The Russian armed forces are using a “poison bullet” in the Ukraine conflict–
B1: Garand Intro,
“the famed poison bullet…”
Joining me today is guest lecturer and prolific science YouTuber Garand thumb along with his
newly crowned field doctor– Charlie. Together, we’ll take a dive deep into Russia’s 7N6 round
and compare it to some other common military rounds to determine what makes it so deadly.
At some point, the Soviet engineered 5.45x39mm round earned the nickname of the
‘poison bullet’ – not because it is literally poisonous, but because the projectile has a
tendency to tumble (turning sideways) upon entering soft tissue, moving erratically
inside the body and causing a very large wound cavity. Generally speaking,
the larger the wound cavity, the greater the chance of internal damage. Professor Garand–
B2: Garand shot 1, “let’s get this going…”
Thank you sir. And might I add, your high speed cameras look great!
B3: stomping commies
Interns, I hope you’re taking notes.
B4: Garand, “one of the reasons they call it…”
That’s right Garand. So this is what it looks like when a bullet “yaws” in flesh. It’s like
the bullet is actually doing a backflip inside of the tissue while still moving. Aye Carumba.
B5: Bullet Yaw animation– Chris can deliver his line overtop of this animation
We see an extended temporary cavity and a pronounced permanent cavity effect. The
temporary cavity effect is dependent on bullet yaw and bullet velocity– think of it like the
wake in water behind a boat, or a shockwave that extends outwards from the path of the bullet.
And while ballistics researcher Martin Fackler has suggested that most internal organs and tissues
may be too flexible to be severely damaged by the temporary cavitation effect of yawing, everyone
is susceptible to the permanent cavitation effect… you know, the hole in your chest.
B6: “And if you’ll notice, the bullet curved…”
Since anything caught in the path of the bullet,
inside the permanent wound cavity is going to suffer severe damage.
B7: close up of bullet
A close up of the bullet reveals a sinister piece of hardware… The 5.45x39 makes use of a boat-tail
design to reduce drag, has a hollow airspace at the point of the bullet and a lead plug
in the base. These design specifications move the bullet’s centre of gravity to
the back, contributing to its tumbling power. The hollow air space also makes the bullet's point
prone to deformation when the bullet strikes anything solid, which induces the yaw effect.
B8: doctor about bullet design
Straight until it makes contact with the target. Then it’s performance becomes much
more erratic– Just look at this shot. Garand’s aim is straight and true–
B9: shot + slow mo with doctors voice
And in this clip, the bullet does just that, literally exiting the ballistic gel block from
the top side. I’m beginning to think that getting shot in the side of the torso with a “poison
bullet” would be especially brutal. If we look at the size of these ballistic blocks, they’re about
the width of a human torso– and the 7N6 bullet has a tendency to yaw and curve maybe 20cm in at an
angle of maybe 35-45 degrees. Imagine an entry wound here, and an exit wound somewhere over here
with everything inbetween turned into mush. That’s a medical definition by the way. The kinetic
force of the projectile will easily penetrate and macerate any soft tissues with which it
comes into contact, and since the projectile is tumbling while moving at a high rate of speed,
it is literally like having someone toss a miniature blender
inside of your body. – [you decide where to point and elaborate on injuries involved if necessary].
I mean, the results are in– this bullet was designed to tear up the insides of its target,
increasing wounding potential. And that is exactly what it does. Here, professor
Garand stacks several ballistic blocks on top of each other to see just how much it can do.
B10: twin blocks
Due to excessive yawing, it’s difficult to track where the bullet even is. Hm.
B11: Garand comment about 90
90 degrees… That's even more extreme than the 45 degree angle we observed
moments ago. This is a bullet that could enter the body here, and end up… up
here? [again, you decide where to point, but this time illustrate a 90 degree curve]. Terrifying.
Especially when you compare this type of performance to the performance of its predecessor.
Before the 5.45x39mm, soviet Russia employed the 7.62x39mm round (not to be confused with
the 7N6 or poison bullet). Practically speaking the 5.45x39mm round is lighter than the earlier
7.62 allowing soldiers to carry more ammunition into battle, and creating a higher velocity
projectile. But let’s consider precisely HOW these older bullets are intended to inflict damage…
B12: bullet side by side
The earlier 7.62 design (on the right) cut a straight path through the target with a later,
less effective yaw cycle. This approach is chosen out of necessity in hunting, because this
larger round carries slightly more kinetic energy and is thus more effective at penetrating thick
animal hide and shattering heavy animal bones. In human warfare, it is less erratic, tearing up less
tissue inside the target and therefore it is less effective at killing. But as Garand demonstrates,
if you need an armour piercing round, perhaps the the older 7.62 would be the superior option.
