Bullet Vs. Engine Block
What happens when you fire a gun at an engine block? Which bullet can make a hole in cast iron or aluminum? The answer depends on the gun, the bullet and the composition of the engine block.
Other People Are Reading
-
Bullet Type
-
Ordinary bullets are made of lead surrounded by a thin wall of copper. When they strike a solid object, they flatten out and lose penetration. Armor-piercing ammunition is made of a core of hardened steel, tungsten-carbide or depleted uranium surrounded by a softer material, such as copper or aluminum, used to protect the barrel of the gun.
Block Hardness
-
Engine blocks are made of cast iron or aluminum, which are three to 10 times softer than hardened steel armor. Also, engine blocks aren't solid metal. There are spaces for the pistons, oil storage and other parts.
-
Rifle or Pistol
-
Most pistols shoot a low-velocity bullet that won't penetrate an engine block. Most rifles fire higher-velocity bullets and have a better chance at penetration. According to The Free Dictionary, scientist Isaac Newton discovered in the seventeenth century that penetration increases by the square of the velocity. He found that a bullet traveling twice as fast has four times the penetrating energy.
Military or Non-Military
-
The only bullet available to the general public that will reliably disable an engine block is a .50 caliber machine-gun bullet. Machine guns aren't legal in most situations; however, semi-automatic rifles in .50 caliber are available for legal purchase. An armor-piercing .50 caliber bullet will penetrate 2 inches of hardened steel and will reliably push all the way through an engine block.
Exploding Bullets
-
Many larger armor-piercing bullets carry an incendiary, or explosive, component and may also contain a tracer material such as phosphorus or magnesium. Tracers are loaded every fifth bullet and show the gunner where his bullets are going.
-
References
- Photo Credit 5.56 head- ammo bullet image by Yanir Taflev from Fotolia.com
