Fellows
Most of have read the warning on the box that says .22 LR can travel over a mile.
Now we all know that to go that far the rifle must be fired at close to 45 deg.
Notwithstanding that, once the round reaches 1500 yards it only has 12 foot pds of force left.
So my question is this, at what range does .22 LR become so weak that it will not cause injury (save it was to hit someone in the eyes.
Also, does anyone know how many foot pouds are required to say penetrate in a body 6 inch and to just pierce skin.
No real reason for the question, just want to know.
A 40 gr projectile fired from a firearm at typical velocities will normally be dangerous throughout its entire flight path.
Now if you fired it straight up, when on the way down it will achieve only the maximum terminal velocity described by grauhanen, and will still be dangerous.
The criminal code definition of firearm is a barreled weapon from which a shot can be fired that is capable of causing serious bodily harm or death. Permanent damage to the eye has long been considered serious bodily harm. To determine whether any projectile, given its combination of mass, velocity and construction, researchers developed the pigs eye test. Pigs eyes were chosen for their biological similarity to human eyes. You can read alot about results of this type of testing. Some air soft guns fail the test (by causing damage to the eyes) with velocities under 350 fps with 6mm airsoft pellets that weigh as little as 3 grains.
Further, While all devices capable of causing serious bodily harm are firearms under s 2 of the criminal code, there is a second threshold to be met, and firearms falling below that threshold are exempt from most of our gun control laws.
That Threshold is 500 fps or 4.2 foot pounds. IF a firearm exceeds both of those limits, then falls within the full spectrum of regulations under the criminal code, ie licensing, registration, etc.
The important thing is that even well out past a mile, a .22 bullet can easily still have more than 4.2 ft lbs of energy, so yes, still very dangerous. Probably not lethal, but that isn't really the standard that we concern ourselves with.
As for your last question, how much energy necessary to penetrate 6" into the body. There is no answer to that question until you define what body. 6" of fat is not the same as 6" of muscle and is not the same as 6" of bone. This is why we use ballistic gelatin as a consistent medium with an average density comparable to soft tissue.
If you drop a .22 off the CN tower it'll cut straight through you. Or maybe that's a penny..
LOL, refer to the IV8888 vid mentioned above.
Probably not. Would hurt though.
Will a .22 even reach a mile?
Most definitely yes.
