Mercury bullets. Weapons banned: expansion bullets

In the 1990s, almost all armies replaced in their arsenals 10-12 mm caliber weapons firing unjacketed lead bullets with 6-8 mm caliber weapons firing jacketed bullets with significantly better ballistic qualities. However, the hard shell of the new small-caliber bullets did not allow them to deform in the body of the victim, inflicting the same severe damage as the old soft lead bullets did.

Priority in giving small-caliber bullets for military weapons the ability to easily deform in the body belongs to the British. When suppressing uprisings in India, they used bullets with a head part notched in such a way that the soft lead core was exposed. Hitting the bone, the head of the bullet flattened out, acquiring the shape of a mushroom, and inflicted severe gaping wounds with a wide tear in the tissues.

Cartridges with such bullets began to be produced at the arsenal located in the town dum dum near Calcutta. Their invention is attributed to the captain of the English army, Bertie Clay. Various modifications of these cartridges under the names "303 British Mk II", "Mk III", "Mk IV" and "Mk V" were made in large quantities in English cartridge factories until 1899, when their use for combat operations was banned by the third Hague , the so-called "Dum-Dum", a declaration signed by 15 powers. 11 states rejected the signing of this declaration.

The ban could not force the belligerent states to abandon such a powerful means of moral influence on the enemy as bullets of the "dum-dum" type. And not a single war of the 20th century could do without them, although the use of bullets was camouflaged.

The Hague Declaration did not apply to cartridges for police and hunting weapons, some of which were designed for cartridges in service with the army. For these types of weapons, easily deformable bullets of the “dum-dum” type, called "expansive". In different ways and in small quantities, they still got into the army. In addition, army craftsmen in the intervals between battles (such delights were widely used during positional warfare) independently cut or sawed off the tops of ordinary bullets with a file.

Naturally, such cartridges were not officially accepted into service with the army, they were formally banned, but not a single case of punishment by commanders for their use is known. Retribution came in the event of capture by the enemy. There are examples when, upon detection of such cartridges, prisoners were shot on the spot.

In general, the impact of any, in particular expansive, bullet on a target depends significantly on its design and the speed with which it meets the target. Bullet penetration is weaker the more it deforms.

For an ordinary bullet with a Cupronickel shell of a 7.62 mm rifle cartridge, the famous Russian gunsmith N. Filatov obtained the following results. When hitting a target at a distance of up to 25 m, the bullet shatters into small pieces that penetrate 15–17 cm. When hit from 50–200 m, the shell breaks, the lead flattens out in all directions and bends the shell back, giving the bullet a mushroom shape; the back of the shell is sometimes preserved. The penetration of bullets due to their very significant deformation is generally small and does not exceed 20 cm.

Revolver cartridges with expansive bullets 1. Cartridge .38 Special from Olin / Winchester with an aluminum Silvertip high-velocity bullet with a cavity in the head 2. Cartridge .38 Special from Olin / Winchester with a lead bullet with a cavity in the head 3 and 4. Cartridges .38 Special with expansive bullets having a bare lead core and a cavity in the head (3rd - cylindrical, 4th - conical) 5. Cartridge .357 Magnum with expansive bullet Hydra-Shock 6. Cartridge .357 Magnum with an expansive bullet with a bare lead core 7. Cartridge .44 Magnum with an expansive bullet with a bare lead core

Explosive bullet cartridges 1st group. Two small-caliber side-firing cartridges. On the left is a cartridge with an expansive lead bullet with a cavity in the head 2nd group. Five pistol cartridges 6.35 mm Browning. On the left are two cartridges with shellless expansive bullets with a cavity in the head. The first bullet is made of brass, the second, by the American company CCI, is made of lead, followed by copper plating. In the middle is a cartridge with a lead-free HOXIE bullet with a steel ball in the head. The next cartridge is a Glaser Safety Slug with high stopping power that does not ricochet at all. The bullet consists of a copper shell, in which lead shot with a diameter of 1.25 mm is placed. On top of the shot is covered with a cap (usually made of blue plastic). The last cartridge with an ordinary jacketed bullet with a lead core 3rd group. Two cartridges 7.65 mm Browning. On the left is a cartridge with an expansive bullet with a bare lead core, on the right - with an ordinary jacketed bullet with a lead core

When shooting at a distance of 300 m, the bullets deform less and the penetration reaches 40 cm. And from 400 m, the bullets retain their original appearance: they are slightly lengthened, and in the back the lead moves forward a little. Penetration up to 50 cm.

At long distances, bullets hitting the parapet are almost not deformed (from 1000 m there is absolutely no deformation), but penetration begins to gradually decrease. Thus, the greatest useful action is at a distance of about 900 m.

Such characteristics are explained by the fact that at very high speeds at closer distances, a significant part of the energy is spent on the deformation of bullets. taken in recent times bullets with steel jackets deform even weaker in the target. But the greater the deformation of the bullet in the target, the greater part of its energy goes to the destruction of this target.

On the other hand, not reaching a given penetration depth, the bullet may not hit the target, even if severely deformed. By varying the design of the head part of the bullet, it is possible to give it the required parameters of deformation (expansion) for effective impact on the target.