It seems with a little armor, the poison bullet has met it’s match.
B13: body armour shot
The kinetic energy from the bullet is absorbed somewhat by the armour with the
remaining energy being transferred through the body armour onto a diffused area of the target.
That would definitely bruise, and the target would be susceptible to a blunt force trauma injury in
the region where the bullet made contact– but no penetration bodes well for overall survivability.
B14: Charlie touching it softly
That is a huge bulge. Excellent observation, doctor Charlie. So for armour penetrating
assignments, the 5.45x39mm may be outclassed by its predecessor the 7.62x39mm round. Bullets that
behave like the older 7.62 function best when the penetration is followed by a “mushroom” expansion
effect. For this effect, the front of the bullet has a thin jacket and a typically lead alloy core–
it leads to bullets whose tip deforms, flattening and expanding in diameter in the process.
This design, properly implemented, allows for effective damage at close range and high velocity,
as well as at longer range kills and lower velocities.
The mushroom effect is desirable for two reasons… As it expands, the bullet slows down quicker (than
bullets that do not mushroom), causing the energy to occur more quickly causing greater shock–
Like your insides are getting punched with a tiny metal boxing glove.
And a bullet that mushrooms leaves a wider wound cavity causing greater damage.
Wondering what the phrase "expand and mushroom"
means in this context - English Language Learners Stack Exchange
So far we’ve covered bullets that deal damage by:
[DJ create a graphic on screen that shows]
Yawing unpredictably inside their target Cutting a straight path through their target
Expanding like a mushroom inside their target
So we have one more mode of damage to talk about.
Bullets that fragment inside their target.
Similar to yawing, fragmentation is a devilish display of human
engineering meant to maximise internal damage.
The US military issue 5.56x39mm M855 round is a good example of a projectile that is
more likely to fragment and deal extra damage. It is similar in weight to the poison bullet,
and may yaw somewhat as well, but ballistic research has demonstrated
a much higher fragmentation rate (upwards of 50%)
compared to a fragmentation rate of approximately 18% for the poison bullet. Garand?
B15: M855 out of M16
A bullet that is designed to fragment, breaks apart upon entering soft tissue
literally sending pieces of metal in a random pattern inside the human body.
B16: shot @ gel
From the slow motion camera, we can tell that the wound profile created by
a fragmenting bullet is very frightening. The slug exited through the bottom of the block,
while bullet fragments exploded around it at what looks to be approximately
the 15 to 20cm mark. This is consistent with wound profiles observed by ballistics researchers. This
bullet is not intended to exit the body– rather it is designed to penetrate deep enough to fragment
next to our most vulnerable organs, bypassing bone and surface tissue in a straight path.
B17: garand observing
These shards of metal are more than capable of penetrating internal organs and causing
critical damage and internal bleeding. Bullets optimised for fragmentation do not depend
entirely on yaw for performance, though as we have seen, both methods of damage are
viable. The following illustrations demonstrate the difference in projectile performance.
BX: use the images below– [the M855 is the first, with one wound cavity and more fragmentation,
the poison bullet is the second longer wound with two permanent cavities]
No matter which type of bullet you are hit by, the degree to which you
are damaged depends on where you are hit within the body. Of particular concern…
is your head. Your major arteries. Your vital organs, you know that sort of thing.
If the fragmenting M855 round enters your chest and fragments severely at a depth of 15cm,
you may end up with shards of steel lodged directly inside your heart. Even a bullet like
the 7.62 which travels generally straight without fragmentation or yawing could sever a major artery
putting you at risk of bleeding out in a matter of minutes, or cut a path through your brain matter
and render you unable to continue– A bullet in the brain is bad for your computer.
A bullet that scrambles the insides by tracing a tumbling curve pattern through the flesh of its
targets is also a viable option. If the poison bullet enters somewhere in your mediastinum,
where many of your vital organs are housed, yawing to create two permanent wound cavities,
and travelling through your body in an unpredictable manner, you’re in grave danger.
B18: Charlie, “yeah as a medical…”
You heard it here first folks. Thank you Charlie, and thank you Garand for your video and research.
And to be honest, any one of these injury mechanisms seems like more of a sure thing
than a bullet that is actually poisonous. Although that remains an interesting idea. Given that the
projectiles actually contain lead, all bullets are somewhat “poisonous” if they remain inside you
since lead is incredibly toxic. But death is not going to happen immediately if left simply to the
actual toxicity of the projectile. Sounds like a topic for more consideration and another video.
“How to create an actual poison bullet?”
Let me know what you’d like to see next on this channel.
Outro–