The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Is the impact of being hit by a bullet the same as the recoil felt by the shooter?

Slamfire · December 17, 2009, 03:06 PM

Momentum is conserved, not kinetic energy.

As said earlier, momentum is mass times velocity.

The momentum of a 158 grain bullet in a 357 has been calculated to be the same as a 90 mph fast ball.

Batters have been killed by fastballs, which is why batters now wear helmets.

When I see a guy hit by a fastball, I see pain, I see crumpling, I see hobbling. I see a guy's own physical response, but I don't see him being blown to the backstop.

I have seen 200 pound men jump a country mile after being stung by a hornet. Seen them run real fast to get away. Was it the "energy" of the sting or the reaction of the person that caused the jump?

Obviously, it was the reaction of the person.

You can probably find videos of people wearing ballistic vests and being shot. From the images, looks like they are being punched hard and fast. I will bet some are bruised. I heard one News reporter broke a rib.

Momentum is a real killer. Something heavy moving slowly will cause real problems for soft shelled humans. Just drop a 50 pound sack of concrete mix on someone from 10 feet, 20 feet, or higher. I will bet a 10 foot drop will break a persons neck.

Peoples own responses to being shot vary wildly. I have read of guys thinking they were stung, then they looked down and found they were missing a foot.

December 17, 2009, 03:06 PM	#16
Slamfire Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 5,261	Momentum is conserved, not kinetic energy. As said earlier, momentum is mass times velocity. The momentum of a 158 grain bullet in a 357 has been calculated to be the same as a 90 mph fast ball. Batters have been killed by fastballs, which is why batters now wear helmets. When I see a guy hit by a fastball, I see pain, I see crumpling, I see hobbling. I see a guy's own physical response, but I don't see him being blown to the backstop. I have seen 200 pound men jump a country mile after being stung by a hornet. Seen them run real fast to get away. Was it the "energy" of the sting or the reaction of the person that caused the jump? Obviously, it was the reaction of the person. You can probably find videos of people wearing ballistic vests and being shot. From the images, looks like they are being punched hard and fast. I will bet some are bruised. I heard one News reporter broke a rib. Momentum is a real killer. Something heavy moving slowly will cause real problems for soft shelled humans. Just drop a 50 pound sack of concrete mix on someone from 10 feet, 20 feet, or higher. I will bet a 10 foot drop will break a persons neck. Peoples own responses to being shot vary wildly. I have read of guys thinking they were stung, then they looked down and found they were missing a foot.