When a bullet completely passes through a animal how is the energy disributed/absorbed?

If the bullet is producing 2000 foot pounds of energy at impact, and completely passes through. Does the animal absorb all 2000fpe? Or does the animal only absorb a portion of the energy, say 1000fpe?

Thank you, Tony

There's no practical way to quantify that unless you were to shoot stationary animals with a chronograph placed behind it to measure the exit speed. Then you'd have to recover the spent bullet and measure the weight loss. With those two numbers you could calculate a reasonaby accurate number for the energy loss.

But its a moot point because bullets kill by tissue damage and blood loss, not necessarily energy dump.

Energy was coined by some Englishman who was into his cups pretty deep sitting around discussing the death of Pacyderms..then the gun scribes adopted the term as it cannot be refuted with evidense..

The truth be known its what produces light in your home, thats about it..except I suppose it could mean your bullet ran out of gas at some point in penetration of an animal..It boils down to

quote:

Originally posted by tony300wby:
When a bullet completely passes through a animal how is the energy disributed/absorbed?

If the bullet is producing 2000 foot pounds of energy at impact, and completely passes through. Does the animal absorb all 2000fpe? Or does the animal only absorb a portion of the energy, say 1000fpe?

Thank you, Tony

IMO it helps to think of the energy of the bullet doing work rather than an energy transfer or energy dump to the animal. The enegry does not appear in the animal and then become available inside the animal available to do work. The energy in the bullet does work; the main work is done as it penetrates the animal creating tissue, organ and bone damage in the process.

Having said that, if you could measure the velocity and mass of the bullet as it left the animal after penetrating all the way through, you'd know how much of the initial energy of the bullet was utilized doing the work of penetration and accompanying damage to tissue, organ and bone.

Energy means Nothing.
You can deliver more engergy with a good swing of a ball bat than can be had in a 300 win mag.

Holes kill.

Cheers, John

quote:

Originally posted by Phatman:
Energy means Nothing.
You can deliver more engergy with a good swing of a ball bat than can be had in a 300 win mag.

Holes kill.

Cheers, John

Yup !! Yet the ammo makers insist on listing energy figures !
It's all done by penetrating into and damaging vtal organs.

I understand what you guys are saying, but how can energy mean nothing? Dont you need the energy to get the bullet in and make it expand? I am not doubting anyone or trying to start a debate, just dont understand.

Thank you, Tony

quote:

Originally posted by mete:
Yup !! Yet the ammo makers insist on listing energy figures !
It's all done by penetrating into and damaging vtal organs.

And it's a great marketing tool that so many people buy into. It is a poor way to rate lethality and not even measurable.

quote:

Originally posted by tony300wby:
I understand what you guys are saying, but how can energy mean nothing? Dont you need the energy to get the bullet in and make it expand? I am not doubting anyone or trying to start a debate, just dont understand.

Thank you, Tony

A lot of us find it wrong headed that game departments using minimum energy figures to qualify what ammo is legal. In that context, energy is useless because is not the best measure of lethality. But sometimes it is the only way a bureaucrat can wrap his/her head around the concept.

quote:

Originally posted by tony300wby:
I understand what you guys are saying, but how can energy mean nothing? Dont you need the energy to get the bullet in and make it expand? I am not doubting anyone or trying to start a debate, just dont understand.

Thank you, Tony

Energy is in no way useful in determining a cartridges lethality

Energy is not conserved in an inelastic collision as this diagram of a ballistics pendeleum clearly shows



Ther is a small amount of energy transfer in an inelastic collision but the amount is untraceable and unimportant to the wound channel. Most of the energy transforms into ohter forms of enrgy mostly thermal, but also sound, etc.

Holly s---t!

I heard the Wisconsin fish and game department has set standards for energy re-distribution now. It seems that under the new fairness regulation cartridges with more energy than they need must give the excess to more needy cartridges.

quote:

Originally posted by tony300wby:
I understand what you guys are saying, but how can energy mean nothing? Dont you need the energy to get the bullet in and make it expand? I am not doubting anyone or trying to start a debate, just dont understand.

Thank you, Tony

what we call "muzzle energy" is meaningless.

the exact same ammount of energy is transferred into a flak jacket as into a person not wearing one, but no bullet exit.

One is a THUMP, CRAP!! the other is a deadly injury..

same energy.

HOLES let the air in.

lets spin it another way..

an arrow has about the same evergy as a 22 or 22mag...

world of difference in the killing power of them.

getting hit by a car going 2 mph is a zillion times more energy than a 357.....

just saying

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
Holly s---t!

Does this mean you didn't understand jwp's post?