AFTE Store - Standard Steel BB Perforation of Fresh Pigskin Over Standard Ordnance Gelatin

Data relating to the minimum impact velocity for standard air rifle BBs to perforate skin and enter the underlying soft tissues is relatively hard to come by. This work provides some insight into the wound ballistic behavior of common air rifle BBs impacting fresh pigskin over a range of impact velocities. These results are compared to other approaches to skin perforation threshold velocities and findings. From these tests and their results one can estimate the threshold velocity necessary to perforate skin by these non-deforming spherical projectiles. Moreover the depth of penetration into standard ordnance gelatin following skin perforation is plotted against impact velocity and compared to that achieved in bare gelatin allowing for an assessment of the effect of skin on BB penetration into a standard muscle tissue simulant (ordnance gelatin).

Full Journal: AFTE Journal Vol 42 No 1 (2010)