By J. Kb

13 thoughts on “The ER Drs see the AR-15 victims”
  1. “The German Government protests against the use of shotguns by the American Army and calls attention to the fact that according to the laws of war, every prisoner found to have in his possession such guns or ammunition belonging thereto forfeits his life. This protest is based upon article 23(e) of the Hague convention respecting the laws and customs of war on land. Reply by cable is required before October 1, 1918.” –Diplomatic communication sent by the German Ambassador to the U.S. Secretary of State, September 19, 1918

    For the record, the Hague convention article 23(e) is a prohibition of “… arms, projectiles, or material calculated to cause unnecessary suffering[.]”

    1. Mr Garand Thumb had just referenced 45-70 shooters which would employ 300-400gr bullets, so I’m sure misspoke and meant 480gr, not ounces.

    2. It’s roughly 438 grains per ounce. I think he meant to say “grains” not “ounces.”

      Some of the old black powder loads for the Sharps rifles ran 450 to 540 grains.

      Because of the way Black Powder deflagrates, the maximum velocity it can push a bullet is about 1,600 – 1,800 fps. So the only way to get more energy was bigger bullets.

      The 45-70, 45-90, and 45-120 all had roughly the same velocity, just the bullets got heavier 405 gr, 450 gr, and 540 gr respectively.

  2. Most docs in ED (NOT THE EMERGENCY ROOM! Arrrghhh!) are unable to identify the bullet employed in a shooting, nor the weapon employed to launch that bullet.

    This is because most ED docs of my acquaintance are not “gun guys”, coupled with the changes a bullet experiences when it traverses a body as well as intervening barriers. Finally, if some doc puts up a (say) chest xray, and puts calipers to it, announcing “That is a .38 slug, because it’s .38 inches across”, (a) the projectile in question CASTS A SHADOW that is measured as .38 inches. Somebody smarter than I would have to calculate the difference between the size of the object casting that shadow, and the size of the shadow, but know ye that if there is any sort of distance between the bullet and the x ray plate, the shadow will be larger in some amount than the bullet. This is in addition to (b), as is likely well known by readers of this blog, a .358 bullet can be a “38”, a “357”, or even “a 9 mm” (try to differentiate .003 inches, from a shadow, from a bullet that has traversed some amount of flesh).

    Planefag there, the protagonist of the video, likely mis spoke himself. Even if he did not, in my street days, I had a shotgun shooting or two. Even a roughly one ounce payload of lead, at “social” distances, leaves an entrance hole roughly the diameter of the barrel. Gotta tell you, one fellow’s kidney did not enjoy the experience!

    OTOH, had a guy on the receiving end of a load of birdshot, from some (not specifically known) distance away, and his leather jacket stopped nearly every pellet.

    So, unless the physician in question has served in The Sandbox, it’s unlikely that s/he knows jack about what weapon inflicted what injury.

    Besides, handguns are way, way, way more “popular” as weapons on the street.

  3. My father was present when a neighbor caught a neglect discharge from a birdshot loaded shotgun in the butt at about 15-20ft. The shotgun must of had a full choke as all but a few pellets were stopped by the man’s wallet in his back pocket. A shotgun is a terrifying weapon but bird shot is for birds.

Only one rule: Don't be a dick.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.