers who have gone over the side of their landing craft. Given that the LC is some distance from the beach and that the German gunners are even further away, is it possible for bullets to hit and cause injury or even kill from such a long distance. I would have thought that the water (and distance) would have slowed down the bullets sufficiently enough to render them practically harmless ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speed-effectiveness-of-bullets-underwater/398728/2 "2007-04-04T16:46:25Z")
Mythbusters recently did a show on this-and there’s a thread or three around here somewhere. I would think a lot of the D-Day German bullets would have ricocheted off the surface of the water, only penetrating when hitting the incoming crest of a wave. In any event I think the Mythbusters guys found that bullets typically lose most of their kinetic energy after 4-6 feet or so. ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speed-effectiveness-of-bullets-underwater/398728/3 "2007-04-04T17:24:03Z")
It was also covered by **Bricker** as a Staff Report seen here – [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mgununderwater.htm](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mgununderwater.htm)