Bullet Fragmentation Associated with an Impact During Flight

 

If the bullet fragments prior to impact with its target:

(1) the entrance wound(s) will be atypical

(2) there may be multiple entrance wounds

(3) the bullet will not be intact

(4) the weight of the retrieved fragments may be less than that of an intact bullet

 

If the bullet does not fragment prior to impact:

(1) the contact prior to impact may destabilize the bullet 's trajectory

(2) the bullet will leave a single atypical entrance wound because of tumbling, etc

(3) sudden deceleration may cause the bullet to fragment

(4) the weight of retrieved fragments will appoximate the weight of the intact bullet

 

If the bullet fragments are small and the bullet velocity has been slowed by the impact, then there often will not be an exit wound.