|
Providing Terminal Ballistics evaluations to Government and the Private Sector |
|
Brass Fetcher Ballistic TestingBrass Fetcher Ballistic Testing |
|
Shotguns |
|
Shotguns differ from handguns and rifles in that they typically fire more than one projectile per cartridge. These firearms are most commonly found firing birdshot or buckshot, which are shotgun shells containing anywhere from 8 to several hundred lead or steel spheres. It is also possible to fire a ‘slug’ from a shotgun, which is a bullet-shaped projectile that essentially replicates (or surpasses) the incapacitation capability of a rifle, at distances less than 50 yards. Due to the fact that with bird/buckshot, more than one projectile is fired at one time, the potential for hitting your target with at least one piece of shot is much higher than with a rifle or a handgun. This can be important during a shooting event that occurs suddenly (countering a home invasion), at night, or against moving targets. Depending on the gauge of the shotgun, the weight of the weapon and the type of ammunition being fired, shotguns can have a hard recoil. The multiple pieces of shot reduce the risk of overpenetration (and thus reduce the potential risk to your neighbors should a shooting take place in your residence), but this also makes shotguns almost entirely ineffective against body armor. “In the jungle most of the meeting engagements with the enemy are from a distance of 15 to 20 feet. In this terrain our point men like to carry the shotgun. It is an excellent close-in weapon especially when the point man turns the corner of a trail and runs head-on into a couple of NVA. We used to have a Sgt E-5 in our A Company, now SSG Sidney S. Hines Jr., who love to walk point. On the border from July 66 to December 66, he killed 15 NVA with a shotgun. In three days time last January he killed seven more NVA. He has since rotated but his skill with a shotgun is still a legend in the Battalion."
|
