What does a .22 calibre gun do to the human head?
Today with the help of Gerand Thumb and his ballistics gel army, we’re going to find
out.
BROLL 1: gun intro
Ever wonder what an active duty military guy who enjoys firearms, fitness and humour does
in his spare time?
BROLL X: find clip of Gerand Thumb blowing stuff up–
We don’t need to look any further than Mike Jones’ youtube channel ‘Gerand Thumb’
to find out.
In several of his videos Jones demonstrates the potential damage inflicted by various
firearms on the human body.
I’ve compiled clips from his video entitled .22 vs Human Head for us to watch together
in the name of modern medical science.
Are you ready interns?
BROLL 2: Gerand introducing ballistics gel heads.
So these types of ballistic dummies are pretty cool, and I’ve even considered getting them
for videos right here on my channel.
Shout out to Ballistic Dummy Lab for helping to illustrate the effects of different injurious
mechanisms on the human body.
Now obviously we know that getting shot in the head is bad…Generally speaking, you
have a high speed energetic projectile that concentrates all of its energy of impact into
a very small area leading to a structural failure of the cranium and catastrophic damage
to its contents.
Medical explanation of why getting shot is bad.
Quick overview!
But “bad” is a catch-all term that belies the multiplicity of possible interactions
that a bullet might have when it makes contact with a human head.
BROLL 3: “Can a .22 kill?”
Well shit, we are going to find out aren’t we.
Oh and interns…
Regardless of the answer, I don’t recommend getting shot in the head.
Now Gerand, can you tell us why you’ve chosen the .22 calibre today?
BROLL 4: Gerand telling us why
Which is interesting– because, as Mr. Thumb goes on to say, the .22 is not a particularly
large slug, doesn’t travel especially fast, and is not prone to breaking up or expanding
inside the body.
But that means a hot metal bullet could potentially be bouncing around inside my skull?
I’ll pass.
BROLL 5: Handgun (close range)
The potential damage is all about the energy contained in the projectile.
This in turn is determined by the ballistic load that has been used to mobilise the projectile.
The .22 is a rim-fire cartridge that has a relatively small load, 29 grain (1.9 g) bullet
and 5 grain (0.32 g) of black powder.
It has a muzzle velocity of 1038 ft/s, or 316 m/s, and an energy of 67 ft-lb, or 91
J. Since it takes only 15 J to break a human bone, you can see that the bullet can fairly
easily penetrate the skull.
However, once inside the skull, it is inertia that keeps the bullet moving.
Since the mass of the projectile is quite small, the projectile decelerates rapidly
within the skull leaving it with enough momentum to keep moving for a time, but not enough
to perforate the skull a second time to allow its exit.
Oftentimes, the bullet may ricochet several times within the skull, damaging the brain
further with each transit across the skull.
Not to mention the damage from the pressure wave that spreads out behind the bullet as
it moves through the brain matter, or the heat given off by the bullet, both of which
are really destructive and harmful for the jello that is your brain.
Eventually, the bullet will lose enough energy that it can no longer overcome the resistance
of the brain matter at which point it will stop.
lMedical explanation
BROLL 6: “Clearly the .22 has stopped in the brain”
And that is not good.
So at an approximate distance of 7-10 feet, these weapons are fairly effective.
Gerand what do you think would happen with a little more distance between you and your
target?
BROLL 7: handgun at 25ft.
BROLL 8: “is this survivable?”
Let me help you answer that.
So at 25 feet away, the penetration is not exactly clean, but if we take a close look
at the ballistics gel dummy, we can see that: there has been some fragmentation of the projectile
that causes secondary damage.
Not only do you have damage from the projectile itself occurring, but so too do you have damage
from the projectile fragments that become separated from the main projectile as it travels
through the skull.
Now I am not a ballistics expert, so I am not entirely sure why this has occurred here,
but with the increased distance between Jones and the ballistics gel dummy, the velocity
of the bullet at the moment of impact was slightly less than it would have been at a
closer distance.
Less velocity means less impact energy, which also means a longer transit time through the
skull and more opportunity for the bullet to be deformed by the bone around it.
If you know why this occurs then let me know in the comment section below.
Medical explanation.
Does the resultant injury pattern change depending on the type of weapon used?
What about a rifle?
BROLL 9: rifle at 25ft (take 1)
Although there are a myriad of factors that play a role in determining
muzzle velocity, with the same cartridge fired from a pistol subsequently fired from a rifle,
the muzzle velocity from the rifle will be higher than that from the pistol.
You may gain an extra 20-60 fps of muzzle velocity for each additional inch in muzzle
length.
So, although the distance is farther than the initial distance with the pistol, the
muzzle velocity is considerably higher.
More velocity, means more impact energy, and at least in my mind, less transit time across
through the skull, as more distance is traversed in less time.
Since the velocity of entry is considerably higher, there is significant potential for
there to be sufficient velocity remaining when the bullet strikes the back of the skull
that it still retains enough energy to perforate the skull a second time, creating an exit
wound.
Of course, with the increased velocity of the projectile, there is an expanded pressure
wave trailing behind it, which once inside the skull will wreak tremendous damage on
the enclosed brain tissue.
The projectile is most definitely a problem, but the pressure wave is worse because it
expands the zone of injury considerably outward from the path of the projectile.
And since the brain is only electrified jello, the pressure wave can propagate through the
tissue quite readily.
[video of jello jiggling] Medical explanation.
Give me something with an obvious exit wound:
BROLL 10: rifle at 25ft (take 2)
BROLL 11: Gerand Lining Up Heads ends with: “but the question is, what about
point blank?”
BROLL 12: Point blank.
That is an excellent question Gerand, and we’re all dying to find out…
Did you guys catch that?
Gerand points out that in the Matrix, Trinity shot Agent Smith at point blank with a .380
calibre beretta right in his temple.
He is correct at mentioning the temple as a weaker part of the skull…
Broll 13: “Dodge this” and pause before he pulls the trigger
Things aren’t looking good for our last ballistics dummy.
BROLL 13: Actual Gunshot to temple “It still didn’t exit though.
What’s the thought process?”
The muzzle velocity of the projectile is the highest the moment the bullet leaves the chamber.
After that, it is only slowing down, so if you want to inflict the most damage, you will
place the target at point blank range, or immediately next to the muzzle.
We can see that with the ballistics gel dummy, whose brains were literally vomited out of
the entry wound in the side of the skull.
Of course, at this distance, you also have to contend with the muzzle blast, or the gas
expelled from the muzzle of the barrel behind the projectile, as well.
With the muzzle directly against the skull, there is nowhere for all that gas to go, but
into the skin, and into the skull through the entry wound created by the bullet.
Think of…..over expanded tire [video of guy filling tire and exploding here].
Medical diagnosis?
Deadly.
Extremely so.
On behalf of myself and the intern army, I’d like to extend a warm thank you to Gerand
Thumb for joining us today as a guest educator.
If you guys would like to see him back for another lesson, let me know down in the comments.
Outro.