Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix
McAfee Secure sites help keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams
Chris Higgins
Ultra Slo-Mo Video of Bullet Impacts
by Chris Higgins - October 12, 2009 - 3:23 PM

This is weird and mesmerizing: ultra slow-motion video of bullets impacting various materials (glass, wood, metal, hollow-points on ballistics gel, and so on). The soundtrack adds nothing to the experience, so you might as well mute it (unless you want to have a rave while watching the video). But from a scientific perspective, there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on here…what was most interesting to me was watching the bullets instantly liquify when they hit hard surfaces (like harder metals). There are also several shots in which the bullets are impacted by other projectiles in mid-flight.

The best news: there’s nothing gross here, just very cleanly photographed bullet impacts on non-gross objects.

(Via Kottke.org.)

« Previous Post   -   Next Post »
Comments (13)

  1. Nike did a series a few years ago of golf balls hitting some odd objects – such as cake, a gumball machine, a piggy bank – they were fun to watch.

    posted by PartiallyDeflected on 10-12-2009 at 5:46 pm

  2. I found those golf ball vids at:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fogo9NQ1g6A

    with targets including: watermelon, cuckoo clock, ice sculpture, mayonaise jar (very messy), lava lamp, and fish bowl (no fish are harmed)

    posted by PartiallyDeflected on 10-12-2009 at 10:11 pm

  3. I can see a whole episode of Mythbusters “bullet myths” being debunked using nothing more than this footage.

    posted by Bicycle Bill on 10-13-2009 at 1:09 am

  4. Freakin cool art. The video is awesome. The malleability if lead is spectacular in this footage. Protection from x-rays, use as bullets, and now art; cool. Too bad the stuff is toxic.

    posted by Chris on 10-13-2009 at 1:19 am

  5. Mute the sound on the video and play Barber’s Adagio for Strings. Stunning.

    posted by Scott on 10-13-2009 at 1:23 am

  6. So I guess hollywood is a lie when they have a shootout and the dude is behind a plastic/wooden table that you see at those crappy restaurants.

    I been wondering why they don’t get pwn hard when 500 bullets are going straight at that table.

    posted by Guns on 10-13-2009 at 5:34 pm

  7. previous commenter, it really depends on the table and more importantly the type of bullet being used…it’s possible a 9mm round wouldn’t penetrate a standard wooden table. i wouldn’t bet my life on it, though.

    posted by Blayne on 10-13-2009 at 6:32 pm

  8. holy hollow point batman!

    that was a tremendously trippy film. I never knew that a bullet could be split like it was a banana peel.

    posted by Kirk on 10-13-2009 at 8:33 pm

  9. very mesmerizing video, they cut off each clip too early though, it’s fun to watch the juicy explosions when water or whatever non-solids they used are shot

    posted by seth on 10-13-2009 at 9:54 pm

  10. anyone know the name of the song? I actually like..well put with the video. p.s the entire 10 minutes is fun to watch and listen…good clip

    posted by Marcin on 10-14-2009 at 12:48 am

  11. Would have been better if there wasn’t the obnoxiously large and completely pointless water mark in the middle of the screen. So stupid.

    Kick-ass slow mo though! I particularly liked the 7:30 mark or so. Banana bullets anyone?

    posted by JP on 10-14-2009 at 1:50 pm

  12. Watching the vid I’m thinking what a horrific job a high powered bullet will do to a human body.

    posted by robert wilson on 10-20-2009 at 4:16 pm

  13. It was interesting but they should have a list of specs at the bottom. ie. type of material and bullet velocity. Some of those looked like airgun pellets hitting the glass.

    posted by Steve on 10-25-2009 at 11:45 am

Comment

commenting policy