Air rifle ammunition and its influence on wounding potential.

Abstract

SUMMARYTwo new types of air rifle pellet have been introduced; Prometheus, made from steel and nylon, and 'Sabo', made from lead alloy and plastic. Both have radio-opaque and radio-lucent components and their manufacturers claim better penetration. To establish their capabilities and the clinical implications a comparison of penetration was made between diablo, Prometheus and 'Sabo' pellets using gelatin 20% as a tissue simulant. Prometheus penetrated no further than diablo pellets but fragmented in up to 70% of cases. 'Sabo' penetrated 46% further than diablo (p=0-001) and its plastic component did not penetrate at ranges greater than 05 m. Prometheus penetrated steel, unlike the other pellets, and is therefore potentially more dangerous in head injury. Because of fragmentation after impact it should be remembered that the radio-lucent sleeve is likely to be lying in the wound track. 'Sabo' would appear to be the most dangerous in soft and medium density materials.

Shot Through the Heart—Firepower and Potential Lethality of Air Weapons

“…While assessing the probability of skin penetration and the wounding potential of an air weapons, several facts should be taken into consideration—characteristics of the weapon and ammunition, the anatomical site of injury, range and presence of clothing .…”

Anesthesia for a thoracic BB gun injury

“…For example, ‘hunting pellets’ are BBs coated with a plastic layer to increase range and speed (20). ‘Prometheus’ (steel and Nylon) and ‘hollow‐tips’ are pellets which fragment or expand on impact to inflict more damage (2,34). ‘Dieseling’ is a practice which involves coating the inside of the barrel with a layer of oil, the ignition of which adds energy to the projectile (20).…”

Firearms and ballistics.

“…Though air weapons are commonly considered toys, or at least non-lethal weapons, projectiles from air-powered guns cause injuries and fatalities (Smith, 1985;Bond et al, 1996;Campbell-Hewson et al, 1997;Milroy et al, 1998). These weapons have been shown to be dangerous devices for humans and animals, and animals wounded by airguns are relatively frequently presented in veterinary clinics (Cooper and Cooper, 2007;Anon., 2013).…”

“…Nevertheless, the transmitted energy can be significant enough to fracture the upper arm bone (Phillips, 1979) or to cause a traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (de la Fuente et al, 2013) in a cat. Indeed, cone-shaped steel pellets are documented to have penetrated 1 mm-thick steel plates (Smith, 1985).…”

“…The picture of the wound channel at necropsy is dominated by the appearance of crushed tissue and only moderate bleeding. It should be carefully explored along its total length, especially as some types of airweapon ammunition are embedded in radiolucent components (sabot) (Smith, 1985). These might be found as a fragment within the wound channel and must be preserved as evidence.…”