Why does a small high-velocity rifle bullet inflict more severe tissue damage than a heavier low-velocity handgun bullet of comparable calibre?

• A Rifle bullets are always jacketed with harder metal
• B Kinetic energy varies with the square of velocity, so small increases in speed greatly increase delivered energy ✓
• C Rifle barrels are longer and impart greater spin to the bullet
• D Handgun bullets are usually blunt nosed

Explanation

Wounding capacity depends on kinetic energy, calculated as half the product of mass and the square of velocity. Because velocity enters the equation squared, doubling velocity quadruples energy while doubling mass only doubles it. Military rifle rounds travel at roughly three times handgun velocities and therefore deliver vastly greater energy available for cavitation and fragmentation. Jacketing and nose shape modify how energy is transferred but do not explain the fundamental superiority of velocity.

Reference: Parikh's Textbook of Medical Jurisprudence and Forensic Medicine, 7th ed.

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