The variety of targets and their properties has led to the emergence of a huge number of expansive bullets that are excellent in design. However, there are not so many fundamental ways to give the pool the property of increased deformation in the barrier. The first, previously the most common method is to cut the bullet or its shell.

Notches can be located both at the top (cross-split), and on the head and leading (so-called side notches, or side-split) parts of the bullet. Technologically, they can be applied both from the outside and from the inside of the shell. Their number and profile are determined by the shell material and the required deformation in the barrier. Such a bullet opens with significant penetration into the body.

The second, also very common, method is to form a cavity in the head of the bullet (hollow point). The shape of the cavity can be very different and, again, is determined by the given deformation of the bullet. The external ballistic qualities of the bullet can be improved by a soft cap covering the cavity. Sometimes, to increase the effect of a bullet on a target, a plastic (wax, fat, paraffin, etc.) substance or liquid (mercury) is placed in a closed cavity. In close combat bullets, the cavity diameter is close to the caliber (manstopper).

The third method is similar, in fact, to the second, but is based on the wedge effect. The cavity in the head of the bullet is closed by a detail, which, when it hits the target, sort of pushes the bullet apart, tearing its shell. The effect is enhanced by the air remaining inside the bullet. This is how Action/DAG bullets are designed. In HOXIE bullets, the role of the wedge is played by a steel ball.

The listed methods of increasing the expansion of bullets can be used on both jacketed and non-jacketed bullets. Only for shell bullets, another method is used: exposing the soft core on the head of the bullet (soft nose). Such bullets are found wide application in cartridges for short-barreled and non-automatic weapons.

In long-barreled automatic weapons, the top of the bullet is often deformed during chambering, which adversely affects the accuracy of shooting. To eliminate this drawback, the exposed soft core is protected with a thin-walled copper or aluminum cap (“silvertip”).

To improve the quality of a bullet, a combination of two or more of the above methods is often used. For example, a cavity in the head with notches of the jacket or core exposure, a wedge with side notches, etc. In more sophisticated designs, such as the Glaser Safety Slug, the bullet core is fragmented in advance.

The effectiveness of expansion bullets has been confirmed by many years of experience in their use by police units and hunters in almost all countries of the world. Recently, law enforcement agencies of Russia have also paid attention to them.

Cartridges 9×19 Parabellum with various bullets 1. S&W cartridge with a bare lead core and a conical cavity at the top 2. Cartridge with a bullet having a large cylindrical cavity in the head. Its thin brass shell with deep cuts in the head part is folded in the form of petals overlapping each other. 3. Cartridge of the Israeli company IMI with an expansive bullet "Beehive" with a cavity in the head. Compared to the previous one, its shell has no cuts, although it is made of softer copper. The cartridge was created for the Israeli special services and is not available for sale. 4. Cartridge of the American company Olin / Winchester with a Silvertip bullet having a cavity in the head. Nickel-plated tombac shell has six notches 5. Cartridge of the same company with a similar bullet of greater mass with a subsonic muzzle velocity for firing from a weapon equipped with a silencer 6. PMC cartridge with an Eldorado bullet having a cavity in the head in the form of a hexagonal prism 7. Cartridge with a Hydra-Shock bullet having a cavity with a rod inside. The rod serves to more effectively open the head of the bullet in the target 8. Cartridge of the Brazilian company SVS with a bullet with a conical warhead having a bare lead core 9. Cartridge of the Austrian company Hirtenberger Patronenfabrik with an FL bullet, designed specifically for the police. It has a high stopping power and almost no ricochets. 10. A cartridge with a jacketless lead bullet coated with a thin layer of copper. Has low ricochet ability 11. Cartridge with an ordinary shell bullet with a lead core
Explosive bullet options for rifle cartridges 1. Cartridge .401 Winchester S.L.R with a bullet with a bare lead core and a cavity in the head part, covered with a copper cup 2. Cartridge .270 Winchester with a bullet with a bare lead core, covered with an aluminum cap 3. Cartridge 8x64S with a tapered head bullet with a bare lead core 4. Cartridge .338 Winchester Magnum with a Teflon-coated bullet and a cavity in the head

JUST DD

The temptation to own so deadly weapon, as "expansive" bullets, did not bypass the Red Army. In 1939, the NIPSMVO GAU KA was developed and recommended for adoption by an explosive (expansive) bullet DD, which consisted of a shell with notches at the top, a lead core and a plastic ballistic tip. In terms of explosive action and sensitivity, it turned out to be more effective than all previously tested bullets. The production of DD was organized at plant No. 60, which, although it mastered their manufacture, used substandard plastic for ballistic tips, which swelled when wet, and shrank and fell out of the shell when dried. For this reason, mass-produced bullets did not pass the test.

In 1942, plant No. 60 manufactured and tested DD bullets of a simplified design at NIPSMVO, consisting of a shell with notches, like in the early sample, and a lead core. In terms of sensitivity, it did not satisfy the peacetime TTT. But taking into account the simplicity of design and manufacture, as well as in view of the satisfactory results in accuracy and pairing of the trajectory with an ordinary regular bullet, the DD was approved and recommended by the training ground for adoption by the Red Army.

Rifle DD served as the basis for the development of a similar bullet for the 7.62-mm automatic cartridge mod. 1943, which received the index R-44. After tests for explosive action, the maximum range at which its expansive action manifests itself was determined - 300 m. At long distances, the bullet did not deform in the target and acted like an ordinary one.

