AFTE Store - Skin Perforation and Skin Simulants

Air guns and BB guns are occasionally involved in injuries usually resulting from the unsupervised use (or misuse) of these relatively low powered guns. These incidents frequently give rise to questions regarding the injury-producing capabilities of such guns. Such inquiries often start with the issue of skin perforation. These guns are available in calibers from .177 inch to .25 in. with projectiles consisting of .173 in. steel spheres to soft lead projectiles in a variety of shapes and weights in .177, .20, .22 and .25 caliber. The nature of their ammunition and the ability to regulate and select velocity to a greater extent than bulleted cartridges makes them useful in assessing threshold velocities for skin penetration and perforation. This paper examines the threshold velocity necessary to perforate skin and skin simulants by selected projectiles and a proposed method for calibrating skin simulants. Additionally, the effect of nose shape on the low velocity terminal ballistic performance of some of these small caliber projectiles is presented.