The medical examiner advised the widow to not look at the body because of the extensive damage to the neck.
A frangible bullet is designed to break apart upon hitting a hard surface like bone. Unlike standard rounds that can stay intact and over-penetrate, frangible bullets disintegrate into tiny particles when they strike a material harder than themselves, such as concrete, steel, or bone. This behavior is why they are often used for close-quarters training and home defense, where minimizing collateral damage from over-penetration and ricochet is a priority.
How frangible bullets perform on bone
- Fragmentation: Manufacturers design frangible bullets using compressed powdered metals, such as copper and tin, held together by a binding agent. This makes the bullet brittle and causes it to break apart upon impacting a hard object, including bone.
- Reduced penetration: Once the bullet fragments, the individual pieces have less mass and momentum than the single projectile. This causes the fragments to lose energy rapidly and significantly reduces the depth of penetration.
- Caustic wounds: While they may not penetrate as deeply as conventional bullets, the fragmentation upon hitting bone can create a devastating wound. Multiple small fragments can cause severe tissue trauma and create additional wound channels, leading to greater damage than a standard round.
Frangible bullets are a safety choice in situations where over-penetration or ricochets are a significant concern, such as training at indoor ranges or for home defense in densely populated areas.
Where Frangible Bullets Are Used
- Training and Target Shooting:
They are ideal for indoor ranges, especially, because they disintegrate upon impact, reducing airborne lead and the risk of ricochet off steel targets.
- Home Defense:
Frangible rounds minimize the risk of over-penetration, meaning they are less likely to pass through walls and endanger innocent people in other rooms.
- Law Enforcement:
Many law enforcement agencies and training centers, including the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the FBI, use frangible ammunition for training.
- Hunting:
- Frangible bullets have also been used effectively in hunting, where they create deep wound cavities in game animals.
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