It was not possible to increase the sensitivity of the bullet without complicating the design and without worsening the ballistics due to the relatively low initial velocity of the intermediate cartridge (about 150 m / s less than that of a rifle cartridge). The sensitivity of an explosive bullet, regardless of design, is directly related to the speed of meeting the target, that is, ultimately, to the initial speed.

Due to the inconsistency with the original TTT (explosive range of at least 500 m), the R-44 never entered service. It is curious that when developing expansive bullets for hunting variants of 7.62-mm cartridges in the 1980s, the designers most likely had no idea about the attempt to create a DD.

(The bullet hit Stirlitz in the head. “Expansive,” he guessed, spreading his brains. Joke.)

The weapon is a bullet thrower

The main qualities of the first are determined by the parameters of the cartridge, and the damaging effect is determined by the characteristics of the second.

modern bullets

Most modern bullets are jacketed (some experts call them conventional), that is, the bullet consists of a core and a hard shell that helps maintain its shape when moving along the barrel or through an obstacle. From police weapons used on the streets, in crowded places, a high stopping effect (the ability to incapacitate the enemy) is required with a short lethal range.

This means that when hit, the bullet must give up all its energy, and when it misses, it must quickly lose it. How can this be achieved? For ordinary bullets, the head part is blunted, and for some (cartridges for the German Ultra pistol, the domestic Nagan, modernized PM), it is generally flat, which somewhat increases the stopping effect. But not much.

Therefore, special bullets of increased lethality (expansive), used in hunting, police and even civilian weapons, but banned in the army, attract constant interest.

History of the expansion bullet

The history of the expansive bullet is interesting. At the end of the 19th century, chemists gave gunsmiths smokeless powder. In order to better use its advantages, they reduced the calibers of the weapon - in particular, they created the Lee-Metford rifles of the 1889 model of the year - and the bullets for it were coated (to improve ballistic performance). But during the expedition to Chitral (now - the territory of Pakistan), British troops noted their peculiarity - low lethality.

Thus was born the legend about the "humanity" of the new bullets: let us recall the passages of Louis Boussenard about the "gentleman's Mauser bullet" from the novel "Captain Daredevil". In fact, they left neat entry and exit openings, often without causing a serious defeat of the enemy. And so the pragmatists began to say that they were "not quite suitable ... especially against savage or fanatical tribes." After all, the old lead ones left much more severe wounds.

And so the colonial troops took up the alteration of new products, simply sawing the shell. This was carried out in the workshops of the town of Dum Dum on the outskirts of Calcutta, and the bullets received the same nickname. They turned out to be so powerful that the Hague Convention of 1899 even banned their use. The prohibition, of course, was interpreted broadly, recommendatory.

Result: the Germans, who fired "dum-dum" on both fronts of the First World War, accused the Russians of using old Berdan rifles with a jacketless bullet. Our press equated with "dum-dum" the Austrian sighting, which contained a charge black powder.

Expansive semi-shell bullets

But the terrorists who do not recognize borders especially liked the expansive semi-shell bullets. The British themselves became victims of their invention: on November 19, 1924, in Cairo, the British governor, Sir Lee Stackpasha, was killed by an Egyptian extremist with a dum-dum fired from a Colt-32. By the way, some historians believe that Fanny Kaplan shot V.I. Lenin with sawed bullets.

But this - like another version of the "poisoned bullets" rather to enhance the drama of what happened.

Soon, the police considered it useful to acquire such ammunition.

If the use of weapons is intended to neutralize the criminal, then why not increase the lethality?

Explosive bullet samples

Well, let's look at various samples of expansive bullets of increased lethality. Expansive ones are conditionally divided into deformable (non-destructive), semi-destructive and collapsing. Data on the behavior of bullets inside the target has been accumulated both by the study of victims and by experimental shooting at pig carcasses (the closest in terms of tissue parameters to the human body), gelatin and plasticine targets. The deformable ones include the mentioned shellless and semi-shelled bullets. In the latter, the notched sheath covers only the lower part, exposing the head of the lead core. In soft tissues, it is crushed, greatly increasing its diameter.

The bullet releases its energy to the target faster. "Soft-nosed" are very popular when hunting for a large animal. When they enter organs saturated with water, their action resembles an explosive, which is why they are sometimes called "explosive". In their head part there may be a recess (expressive emptiness), which enhances the "unfolding". A 13-g bullet with a deepening of the American 11.43-mm cartridge ".45 ACP", for example, in a gelatinous target block unfolds to a diameter of 19 - 21 mm! A semi-shell 7.1-g bullet with an expressive emptiness of the “.38 Special + P” cartridge (manufacturer - Kendell International, USA) already at a depth of 10 mm reaches a diameter of 15 mm. A similar sample was introduced for the domestic cartridge 9 x18 PM.

