The ballistic wounding capacity of the 22 Winchester Magnum projectile in the near human porcine tissue model.

Abstract

The 22 Winchester Magnum caliber will not have enough momentum and kinetic energy to penetrate through a near-human porcine model in three constructs; a chest model, a bone model, and an extended muscle model. Two types of projectiles were evaluated, i.e. a jacketed hollow point in (JHP) and a full metal jacket (FMJ). These were fired through a hand-held pistol into the three models. The models were similar in size, weight, and dimensions. Velocity, depth of penetration, and residual projectile construction were measured. The JHP penetrated through all layers in the muscle chest model, it fractured long bone but failed to exit the bone model and it did not penetrate the chest cavity in the extended muscle model. The FMJ, on the other hand, penetrated and exited all three constructs into a backstop. The JHP expanded well in the muscle models but fragmented completely in the bone model. The FMJ deformed and could be retrieved after exiting all three models. The JHP is an effective self-defense round in a standard chest model but functioned inadequately after contacting a long bone or an extended muscle barrier. The FMJ is effective in penetrating the vitals even after piercing a long bone or extended soft tissue. These constructs represent real-life self-defense scenarios, better than any artificial model and should be used by manufacturers and enthusiasts as their final testing module evaluating a specific projectile.