50 cal accident: using a round as a hammer

[Petard]

Came across this one the other day, thought it might be a useful topic on the utility, or futility, of safety bulletins.
A soldier decided to use the base of a 50 cal round to hammer a mount pin into place, and almost lost his hand in the process. Consequently a safety bulletin was put out to warn soldiers not to do this.
To some it might seem like these kind of bulletins are unnecessary, yet these incidents do happen, and with larger calibre weapons too operated by a crew.
So I think these kind of bulletins serve their purpose, if nothing else to remind leaders/supervisors just how incredibly foolish their charges can be.
So for those who require more supervision than others....
http://soldiersystems.net/2010/06/03/13414/

 

[Occam]

That's quite the wound. 

 

[Neolithium]

I'm rather speechless reading that, and somewhat surprised there is that much of his hand left.

 

[TN2IC]

And he won the sperm race.  ;D

 

[Teeps74]

Yep, gruesome indeed. This went up in our Armouries Weds afternoon, and all over our place of work.

Best to learn from other people's mistakes.  Hopefully, the young soldier involved is on the road to recovery, and will keep as much of his hand as possible.

 

[Journeyman]

.....and will keep as much of his hand as possible.

Otherwise it will be difficult to shake hands with the presenter when receiving his Darwin Award  ;D

 

[Illegio]

Saw this at work on Friday. I'll admit that I've hammered my fair share of C6/C9 pintle mounts on the LAVs, though I can't say that I've ever laid hands on live ammunition for the job. I suppose it could have been a lot worse if he had been mounting a Mk. 19...

 

[1feral1]

That poster was actualy passed within the Aussie DRN a few weeks back for widest distribution.

Plain stupidity cost this soldier's right hand, and there is without a doubt this ended in amputation.

Personally, there is nothing funny about it, and re-inforces the potential damage which can occur in the tampering with ammunition.

We've all seen what can happen, for example, with the unauthorised use of CF T-flashes and arty sims, which in the past, demonstrates the same calibre/level ignorance here.

If you think this is just another US issue, think again.

OWDU

 

[medicineman]

I for one love to read the Safety Digest - some useful tidbits in it as well as people that make you feel somewhat smarter when you're having a no neuronal activity day.  I've treated the odd safety digest short story over the last number of years  :.

MM

 

[Rogo]

Sad part is that he probably used his dominant hand.  Losing the other would not of been as bad haha

 

[McD]

Good Golly. Now I am interested, I'll preface this by say I have no exposure such trauma or munitions, other than some EMT training which clearly has nothing to do with munitions or weapons...

Clearly a powerful blast. But can someone guess at what destroyed his hand? What I really care to know is was his hand destroyed as it  was acting place of a "barrel" or "chamber" OR simply the proximity to the blast from the casing ? In this instance could anyone speculate if there would be a casin left?

Which leads me to the real query as I am no gun smith, what materials / material making processes make up the parts of the weapons system that contain this energy?  OR  should I just shut up and take it for what it is?

I FEEL DUMB ASKING DONT RUB IT IN Or go for it, I can just imagine the facial expressions of some here, I don't mind a good well placed jive.

If my terminology is off take this as my apologies in advanced.

 

[DexOlesa]

I would say that the actual bullet part of the round most likely would have been clear of his hand when he was holding it (its a fairly large round) The shockwave/ high pressure gas, would have ripped him apart. If you put your finger next to the chamber of a revolver even just 38 special, you will blow that finger off with the gas escaping from the side.

Disclaimer: Not a weapons tech, just an avid hunter/ target shooter

 

[SeanNewman]

But can someone guess at what destroyed his hand?

The mechanics of what would have happened is that holding the round like a hammer, the ball projectile itself would have never touched his hand.  It would have been extended beyond the other side of his hand (non hammer side) and would have kept going in that direction.

However, the very long casing in his hand now becomes kind if like a mini jet engine that blasts its force and explosive energy toward the side that he was hammering.  This would have pushed the blast through his hand, which would have more than likely been very tightly closed if he was trying to smash something with it.

The mach-speed empty casing arguably would have been more of a danger than the bullet, although both would have killed someone.

 

[aesop081]

The mechanics of what would have happened is that holding the round like a hammer, the ball projectile itself would have never touched his hand. 

That is not necesarily true. I just tried holding a similar object to accomplish the same task and thet soldier involved could very well have been injured by the bullet itself.

You give stupid too much credit.  ;D

 

[SeanNewman]

... the soldier involved could very well have been injured by the bullet itself.

I agree with you that he could have been shot by the bullet, but in his face or body, not in the hand he was holding it with.

[/CSI wannabe]

 

[aesop081]

[/CSI wannabe]

I see.

I'm holding a replica bullet slightly smaller than a .50cal...........if it went off while i was using it to hit somthing, the bullet would go through my hand.

Wish i could take a picture right now.

 

[DexOlesa]

I dunno, I have fairly large hands and holding a 50 it might have a little bit of the bullet inside my hand but it would be right at the neck. Anyways I think the likely answer to his question is exploding case/ high pressure gas did the lions share of the damage

 

[kkwd]

The cartridge case is not designed to contain pressure when unsupported by the chamber of a firearm. It will expand to form fit the chamber of the weapon when fired. So if it doesn't have a chamber to support it the relatively soft metal may rupture in any direction. Then again the primer may blow out and release the pressure. So it is a crap shoot and you may get lucky or injured.

 

[Kat Stevens]

Exactly, without the constriction of the chamber to direct the blast energy, the round is effectively a mini pipe bomb with a lead plug in the end.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Exactly, without the constriction of the chamber to direct the blast energy, the round is effectively a mini pipe bomb with a lead plug in the end.

That's the way I see it also. Hand wrapped around the casing, bullet facing out (and outside the hand) while he was striking the base against the end of the pin.

I have a dummy .50 right here and everything fits. The case would have split.