For a greater penetration depth, the core is made of two parts - a soft front and a harder back. The wedge-shaped shape of the latter ensures the destruction of the bullet. Blaser (CCI, USA) can serve as an example of a semi-shell with a flat head, shell notches and a two-piece core. And the Anglo-American 9mm HVA-P Alpha with a plastic belt and an expressive void has excellent penetration due to a higher muzzle velocity. In general, expressive emptiness contributes to the growth of aerodynamic drag. Bullet cartridge "Hydra-Shock" (weight 9.2 g in the version of 9-mm parabellum) company "Federal Cartridge" (USA) contains a solid core inside, which made it possible to partially improve ballistics. For the same purpose, an axial channel was made in the German ACTION ("Geko" and "Dynamite-Nobil"). Semi-collapsing and collapsing bullets have a thinning or transverse folds of the shell, funnel-shaped recesses. The action of those collapsing inside the target resembles fragmentation.

Among the police bullets in service, it is worth noting American and English ones with a "fragmentation" of up to 75 - 100%. Particles of the American 9-mm Glaser (the void is closed with a plastic cap), fired at a gelatin target, were distributed to a depth of 120 mm in diameter up to 80 mm. The justification for the introduction of such ammunition was the statement about their humanity - "the absolute impossibility of breaking through their targets and injuring others." However, a number of experts note that they are effective only when they hit the most open parts of the body - fragments are too small and light.

Light expansion bullets

The penetrating power of light expansive bullets is very small. Meanwhile, police weapons must penetrate hard obstacles (for example, the window of a house or car). This requirement is met, for example, THV bullet firm SFM (France). Glass is pierced with a sharp toe, and in the soft tissues of the body it unfolds, and the wound at the entrance is simply huge - the size of a saucer! So the stopping effect is manifested when it hits any part of the body, but penetration is small. Equaloy (Ballistic Precision, Great Britain) made of aluminum alloy also has “metered” penetration.

Shell with great content nylon provides great initial speed with less recoil and barrel wear. It is claimed that the diameter of the entrance hole inside the gelatinous target is 6 to 8 times larger than that of a conventional bullet. Cartridges with it were offered to fight terrorists on airlines - an aluminum cone is still not able to pierce the skin of an aircraft or window glass, and it does not give ricochets. A very interesting remark is put forward in their favor - even if the criminals manage to seize the cartridges, the police, dressed in bulletproof vests, may not be afraid of being shot by them.

Another British company, Conjay Firearms and Ammunition Ltd, produces two types of bullets for the security services: increased stopping power SVH and increased penetration SVAR. The 9-mm SVKh, weighing 6.5 g, transfers 85% of its energy to the target upon impact, and the 6.8-g SVKhK even 100%.

Schematic sections of expansion bullets different types: a) shell with a steel core, b) shell with a lead core and a flat head, c) shellless with leading bands, d) half-shell with an open flat area, e) half-shell with thinning of the shell in the head part, f) half-shell with "mushroom-shaped » core exposure, g) semi-shell with expressive emptiness, h) ACTION type, i) half-shell with a composite core - Blaser type.

Pointed expansive bullet on the trajectory: CP - center of pressure, CG - center of gravity, R - resultant of aerodynamic forces, Rm "overturning" component of the force R, M - overturning moment, Lm - distance between the CP and the CG, that is, the "shoulder" of the moment M , a - bullet precession angle around the tangent to the trajectory, Lb - bullet length.

Expanding bullet type THV

Bullet section of the American 5.56 mm M855 cartridge.

Revolver cartridges with THV bullets.

About the increased lethality of an expansive bullet

Speaking about the increased lethality of an expansive bullet, one cannot get around the so-called bullets with a displaced center of gravity. Moreover, there are plenty of legends about them - from a separating core to a fusible core and mercury filling. Meanwhile, the effect of their action has been known since the beginning of our century.

Assessing the results of the Russo-Japanese War, many experts were surprised to find that the bullets of the Japanese 6.5-mm rifle cartridges, all other things being equal, inflicted more severe injuries than the Russian 7.62-mm ones. Soon an explanation was found - their center of gravity was shifted to the end. Let us illustrate the features of the flight of such a bullet without delving into the wilds of aerodynamics. It is affected by a number of forces associated with the friction of the adjacent layers of air, a ballistic wave in front of its toe, and rarefaction behind its end.

The resultant of these forces R is applied to a point called the "center of pressure" (CP). The longitudinal axis of the bullet should ideally coincide with the tangent to the flight path. But due to a number of initial perturbations, such a coincidence does not occur, and the axis deviates from the tangent by a certain angle. R gains a component that is perpendicular to the axis - a tilting moment M occurs. As the bullet rotates, M causes an effect such as precession, familiar to everyone who has dealt with gyroscopes. As a result, during flight, it describes a cone around the tangent to the trajectory. Its apex is the center of gravity (CG), which forms the axis of the bullet. The greater the opening angle of the cone and the distance between the CP and CG, the greater the moment M and the lower the stability. It is understood as the ability to return to unperturbed motion after the end of the influence of perturbing forces. And now we take into account that with a decrease in the caliber of the weapon, the length of the bullet is reduced to a lesser extent, since it is necessary to maintain the size of the leading part of the cartridge.

Its elongation grows, and hence the action of aerodynamic forces and the distance between the CG and the CP. Less effort is required to lose stability. Thus, we should speak rather not about a displaced center of gravity, but about low stability on the trajectory. For a pointed bullet, this is especially evident. It was precisely this effect that the Americans encountered when they introduced the 5.56 mm M193 cartridge for the M16 rifle in 1963. Hitting the target, the bullet began to "tumble", inflicting severe wounds.

