Terminal Ballistics
Definition
Study of bullet behaviour at the target. Includes penetration, permanent and temporary cavity, expansion or fragmentation, yaw and tumble, energy transfer.
- Scope
- Bullet behaviour at and inside the target
- Key phenomena
- Permanent and temporary cavity, yaw, fragmentation
- Distinguished from
- Internal ballistics (in the barrel) and external ballistics (in flight)
- Related field
- Wound ballistics for living or deceased tissue
Common questions
How does terminal ballistics differ from wound ballistics?+
Terminal ballistics covers the bullet's physical behaviour in any target material, while wound ballistics narrows that study specifically to the biological effects on living or deceased tissue, including bleeding, organ damage and healing potential.
Why does the temporary cavity matter if it collapses?+
Even though the temporary cavity closes back down after the bullet passes, the stretching it causes can tear blood vessels and organs beyond the permanent wound track, which is why both cavity types are assessed together in injury interpretation.
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.