Determination of impact parameters and efficiency of 6.8/15 caliber captive bolt guns

Abstract

While the morphological appearance of injuries due to powder-actuated captive bolt stunners has been extensively investigated, medicolegal literature contains, except for one work by Nadjem and Pollak (Arch Kriminol 203:91-102), no further investigations into the physical impact characteristics of these sharp-edged circular punching tools. However, basic physical parameters, such as bolt velocity, momentum, kinetic energy, and energy density, play a crucial role in the medicolegal and traumatological assessment of captive bolt stunners and the related injuries. And also, regulatory bodies demand a reliable and repeatable measurement test set-up for the determination of captive bolt stunners' impact characteristics. Therefore, it is the aim of this work to design and describe a test set-up based on one single photoelectric light barrier and to determine the impact parameters for a series of newly developed cal. 6.8/15 stunning devices. We found that bolt velocity ranges from v = 42 to 54 m/s, while momentum ranges from p = 11 to 14 Ns, and kinetic energy reaches values from E = 224 to 369 J. The efficiency of the captive bolt stunner, defined as the ratio of the kinetic energy of the stunner's bolt to the potential energy of industrial blank cartridges, also described in this work for the first time, was found to vary between 36 and 46 %.

The punched-out tissue complex (skin-bone ”imprimatum“) in shots from captive-bolt guns: does it act as a secondary projectile?

“…The strength of the ammunition is indicated by color markings on the base of the cartridges. The bolt has a diameter of about 10 mm, a circular cross-section, and a conically grooved end acting as a sharp-edged punching tool when driven out from the gun's muzzle with an initial velocity of about 50 m/s or less [9,36]. The penetration depth depends on the bolt's length and usually does not exceed 10 cm.…”

Further Examination of the Performance of Blank Cartridges Used in Captive Bolt Devices for the Pre-Slaughter Stunning of Animals

“…European legislation and United Kingdom legislation [5][6][7][8] require abattoirs, as regards stunning, to take into account the manufacturers' recommendations (Article 6, 2(a)), and that the correct strength of cartridge or other propellant is used, in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, to produce an effective stun [6][7][8][9]. This requirement recognises the importance of the cartridge choice, but also infers an expectation of unform performance of the cartridges.…”

Cattle stunning with a penetrative captive bolt device: A review

“…The highest values of kinetic energy were determined for the individual stunning devices with the use of the red cartridges. When classic stunning devices with cartridges are used, however, only between one‐third and one‐half of the potential energy of the cartridge is transformed into the kinetic energy of the captive bolt (Dörfler et al., ). The effectiveness of this type of device tends, therefore, to be low.…”

“…The yellow cartridges were designed for stunning sheep, horses, cattle, sows, and boars, the blue cartridges for cows, steers, and bulls, and the red cartridges for heavy bulls and steers. The cartridges differed in terms of the powder content—yellow 260 mg, blue 315 mg, red 320 mg (Dörfler, Troeger, Lücker, Schönekeß, & Frank, ). Statistically significant differences ( p < 0.005) were determined between the measured values of the kinetic energy of the types of cartridge used (Dörfler et al., ).…”