Experiments have confirmed the possibility of its unfolding and even rupture in body tissues. For example, a bullet from a conventional 7.62-mm cartridge inflicted fatal injuries only when it hit the most critical organs, the projection of which (when looking at a person from the front) occupies only 15% of the area. And the bullet of the M193 cartridge caused fatal outcome even if it hits the hand, foot, etc. Public opinion was not slow to respond, remembering the Hague conventions. But bad luck - low-resistance bullets are not stipulated by the convention. Yes, and the normal caliber with light bullets sometimes did not fall under the restrictions: after all, here the CG is ahead of the CG. Supporters of small caliber with a share of black humor noticed: they say, it is not known what is more humane - a serious injury or guaranteed death.

A darker joke also appeared: "The regular caliber makes minced meat on the surface, and the small one does it in the package." Still, stability had to be increased. And it was not “philanthropy” that prompted this. You have to pay for the advantages - small-caliber bullets lost their accuracy and accuracy at ranges over 500 m, reflected from any branch. In addition, the rapidly improving means of individual armor protection forced them to look for justice.

The Belgian Fabrik Nacional most successfully solved the issue, using all available methods to increase the stability of the bullet: shifting the CG forward, increasing its weight and rotation speed. Thus was born the famous cartridge SS109, adopted in 1980 as the standard "5.56 x 45 NATO" (American designation M855).

The domestic 5.45-mm cartridge of the 1974 model of the year (5.45 x 39) went almost the same way.

Let's remember how in the late 80s our press - 20 years after the foreign press calmed down - raised a fuss about our own "inhumane ammunition". However, the bullet of the 5.45-mm cartridge that was in service by that time, according to Western experts, was much more stable than the American M193 bullet due to the heavy steel core.

In any case, it deformed less when hit and did not disintegrate inside the target. Behind it appeared an even more stable armor-piercing bullet. And some journalists so decried the “5.45 caliber” that many even now find a bullet “with a displaced center of gravity” even in the PSM pistol cartridge (5.45 x 18). But be that as it may, the essence remains the same - bullets of increased lethality are suitable not only in the fight against wild animals, but also in the fight against feral people - criminals.

Expansive or, as they are also called, “dum-dum” bullets, are special bullets, the design of which provides for a significant increase in their diameter when it enters human soft tissues, which leads to a significant increase in their striking ability and / or a decrease in the penetration depth of the bullet. Expansion, in fact, refers to the ability of such a bullet to expand, increasing its original diameter when it hits soft tissues or other soft media. Currently, the use of such ammunition in military weapons is prohibited, but they are widely used for self-defense and hunting. For example, almost all hunting bullets are now expansion bullets. The use of military-grade full-shell bullets for hunting is considered unacceptable.

For many centuries, soft shellless lead bullets of relatively large calibers have been used with various hand firearms. Such bullets, when they hit soft tissues, flattened out, which increased their diameter. Due to this, they effectively transferred their own energy to the target, inflicting quite severe injuries on people. However, by the end of the 19th century, the situation began to change. In the last quarter of a century, militaries around the world began to switch to small-caliber rifles of 6.5-8 mm (at that time they were considered small, today they are normal calibers) and smokeless powder.

At the same time, shellless soft bullets often could not withstand the pressure that smokeless powder created in the barrel of the weapon, and fell off the rifling of the barrel. Given this circumstance, the designers were forced to switch to the widespread use of bullets, which also had a shell made of a harder metal over the lead core (copper was most often used, brass, cupronickel, tombac or steel were also used). Such bullets went along the rifling of the barrel very reliably, practically without contaminating it.

Quite quickly it was found that the damaging effect of the new bullets and their stopping effect is significantly lower than that of the old shellless ones. Particularly sensitive given fact was for the armies that then took part in the colonial wars that were waged against the so-called "wild" peoples. For example, during the Chitral campaign of 1895, a strong belief spread among the British soldiers that the new bullets they were using were ineffective, and the enemies continued to fight, even when already wounded, since modern jacketed bullets were not able to deform into wound channel, and hence effectively transfer their own energy to the target. Often the bullets "flashed" enemies right through, leaving neat inlet and outlet holes on the body and inflicting fatal damage only when they hit the vital organs.

As a result, the leadership of the British army set the task of creating such a bullet that would be able to inflict a wound serious enough even to stop the most stubborn fanatic. It is worth noting that many samples of the later small arms, for example, the Soviet TT pistol, which had a high penetrating power, but at the same time a small stopping effect.

In accordance with the installation issued by the military, in the early 90s of the 19th century, at one of the British weapons factories located in India (the factory was located in a suburb of Calcutta called Dum-dum), a British officer, Captain Neville Bertie-Clayem, presented new expansive bullets for the common 303 British cartridge. This cartridge was used with Lee-Metford rifles, and later with the Lee-Enfield rifle. Neville created the new bullet by removing 1mm of copper alloy from the tip of standard .303 Mark II bullets. Such an operation made it possible to expose the soft lead core of the bullet. New ammo English army widely used during the Tiras campaign of 1897-1898. During the fighting, the new bullets demonstrated impressive stopping power. Since then, the name "dum-dum" for this type of ammunition has become a household name.

