title: Comparison of the terminal ballistics of full metal jacket 7.62-mm M80 (NATO) and 5.56-mm M193 military bullets: a study in ordnance gelatin.
abstract: Great controversy has surrounded the replacement of the 7.62-mm caliber by the reduced 5.56-mm caliber as the standard U.S. military rifle. Although its relevance to human wounding can be debated, the terminal ballistics of military small arms in ordnance gelatin remains a convenient medium for comparative testing. In the present study, 7- by 10- by 24-in. (18 by 25 by 61 cm) blocks of 20% ordnance gelatin were fired upon from a range of 19 ft (6 m) under high-speed cinemagraphic surveillance. The tendency of the M193 5.56-mm full metal jacket projectile to break up in soft tissue simulant was confirmed as a fundamental difference from the 7.62-mm M80 NATO ball.
authors.affiliation: Forensic Pathology Department, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Ragsdale
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Sohn
mesh_terms: D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000293:injuries; D005389:Firearms / Q000145:classification*; D005780:Gelatin; D006801:Humans; D008961:Models, Structural; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot
chemical_list: D005780:Gelatin