To get an idea of the benefit (or lack thereof) of utilizing the escaping gas from the muzzle of a firearm as a wounding mechanism, I took a .38 Special snubnose (not my gun!) and pressed the muzzle into the face of a gelatin block and pulled the trigger. This is what happened: Firearm : .38 Special revolver with 1 7/8" barrel Cartridge : 130gr +P Winchester SXT Block calibration : 13.0cm @ 595 ft/sec Muzzle of firearm was pressed firmly into the face of the gelatin block (not hard enough to imprint the gelatin) and the trigger was pulled. Liquified gelatin hit me in the face and hands, and covered the gun. The gun appeared to be fully functional for another shot, as the cylinder moved freely, but no additional shots were taken. Here is the entrance wound:

Here is the sideways view of the penetration track:

Please note the ~ 1.5" of gunshot residue that is present in the initial inches of penetration... this caused a permanent cavity of approximately the same size as the entrance hole - then it just went away. The remainder of the penetration appears to be consistent with this load in this barrel length. Talk with other shooters about this test on The High Road.org : www.thehighroad.org