At the same time, contrary to popular speculation, the British army did not begin to adopt the ammunition of Neville Bertie-Clayem. At this time, in Great Britain itself, at the Woolwich Arsenal, independent work to create such bullets. Here they created jacketed bullets that had an exposed lead core with a cavity inside. Today, such bullets are designated HP - hollow point, that is, bullets with a cavity located in the bow. These bullets were called Mark III, the British army adopted them in 1897, while in the same year they were able to supplant an improved version - Mark IV. By this point, the term "dum-dum" had become so widespread that it was used as an informal name for all expansion bullets without exception. Therefore, Mark IV began to be called the same, although they were created not at the Arsenal in Dum-dum, but in Great Britain itself.

Already in 1899, such bullets were banned for use by the Hague Convention, a special, as it was called, “Dum-Dum” declaration, which was approved and signed by 15 states. At the same time, 11 countries refrained from signing it. It is worth noting that the reason for the adoption of this declaration was not only the humanism that the military and politicians decided to show. It's just that such ammunition did not allow to achieve high speed the flight of a bullet, which means that the range of their use was also reduced. At the same time, when the powder charge is increased, the “dum-dum” soft lead bullet breaks off the rifling inside the barrel and almost does not rotate, clogging the rifling with lead. In addition, at this very time, the armies of the world began to arm themselves en masse with machine guns and repeating rifles, and it turned out that expansive bullets had another serious drawback. During the supply of a cartridge from the tape (magazine) to the barrel, it could be deformed, which led to stops and delays in firing, as well as to the failure of the weapon.

Naturally, the bans imposed did not prevent the belligerent states from using such a powerful means of moral influence on the enemy. In fact, not a single armed conflict of the 20th century could do without their use, although their use was camouflaged. The adopted Hague Declaration did not apply to cartridges for hunting and police small arms. Some samples of these weapons were designed for cartridges that were in service with the army. For such samples, slightly modified expansion bullets were produced quite easily. Such bullets in different ways and in relatively small quantities could get into the army.

In addition, there were always army craftsmen who, during a lull at the front (this practice was widespread during trench warfare), filed or cut the tops of ordinary bullets on their own. At the same time, such ammunition was formally banned and was not accepted into service with the army, but not a single case of punishment by commanders for their use is known. Retribution could only come if, after being captured by the enemy, such ammunition was found in the prisoner. Such "lucky ones" were usually shot on the spot.

The temptation to own this type of ammunition could not bypass the USSR. In 1939, an explosive (expansive) bullet DD was recommended for adoption by the Red Army. This bullet consisted of a shell with notches at the top, a lead core, and a special ballistic tip made of plastic. The production of these bullets was deployed on the basis of factory No. 60. The factory workers were able to master the production of these bullets, but used substandard plastic for their production, which led to the fact that mass-produced bullets could not pass the tests.

During the war, in 1942, the plant tested a DD bullet of a simplified design, which did not have a ballistic tip. Such a bullet did not meet the requirements of peacetime in terms of sensitivity, but taking into account the simplicity of its release and design as a whole, as well as taking into account satisfactory results in accuracy of fire and pairing of the trajectory with ordinary bullets, the DD was approved for adoption.

The DD rifle bullet later became the basis for the creation of a similar ammunition - a 7.62-mm automatic cartridge of the 1943 model. This cartridge received the designation R-44. After a series of tests for explosive action, the maximum range at which the expansive action of the bullet was manifested was established, it was 300 meters. At long distances, the R-44 did not deform when hitting a target, acting like a regular bullet. The R-44 bullet was never put into service due to inconsistency with the desired performance characteristics (explosive action at a distance of up to 500 meters).

Despite the ban on the use of the military, these bullets have not lost their relevance in the XXI century. They are necessary for solving those problems where the determining factor is the high stopping power of the ammunition, and not the firing range (pistols, hunting rifles). Using bullets "dum-dum" in hunting weapon seems preferable, as they are less likely to leave wounded animals (wounded animals that are doomed to die after a while). These same qualities have made expansive ammunition very common for police operations and civilian handguns. It is important for the police to have a high stopping power, which is combined with an extremely low probability of hitting the target right through, which, in turn, reduces the risk of hurting bystanders.

Sources of information:
http://otvaga2004.ru/kaleydoskop/kaleydoskop-ammo/exo-dum-dum/
http://otvaga2004.ru/kaleydoskop/kaleydoskop-ammo/legenda-iz-indii/
http://www.popmech.ru/article/12467-tsvetyi-smerti/
http://weapons.cybercop.com.ua/articles/view_article/2
http://en.wikipedia.org

Expansive bullets also failed to circumvent international bans. Often they are confused with explosive bullets, but this is far from the same thing. Explosive bullets contain a charge explosive, but expansive bullets do not. The latter are based on the principle of expansion - the ability of a bullet to expand, increasing its original diameter when it hits the soft tissues of the human body or other soft environment.

Expansive bullets, hitting a person, open inside like a flower, so they managed to get the poetic, but gloomy name "flowers of death." Currently, the use of such bullets in military conflicts is prohibited due to their "excessive cruelty", but the bullets are still widely used today, for example, by hunters.

