There are three categories of ballistics. Internal ballistics is the study of a cartridge before the round leave the muzzle. External ballistics is the study of a round as it makes its way to the target. Terminal ballistics covers how a projectile interacts with the intended target. Contact gunshot wounds are where all three intersect. While we tend to focus on pressure ratings, ballistics charts, and comparative gelatin tests to get an idea of how a cartridge performs, a round can be erratic once it leaves the muzzle. Wind and bone torture the round can skew comparative results, which are great for comparing one round to another, but not always accounting of extraneous factors. While such tests are often used for concealed carriers as they go about gear selection, the behavior of guns and ammo at contact distance is an often-overlooked dilemma. A plurality of self-defense uses of handguns occurs at less than 21 feet and grappling engagements are shockingly common. What happens if you are in just such an engagement and have to press the trigger when clothes and limbs are in the way? I tested such a case.

Contact Use: Gun Selection Matters

Close at hand, semi-automatic pistols are problematic. You have to have a decent grip on the pistol to have it cycle beyond your first shot. At contact distance with the muzzle pressed against the target, conventional locked breech handguns can be knocked out of battery. With the slide ever so slightly out of locking positions, the internal safeties of the pistol will prevent it from firing. Interestingly, blowback operated pistols with fixed barrels such as the Beretta 21A and Walther PPK can still fire.

Double action revolvers are a logical choice for a conventional handgun that will work in an entangled fight, since it is insensitive to grip and its fixed barrel allows you to fire all rounds without any malfunction clearance, whether fired at contact distance or from a coat pocket. But even revolvers can be problematic, as can shooting at contact distance in general.

The Damage

The inspiration for this test came from an interview of Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch. In discussing entangling fights, Smith opined that contact wounds were “1/3 to 1/2 more dynamic. ” To get a visual of that, I headed for the range with a new Clear Ballistics 10% FBI ballistics gel block and two revolvers to find out.

The gel block is a simulant for muscle tissue with a lengthwise diameter of 16 inches and a width of 6 inches. The revolvers used in my test are a NAA Mini Revolver in .22 Magnum and a Smith & Wesson 442 Centennial chambered in .38 Special. These classic snubbies wear 1 5/8 inch and 1 7/8 inch barrels respectively. Gel tests tend to be more useful and interesting to look at when defensive hollow-point ammunitions and clothing are used, but to take as many variables out of the test, I shot the block naked with non-expanding FMJ ammunition.

At six feet, I fired two rounds of 40 grain CCI Maxi Mag FMJ from the NAA Mini, followed by two rounds with the muzzle pressed against the side of the gel block. The first two rounds traversed the six inches leaving .22 caliber holes front and back. At contact distances, the exit wounds were still .22 caliber, but the entrance holes measured .70 of an inch upwards of 2-3 inches in. The entrances were scored from gas pressure and unburned powder combusting inside the wound. At eight feet, that powder simply peppered the target. Recoil at contact distance was substantial. Hot gas, unburned powder, and two small lead fragments scored my shooting thumb.

From the same distance of eight feet, I hit the block with two rounds of PMC 130 grain FMJ from the 442. It left wounds that were little different from the .22 Magnum. At contact distance, the result was more pronounced. There was substantial tearing inside the charred entrance wound that left a 1 inch cavity that measured 1 inch deep, but upset extended up to four inches into the wound. I managed to short stroke the trigger between shots while trying to protect my hands. That is a great way to skip loaded rounds and fail to get a follow up shot off!

Does Difference Make a Difference?

Clint Smith was not far off the mark in his commentary. Contact wounds are certainly more dynamic, at least for the first few inches as gas pressure, unburned powder, and bits of lead exit the muzzle directly into the target. That difference would be even more pronounced with magnum cartridges. But does that bit of difference help or hurt? The report and blast will certainly be more disorientating to both victim and aggressor. There is still a risk of injury to the shooter and a chance for malfunctions to happen, but it is fair to say the party opposite will get the worst of the bargain. Bullets are not rockets that magically gain speed with distance before dropping. Penetration would be the same in any case. The added damage of a contact wound could induce a psychological and physical stop, but it cannot be relied upon to have a magical effect.