Shooting Into Water

statjunk · 01-05-2006, 06:08 AM

Did any of you catch the episode of Myth Busters where they shoot several guns into the water at a balistics gel cube to see how far the bullets would travel through the water?

They shot a Muzzle loader, AR-15 in 223, a Garand, and 50 cal BMG.

They shot into the water at a 20 something degree angle.

The muzzle loader had the deepest penetration. The AR-15, Garand and even the 50 Cal BMG could not hit the Gel at two feet below the surface. The bullets fragmented and fell to the bottom of the pool.

Can anyone add to this? Is there a type of bullet that would reach down into the water?

I know they claimed that in the AR-15 that they were using FMJ's. Would something else have worked better?

Tom

Roskoe · 01-05-2006, 01:24 PM

I know a guy who used to shoot into a horse trough, and pick the bullets up off the bottom to see how much they expanded. My recollection is that he never had a bullet punch through the bottom of the tank, so the 24" penetration extreme is probably about right. I'm a little surprised at the 50 BMG. Must be some sort of A-Max targe bullets. The military rounds are made to shoot through aircraft and armor. I can't imagine them coming apart in water.

SalCucco · 01-05-2006, 01:28 PM

I saw that episode and was amazed as well. The faster rounds just disintergrated in the water breaking into dozens of pieces just just big fragments.

The moral of that story was don't hide underwater if someone is after you with a 12 guage slug, 9mm or muzzleloader. the big heavy bullets travelled extremely far under water.

vangunsmith · 01-05-2006, 03:05 PM

In the past and still to this day the russians have a pistol and rifle that are made to shoot underwater for there navy. I never did think of looking up what kind of bullet they used! vangunsmith

Hunter06FlKy · 01-05-2006, 03:12 PM

i think alot of it had to do with the angle they were shooting into the water. they started out shooting straight at the water then when they broke the tank they started shooting at an extreme angle where it seems that the bullet would be alot more likely to fragment apart.

Solitary Man · 01-05-2006, 03:56 PM

I saw that episode. Personally I don't think the angle had much to do with it at all. I think they were using light jacketed frangible bullets that easily come apart at high velocity.I don't believe a Barnes, Northfork, Failsafe or other similar bullet would have disintegrated in that manner.