Expansive bullets have a number of features that determine their use so far. Such bullets can be used where ammunition with higher penetrating power can cause serious collateral damage (for example, in aircraft). In fact, expansive bullets have two interrelated purposes:

- increase the diameter of the bullet at the entrance to the target, which ensures maximum tissue damage in the human body, severe pain shock and large blood loss;

- and, without going beyond the affected target, spend your kinetic energy inside, as opposed to if the bullet passed right through and continued its movement beyond the boundaries of the hit target.

Ban

Expanding bullets were banned on the basis of a declaration that was adopted in The Hague back in 1899, which entered into force on July 29, 1899. Later, the ban on their use was repeated in 1907 by the Second Hague Peace Convention. The main prohibiting document: " Declaration on the use of bullets that expand or flatten easily in the human body"(The Hague, 1899).

Prohibited subject: The use of bullets that expand or flatten easily in the human body, such as bullets with a hard jacket that does not completely cover the bullet, with holes or slits, in international armed conflicts. "Opening" like a flower when hitting a target, such bullets increased in cross section, effectively transferring their kinetic energy to the affected object.

It is curious that this ban is steadily implemented by most states of the world, if we talk about ammunition officially adopted by the armies. That, however, did not prevent countries from circumventing this ban during wars. A soldier could make such bullets in an artisanal way right on the front line. True, the soldiers who were captured and were convicted of using expansive bullets did not have the most pleasant fate.

Expansive bullets

Most of the bullets used at the end of the 19th century had little stopping power. Often they simply passed through the body of a person right through without causing him serious enough damage.

It all started with a revolution in small arms, which was driven by the transition from black black powder to smokeless powder. This was accompanied by a decrease in the caliber of weapons (from 10-12 mm to 6-8 mm). To improve the ballistic characteristics of the bullets fired from such weapons, they began to be coated with a metal sheath.

And it soon became clear that small-caliber shell bullets have a very low stopping power, piercing the enemy's body right through and leaving neat inlet and outlet holes in his body. Such bullets could cause fatal damage only when they hit vital organs. England, which fought colonial wars, faced such a problem rather quickly, and the British military leadership even set the task of creating a bullet that "could inflict a wound severe enough to stop even the most implacable fanatic" (original wording).

In 1890, the English officer Neville Bertie-Clay from the British arsenal Dum-dum near Calcutta took up the solution of the task. Later, the name Dum-dum was even able to gain a foothold for expansive bullets, it can still be found in the literature. Clay came up with the idea of ​​simply sawing off the nose of the bullet, thanks to which it began to transfer significantly more kinetic energy to the body.

At the same time, Neville did not even think that he had created something truly terrible. He provided samples of bullets to his superiors, they liked the idea, and already in 1898 these bullets were massively used in the battle of Omdurman in Sudan. The effect of using bullets was simply stunning: wounding a person with such bullets led to horrific damage to the bones of the skeleton, disability or painful death.

Contrary to popular belief, Neville Bertie-Clay did not cross-groove his bullets. Such rifling appeared later and was carried out in the field by the soldiers themselves. It was the easiest and cheapest way to modify ammunition. Since the popularity of such bullets only grew over time, the soldiers simply made cross-shaped cuts on the bullet. Getting into the body, such a bullet opened up like flower petals, its penetrating effect decreased, and its stopping effect, on the contrary, increased. Colonel Hill, who was a member of the Boer War, noted that it is better to get two wounds from ordinary bullets than one from an expansion bullet.

Since, when it hit the soft tissues of the body, an expansive bullet inflicted severe injuries on a person, a few years after the mass use at the first Hague Peace Conference in 1899, such bullets were officially banned as inhumane and violating the customs and laws of warfare weapons. The 1907 conference upheld the ban, although when it came to serious military conflicts, the ban was often "forgotten".

The variety of targets, as well as their properties, has led to the emergence of a very large number of expansive bullets that are different in their design. At the same time, there are not so many fundamental methods that could give the pool the properties of increased deformation in the target being hit. The first and one of the simplest and most common ways is to cut the bullet itself or its shell.

Notches can be located both at the top of the bullet (cross-split), and on the head and leading parts of the bullet (the so-called side notches or side-split). From a technological point of view, such cuts can be applied to the bullet not only from the outside, but also from the inside of the shell. The number of such cuts, as well as their profile, is determined by the material of the shell of the bullet, as well as the required degree of deformation when the bullet meets the barrier. Such a bullet opens with significant penetration into the body of the victim.

The second, no less common way is to create a cavity located in the head of the bullet (hollow point). At the same time, the shape of this cavity can seriously differ; it is also formed based on the deformation specified for the bullet. When using a bullet with a cavity, its ballistic performance can be improved by using a soft cap that will close the cavity.

In some cases, to increase the effect of a bullet on a target, a plastic substance (for example, paraffin, wax, etc.) is placed in a closed cavity. At the same time, in bullets that are intended for use in close combat, the diameter of the cavity made is usually close to the caliber (manstopper).

The third method is similar to the second, but is based on the wedge effect. The cavity located in the head of the bullet is closed by a detail, which, when it hits the target, seems to push the bullet itself apart, tearing the shell. The effect is enhanced by the air that remains inside the bullet. This is how Action/DAG bullets work, while HOXIE bullets use a steel ball as a wedge.

