Reversing a bullet and firing

Could be similar principle, or maybe not....but when I worked on a ranch years ago, an old guy on the fencing crew would pound the pointy nose of his spikes flat before pounding them into the rails. I asked him why he did it, and he said they drive in easier and rarely split the rail, because they go in straighter and don't split the rail ends as often.

Also could explain why the elephant and cape buffalo bullets are round nose.
 
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot32_4.htm
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E0CE5DA1538E633A2575BC2A9679C946496D6CF
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Armour_Plate


Edit:
http://guns.connect.fi/gow/QA13.html "Bullets shot backwards"
 
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Makes sense in a way, the larger surface area of the base of the bullet would be better at transfering KE (thus creating more spalling) than the pointy end which would tend to tumble upon impact, much like a modern 5.56 round.
 
it's a wonder no one has mentioned the misconception of dum-dum bullets by now- i was waiting for it
 
Turns it into a Full Wad Cutter with a severe Boat-tail. Also increases pressure dramatically as a lot of case capacity is taken up by the long forward section now deep in the case.
 
.45colt said:
I was watching History TV yesterday and heard about WW1 soldiers removing the bullet from its case, reversing it (so the point is inside the case), and then loading and firing it backwards!!!!!!!!!

From what was said on TV this allowed early tank armor to be penetrated or at least a bullet size hole blasted while the normal point forward round would not.

Anyone every try this?

Before anyone else says it = :weird:
Click to expand...

When the snipers were in trenches with steel plates to shoot through the typical 03 round was useless. However when reversed the heel punched the steel plate hard enough to knock rust,slag etc from the inside of the plate into the snipers eyes. Often blinding him out of service. If you have a big cal with throat (so not a 45/70) this stunt is murder on animals in brush also
 
I've just been looking though my copy of "A Rifleman Goes to War" to see if McBride had any comment on the reversed bullet as a steel penetrator. I have not come upon any reference to reversed bullets, but he does comment on a German armor piercing bullet. They found out about these things when 3 holes appeared through one of their MG plates producing a 3" group. They quickly backed the plate with sandbags, and over time collected some of these bullets which are described as follows:

"It consisted of a solid core of very hard steel, about twenty-five calibre, wrapped in a sheet of soft lead and the whole thing encased in what appeared to be the ordinary cupro-nickel jacket of the service bullet." He makes no comment on the specific shape of these bullets, however once they became aware of them all the plates were fortified with sandbags and that ended the threat.

McBride comments that he was aware of heavy double barreled elephant rifles being used on enemy plates, but was too absorbed with his own duties at the time to recall if they had much effect. I suspect that anytime that spalling of a steel plate resulted in casualties on either side, sandbags would be added to the protection.
 
Never tried it with supersonic loads, but this is a very common practice with subsonics. A teardrop shape is the most efficient geometry at subsonic velocities. I've done it with 168 SMK over top of Trailboss. Works like a charm.
 
One question that comes to mind is why the Brits didn't bother to line the insides of their new tanks with either wood or heavy canvas or whatever in an attempt at a primitive anti-spalling barrier ? IIRC the idea of an anti-spalling "blanket" didn't come about until the 1960's or so ...
 
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