How Many Yards Until No Longer Lethal

[Small Lady]

For various calibers, bullets, and such, when approximately do they no longer have the energy left to be lethal?
This is a very general question I'm aware.
Not looking for very specific answers, but in general, using regular ammunition, and if you were to actually hit a person, would it no longer kill them. Again hitting them say mid mass, not perfectly in the eye and entering their brain.

Just want your guesses is all, for everything from say a regular 22 long rifle, up to 50 caliber.
Again lets not get to stuck on the perfect answers.

And could even a 50 cal kill an average adult male at over 4100 yards, even if not wearing anything protective like say a vest.

 

[Ol' Red]

This will be a very general answer. When you can catch it with a baseball mitt, it is no longer lethal. I believe the new sniper record was set at well over 4100 yards and his target is dead.

 

[memtb]

It's not a matter of energy…..it's placement!

A bullet, even if small, into the "ear hole" doesn't require a lot of energy to kill! Energy is far, far overrated! memtb

 

[Varmint Hunter]

When they bounce off a leather jacket.

 

[dfanonymous]

As others saying, it's various. There really isn't even a general answer. Energy is useful in disrupting CNS. It's a good way to get a drop in place type kill when with accuracy forgiveness. That is key. Forgiveness. Minute of man is common in fighting. Even in hunting.

Problem is, no one really agrees on any particular number. Momentum through mass is a part of the equation that's often left out.

On the flip side, a .22lr at 100y will kill you if it hits you dead in the heart. I've had subsonic 9mm not fully penetrate a skulls before at CQB distance, which is another broad topic. Way back when when MP5SDs were a thing.

Another problem is stability. If the bullet flips and flys backwards into the target, welp, it will do whatever it will do really. Assuming it even stays on its flight path.

Lastly, bullet construction is another consideration. Expanding, bonded, monos, fmj, all do their thing.

 

[Lee7588]

As others saying, it's various. There really isn't even a general answer. Energy is useful in disrupting CNS. It's a good way to get a drop in place type kill when with accuracy forgiveness. That is key. Forgiveness. Minute of man is common in fighting. Even in hunting.

Problem is, no one really agrees on any particular number. Momentum through mass is a part of the equation that's often left out.

On the flip side, a .22lr at 100y will kill you if it hits you dead in the heart. I've had subsonic 9mm not fully penetrate a skulls before at CQB distance, which is another broad topic. Way back when when MP5SDs were a thing.

Another problem is stability. If the bullet flips and flys backwards into the target, welp, it will do whatever it will do really. Assuming it even stays on its flight path.

Lastly, bullet construction is another consideration. Expanding, bonded, monos, fmj, all do their thing.

Mp5sd's are still my thing, I just can't justify the $50000.00 to buy one or feed it the 1000 rds per min.

But I agree with everything, to many variables

 

[Small Lady]

It's not a matter of energy…..it's placement!

A bullet, even if small, into the "ear hole" doesn't require a lot of energy to kill! Energy is far, far overrated! memtb

Why i said mid mass...say the stomach, or ribs.

 

[Techy]

Lots of variables

 

[Small Lady]

As others saying, it's various. There really isn't even a general answer. Energy is useful in disrupting CNS. It's a good way to get a drop in place type kill when with accuracy forgiveness. That is key. Forgiveness. Minute of man is common in fighting. Even in hunting.

Problem is, no one really agrees on any particular number. Momentum through mass is a part of the equation that's often left out.

On the flip side, a .22lr at 100y will kill you if it hits you dead in the heart. I've had subsonic 9mm not fully penetrate a skulls before at CQB distance, which is another broad topic. Way back when when MP5SDs were a thing.

Another problem is stability. If the bullet flips and flys backwards into the target, welp, it will do whatever it will do really. Assuming it even stays on its flight path.

Lastly, bullet construction is another consideration. Expanding, bonded, monos, fmj, all do their thing.

But at low speed they don't work as intended anyway.
A bullet traveling at 200 or 300 fps doesn't spread open and tear things up like it would at 2000 or 3000 fps, regardless of type.

Edited to fps from fpm.

 

[Small Lady]

Can a 22 lr hitting the average adult male in the stomach be lethal at 1500 yards for example?

Or same scenario but a 6.5 creed at 4500 yards?

There's got to be a point where even if it does hit them, all it would do is **** them off.

 

[Lee7588]

But at low speed they don't work as intended anyway.
A bullet traveling at 200 or 300 fpm doesn't spread open and tear things up like it would at 2000 or 3000 fpm, regardless of type.

A projectile doesn't have to open to kill. If you are asking for an ethical kill shot, distance will vary with each caliber and the amount of energy and speed it carries. Then you have the tissue, you stated soft tissue which does extend that range a bit. But personally I don't want to shoot something in the stomach and release all of the bile. Typically a neck, lung, or heart shoots are ideal for a quick ethical kill. I cant give a distance but I will say I try to stay in there1000 ft lbs of energy area for medium and large game.

 

[Lee7588]

Can a 22 lr hitting the average adult male in the stomach be lethal at 1500 yards for example?

Or same scenario but a 6.5 creed at 4500 yards?

There's got to be a point where even if it does hit them, all it would do is **** them off.

I think a box of CCI 22 lr says it can travel 1.5 miles. So I think it is feasible if they don't seek medical attention to puncture the stomach and their body turn septic

 

[dfanonymous]

But at low speed they don't work as intended anyway.
A bullet traveling at 200 or 300 fpm doesn't spread open and tear things up like it would at 2000 or 3000 fpm, regardless of type.

That's the construction aspect, but there are low velocity expanding bullefs like Hornady's sub-x that are made to work with low velocity rounds. But yes, regular bullets have a range in which they work. Even at close range, some expanding tipped bullets tend to explode into the target.

Hence the one year when dudes were all crying about their ELD-Xs not retaining weight, or straight dusting.

 

[bmart2622]

Its not a matter of energy, its the retained velocity needed for that particular bullet to expand