All of the above methods for increasing the expansion of bullets can be used for both jacketed and non-jacketed bullets. In this case, for shell bullets, another method can be used: exposing the soft core on the head part (soft nose). These bullets are widely used in cartridges for non-automatic and short-barreled weapons.

At the same time, in long-barreled weapons, the top of the bullet very often deforms in the process of chambering, which adversely affects the accuracy of firing. To eliminate this drawback, the exposed soft core is protected with a thin-walled aluminum or copper cap (silvertip).

It is necessary to understand, no matter what advantages expansive bullets have, jacketed ones often have significant advantages. In particular, the supply of jacketed bullets from the magazine is more reliable, since they have a hard toe that is not damaged when the cartridge is sent and stored, and the penetrating power of these bullets is much higher. In addition, there is an opinion (which echoes today with the use anti-personnel mines), that in the course of hostilities it is more rational not to kill, but to injure an enemy soldier, since the evacuation of the wounded from the battlefield and his subsequent treatment in hospitals diverts additional forces. In this regard, jacketed bullets, which have an artificially low stopping power, have a clear advantage.

Since 1899, due to the not very clear wording of prohibition documents and the constant progress in the development of small arms, the ban has repeatedly become the subject of controversy and discussion, including at the political level. For example, the use of small-caliber high-velocity bullets of the American 5.56x45 mm cartridge for assault rifle M16, which they tried to equate to expansive. Upon hitting the target, such bullets fragmented, causing very heavy damage, which was comparable to the damage caused by expansion bullets.

The resulting discussions resulted in prohibitions or restrictions on the use of certain weapons that could be considered excessively damaging or indiscriminate. In 1979 on International Conference The UN adopted a resolution, which contained a request to the governments of all countries of the world - to be careful when creating systems of small-caliber weapons. The resolution also contained an appeal to specialists in wound ballistics, who were strongly recommended to develop a standardized international methodology for monitoring and evaluating ballistic parameters, as well as the damaging effect of small-caliber and high-velocity bullets.

However, very soon similar accusations were made against the new generation of Soviet ammunition - the 5.45x39 mm cartridge, after its widespread use in the Afghan war. The bullets of this cartridge in the human body did not fragment in the wound channel, but could “tumble” at the target due to their low stability. To some extent, this is typical for all oblong-shaped bullets. Therefore, there are no clear criteria regarding compliance with the Hague Convention for such ammunition today.

As for expansion bullets, they are still used as hunting ammunition and for self-defense. They are widely used by the police. For police weapons, the presence of a significant stopping effect, combined with a low probability of hitting the target "through", is very important (this reduces the risk of hitting bystanders when using weapons on the street).

Explosive bullet cartridges

Photo: truthandaction.org

The command of the US Army intends in the future to switch to the use of cartridges with expansive bullets with a recess in the warhead, according to ArmyTimes. In addition, the military is also considering the possibility of using explosive bullets. Both types of ammunition will be used as part of promising small arms, in particular, new pistols, which are being developed today as part of the XM-17 project.

According to the military, expansive and explosive ammunition differs from conventional whole-shell ammunition in a large stopping effect on the target. In addition, when hitting the body, such bullets damage a large area of ​​soft and bone tissues, guaranteed to take the enemy out of combat. The US Army claims that expansion and explosive bullets will be much more effective in an asymmetric war, in which there is either a technical imbalance between opponents or differences in the strategies and tactics used.

Opened expanding bullet

Photo: sigtalk.com

Today, the US military uses only full-shell bullets, which, when they hit the body, form a practically non-curved round hole, and move in a straight line in soft tissues. Automatic bullets have a pointed head part, due to which the lethal effect on the target is increased with a small stopping effect. Pistol bullets with a rounded head, on the contrary, have a higher stopping power and a small lethal effect.

What types of explosive and expansive bullets the US military plans to use is still unknown. The most common type today are bullets with a hollow point, the so-called hollow point. Since 2013, cartridges with radical expansion bullets have also been produced in the United States. They are known as R.I.P. ammo (Radically Invasive Projectile). These bullets are entirely made of copper, have an expansive recess in the tip. In addition, in the head part there are petals made like the sharp part of a trocar.

When it hits the body, the petals of a radical-expansive bullet open (but can also fold into a pinch), and then break off and move along trajectories diverging from the main part of the projectile. The main part continues to move in a straight line. Such ammunition combines high rates of lethality and stopping power. Today, cartridges with bullets like R.I.P. in the US, they are produced only for the civilian market.

Expanding bullets are actively used by the American drug control services, the police, as well as special forces. Such projectiles allow you to avoid collateral damage in the event of a firefight in crowded places - the bullets simply get stuck in the body of the criminal, which means they cannot injure other people.

According to Richard Jackson, head of the "law of war" military legal service, the US Department of Defense recently revised the rules for the use of various special-purpose ammunition. This means that the Army will now be able to change the ways of warfare adopted over a hundred years ago. “There is a myth that expansive and explosive bullets are prohibited from being used in international military conflicts. But it doesn't matter now," Jackson said.

It should be noted that formally the transition of the US Army to the use of expansive and explosive bullets will not violate the law. The use of such ammunition in military conflicts is today prohibited by the provisions of the Hague Convention, adopted in 1899. Currently, the US military adheres to these provisions, although, according to Jackson, the United States did not formally sign this part of the document.