Terminal Ballistics
Definition
Study of bullet behaviour at the target. Includes penetration, permanent and temporary cavity, expansion or fragmentation, yaw and tumble, energy transfer.
Related terms
- Ballistic Coefficient (BC)
- The ratio of a projectile's sectional density to its drag relative to a reference standard (G1 or G7). Higher BC means less...
- Deflagration
- A subsonic combustion front propagating through an explosive by thermal conduction. Characteristic of low explosives such as black powder and smokeless powder;...
- External Ballistics
- Study of bullet flight from muzzle to target. Governed by gravity, air drag, wind, spin-stabilisation, Magnus effect and (at long range) Coriolis...
- Internal Ballistics
- Study of what happens inside the firearm from primer ignition to bullet exit at the muzzle. Includes propellant combustion, gas pressure, bullet...
- Permanent Cavity
- The lasting wound channel produced by the bullet's direct crushing and laceration of tissue. Diameter approximates expanded projectile diameter. At handgun velocities,...
- Temporary Cavity
- The transient radial tissue displacement produced by a bullet's passing. Caused by the transfer of kinetic energy to surrounding tissue via compression...
- Wound Ballistics
- Sub-branch of terminal ballistics dealing with biological tissue. Entry wound with abrasion collar, wound track, exit wound, hydrostatic shock in fluid-filled organs.
Explained in
- Internal, External and Terminal Ballistics: BasicsStudy of bullet behaviour at the target. Includes penetration, permanent and temporary cavity, expansion or fragmentation, yaw and tumble, energy transfer.