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http://www.beartoothbullets.com/rescour ... ornily.htm

Do you think that the Thornily Calculator is correct in saying a golf ball at 400 fps has this much power?


edited by MrCrowley to comply with Spudfiles rules.

No, but it would make it really angry with you...

No. Because the Thornily calculator was not designed for projectiles of high diameters, low density or sluggish velocities.

While its outputs hold reasonably true for dense, fast, rather hard and relatively small projectiles, feeding it figures which are outside the parameters with which it was designed is quite frankly, pointless. I said this last time.

As far as I'm concerned, if you're not dealing with a small dense projectile doing at least 500 fps (and ideally another hundred or so on top of that), the results of any of these calculators are of no use.
Golf balls don't qualify for these conditions.

... you might get a meaningful result from a calculator that included greater consideration for projectile density, but as these equations are invariably designed around lead projectiles (or projectiles of at least similar density) and for use with the same, a term for that doesn't normally need to be built in.

(That said, I have my theories on the matter, but this is not the place to discuss them.)

Didn't we already have this discussion?

jackssmirkingrevenge wrote:Didn't we already have this discussion?

We did, and my points remain the same. The Thornily calculator is for small, dense, hard and fast bullets.
These equations almost always come with three caveats, which regrettably, aren't often stated:

#1: They assume a well placed shot delivered to a vital area with a properly constructed bullet that will transfer all its energy to the target.
If a projectile isn't capable of penetrating to a vital area, the equation becomes useless. Golfballs are this kind of unsuitable projectile.

#2: Stopping power equations are about incapacitation, not lethality.

#3: Even under these conditions, they are still only estimates, rules of thumb.

jackssmirkingrevenge wrote:Didn't we already have this discussion?

What a memory!

I wish mine was as good.

Epoxy fumes mutate brain cells.

psycix wrote:Epoxy fumes mutate brain cells.

Not only, you'll be surprised how much faster I can type with 17 fingers

Jack, you owe me a keyboard cleaning. I just spayed breakfast on it.. LOL..

Back to the calculator, an obvious high energy useless projectile is a football lineman. (the pigskin sport) It has more energy in a tackle than most firearms, but the tackle is rarely incapacitating.

Technician1002 wrote:I just spayed breakfast on it.

The poor breakfast. Not only does it get eaten, it's treated to neutering first.

Hehe, this time you beat me to it