A low velocity .22 bullet travels at about 400 fps, and the north american arms revolver has a 1 1/8 barrel, I don’t know what that cuts the muzzle velocity down to but it wouldn’t suprise me if it was 300 fps or less.
A slingshot or childs BB gun fires at 300 fps, so is it safe to say that being shot with a north american arms revolver with low velocity ammunition will just leave a bruise and will not actually break the skin?
No.
Most assuredly so. Remember that a .22 bullet is made of lead and is physically larger than a .177 copper-jacketed steel BB. Without checking, I’ll WAG it’s probably 4-5 times as massive, which means it carries 4-5 times the energy as a BB fired at the same velocity.
The link you gave basically tells you that it will. A .22 short has much more mass than a BB or .177 pellet. I am confused, however, when you talk about low-velocity .22 ammunition. The cartridge fired from the least powerful version of that gun is a .22 short and that cartridge is more powerful than the numbers you gave.
Your posts say no no but the north american arms revolver I have taped to my doorknob with a string tied to the trigger says yes yes.
Will a slingshot firing a ball at 300fps break the skin? If not, then why would a low velocity 22?
You really need to get a friend to help you work this stuff out through trial and error. Slingshot rounds are typically rather large and the velocity is not all that great. The large surface area of the ball will probably prevent it from breaking the skin but it would cause a massive bruise, internal injury, or possible kill you if it hit you are the right place on the skull. You can hunt with those things and easily kill small animals like rabbits.
The lowest velocity .22 Short I can find is 575 fps. That’s gonna do more than break the skin.
Yes. I have personally shot someone with a slingshot that the maker said would do about 250fps with a 3/8 inch ball. It put a hole in him.
So, to repeat myself: No, it’s not safe to say that the bullet would not break the skin and just leave a bruise.
I think the “no” was IRT the statement "…so is it safe to say that being shot with a north american arms revolver with low velocity ammunition will just leave a bruise and will not actually break the skin?" Which of course, is NOT safe to say - It’s most certainly not safe to say such a thing - People have been killed by falling “New Years celebration” bullets which are generally believed to hit a terminal velocity around 300fps. Yes, I know - Those are generally much more massive than a .22 bullet, but OP didn’t ask about fatality, only if the bullet would penetrate at all.
Of course, a heavy coat might stop the OP’s bullet, under the right circumstances. Don’t bet your life on it, though.
A .22 short fired from a derringer loses energy fast. Yes, it will break the skin at any reasonable distance, but it won’t penetrate much. I remember reading that a derringer firing a .22 short only has a lethal range measured in inches. Fired from 10 feet away, the bullet doesn’t have enough energy to penetrate the skull or make through enough soft tissue to get to a vital organ.
A slingshot round may not break the skin, but that’s because the surface area is large and smooth. But it can kill you if it hits you in the head if it’s going fast enough, because there is enough energy in the heavy ball to fracture your skull, give you a concussion, or even cause bone fragments to penetrate the brain.
Most slingshots aren’t that fast, though. A ‘Wrist Rocket’ type slingshot, if I recall correctly, fires a ball about the size of a .45 round about 150 fps. I don’t think that’d kill you, but it’d give you a hell of a headache if you got smacked by the ball, and it might fracture your skull.
I remember some monster double-band slingshots when I was a kid that looked like they could be lethal if you had the strength to pull the bands back.
If I stick forks in my eyballs, will it hurt?
If I run naked through a field of rabid porcupines, will I regret it?
Unless your father’s name is “Papa Rhinocerous”, if you want to shoot yourself with a .22 thinking that it won’t penetrate your skin, I’ll call the Darwin Awards people and tell them to have a jet standing by - they won’t want to miss this.
I have owned a NAA Mini Revolver for years and I don’t know the answer to the OP (I use .22LR “hyper-Velocity” rounds in it) and I have never been forced to fire it at anybody, but I have done a lot of range training with it and I sure don’t want to get shot by one. The NAA is plenty accurate on the 3 Yard shooting range and that is what it seems to be designed for (very close range “I said don’t mug me” kinda situations). I refer to mine as my “dog walking Gun”, the Beretta is too heavy for exercising with and the NAA is so small and light that it’s perfect.
Unclviny
Yes, it will break the skin. However, unless you hit someone just right- it likely won’t do much damage. But it’s a significant risk.
You’ve got my number, I fully intend to test this theory on myself right after the family matters marathon on ABC kids is over so i’ll be good and suicidal.
I was hoping for more physics related responses here people. Don’t disappoint me. Someone work out the physics of a ball bearing from a slingshot vs a 30 grain bullet going at 300 fps. I am sure I have seen ads for 400 fps low velocity ammunition, and with a short barrel that velocity will probably drop even more after a few feet.
You guys haven’t mentioned the .22 rounds that are lower power than a .22 Short. You know the CB Cap and BB Cap rounds that are powered by the priming compound and contain no powder at all.
Perhaps we can get the OP to start with these and work his way up?
Ummm…you are kidding here, right Wesley ?
Please, tell me you’re not thinking about experimenting with this idea?
Because, it would be seriously nuts!! :eek: :eek: :eek:
[Mom] Put that thing down! You’ll put somebody’s eye out! [/Mom]
How 'bout using some ballistic gellatin instead?
I have at hand at the moment one of the CB or BB caps. The brass casing is about 1/2 the length of the 22 cal short casing. The lead bullet has a point nose instead of rounded.
**
Leave the testing of firearms and ammunition to those who do so on a regular basis.
Such activity is a fool’s game if you don’t know what you are doing and why you are doing it.
Even the CB/BB caps are NOT TOYS, they are firearm cartricges.**
or a phone book?