Mercury filled hollowpoints?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Mercury filled hollowpoints? (Page 1 of 2)

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:28:10 PM EDT

I have heard what I suppose is a shooter's legend that filling a hollowpoint bullet with mercury will cause much more trauma than the standard round.

The trick is to fill the bullet and cap it off with wax. I will admit that in my youth (seven years ago) I tried this. I used mercury from old thermomenters and bits of maleable earplugs to seal off the end. The firearm was a Charter Arms .38 Special Off Duty (a snubby) and Federal .38 Spl Ni-clad hollow points.

My results were inconlusive since I had very little mercury, and no control group. The rounds were fired at a 2X4 broadside. There was a massive exit chunk, but like I said this was not on par with Old Painless's tests.

Has anyone heard about this, or even tried it?

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:30:06 PM EDT

[#1]

Quoted:
I have heard what I suppose is a shooter's legend that filling a hollowpoint bullet with mercury will cause much more trauma than the standard round.

If you want more trauma, shoot'em a couple more times!

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:30:54 PM EDT

[#2]

i've got mercury filled .50 cal +p round that i pepper matians with.
from what i've seen with my Jr astronomer telescope set, they are pretty pissed after gettin hit with them.

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:35:09 PM EDT

[#3]

I've tried it.

I drilled out the top of .38special rounds, filled the top with mercury, and sealed them with wax. I then fired them through thick telephone directories.

The difference between regular lead and mercury-filled was quite impressive.

Unfortunately, my comparison was not between hollowpoints and mercury, but between regular soft lead and mercury. However, the exit holes were VERY large (as I recall - I was 15 at the time) - and I doubt that hollowpoints coudl have achieved that.

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:35:26 PM EDT

[#4]

Come on fellas, I am being serious. I don't think this is in any way needed or advisable to cause further trauma, but it is interesting to ponder.

Mercury is of course a heavy liquid metal and in theory might ad a "vapor of mass" effect. I am not explaining myself well here, but you get the idea.

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:35:31 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
I have heard what I suppose is a shooter's legend that filling a hollowpoint bullet with mercury will cause much more trauma than the standard round.

The trick is to fill the bullet and cap it off with wax. I will admit that in my youth (seven years ago) I tried this. I used mercury from old thermomenters and bits of maleable earplugs to seal off the end. The firearm was a Charter Arms .38 Special Off Duty (a snubby) and Federal .38 Spl Ni-clad hollow points.

My results were inconlusive since I had very little mercury, and no control group. The rounds were fired at a 2X4 broadside. There was a massive exit chunk, but like I said this was not on par with Old Painless's tests.

Has anyone heard about this, or even tried it?

Immediate trauma; no. Although a slow extra painful death from the Mercury poisening ontop of the bullet wound pain might cause long term trauma.

For the most part it's all hollywood that when your shot with mercury filled HP's it turns the HP into an Explosive HP.

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:36:16 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
I've tried it.

I drilled out the top of .38special rounds, filled the top with mercury, and sealed them with wax. I then fired them through thick telephone directories.

The difference between regular lead and mercury-filled was quite impressive.

Unfortunately, my comparison was not between hollowpoints and mercury, but between regular soft lead and mercury. However, the exit holes were VERY large (as I recall - I was 15 at the time) - and I doubt that hollowpoints coudl have achieved that.

Glad to see someone else was on this.

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:37:10 PM EDT

[#7]

Sounds like a job for OP.

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:37:44 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
I've tried it.

I drilled out the top of .38special rounds, filled the top with mercury, and sealed them with wax. I then fired them through thick telephone directories.

The difference between regular lead and mercury-filled was quite impressive.

Unfortunately, my comparison was not between hollowpoints and mercury, but between regular soft lead and mercury. However, the exit holes were VERY large (as I recall - I was 15 at the time) - and I doubt that hollowpoints coudl have achieved that.

DK, everything looks large at age 15.

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:38:06 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
Sounds like a job for OP.

+1

he's better than mythbusters.

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:41:01 PM EDT

[#10]

When the bullet stops, the Mercury still has momentum and keeps on going. Like another bullet continuing where the other stopped. It would be about the size of a BB on average. Teh poisoning will surely get em later though.

I would not advise carrying these loads. The defence will love you for it.

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:42:27 PM EDT

[#11]

Check "THE ARMORY" in the general firearms discussion. There is like a 3-4 page discussion about this already.

Mercury does nothing. Mercury alloys with lead. Sorry but you need to do alot more than just pour mercury inot a HP to get anything special.

Also mercury poisioning has very little effect and can take YEARS to cause anything. Also liquid mercury isn't the danger it's mercury vapor that is harmful. Think cyonide for real results.

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:45:25 PM EDT

[#12]

I always heard that assassins did this....just figured it was a talltell from my yute.

-HS

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:46:36 PM EDT

[#13]

Didn't Roy Schneider do this except with cyanide in Jaws?

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:46:50 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
Check "THE ARMORY" in the general firearms discussion. There is like a 3-4 page discussion about this already.

Mercury does nothing. Mercury alloys with lead. Sorry but you need to do alot more than just pour mercury inot a HP to get anything special.

Also mercury poisioning has very little effect and can take YEARS to cause anything. Also liquid mercury isn't the danger it's mercury vapor that is harmful. Think cyonide for real results.

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:46:53 PM EDT

[#15]

Dirty Harry was the one to have success....It's the movies.

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:47:49 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:
Didn't Roy Schneider do this except with cyanide in Jaws?

Yeah, IIRC it made the shark explode.

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:48:28 PM EDT

[#17]

I would have to wonder whether, at the spin rates the bullets are flying, the mercury would simply spin right out of the sides of the hollowpoint during flight.

Jim

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:55:44 PM EDT

[#18]

Deja-puke.

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:59:07 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
Check "THE ARMORY" in the general firearms discussion. There is like a 3-4 page discussion about this already.

Mercury does nothing. Mercury alloys with lead. Sorry but you need to do alot more than just pour mercury inot a HP to get anything special.

Also mercury poisioning has very little effect and can take YEARS to cause anything. Also liquid mercury isn't the danger it's mercury vapor that is harmful. Think cyonide for real results.

My impression (when I tried this) was NOT that there woudl be any posioning, but that the mercury woudl spread out - like the LIQUID that it is, but retain the momentum of the heavy METAL that it is - thus creating a much larger exit wound.

I'm certainly not an expert - but that exit hole looked HUGE to this 15 year-old

(compared to the regular rounds)

Posted: 3/15/2005 10:59:11 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
I would have to wonder whether, at the spin rates the bullets are flying, the mercury would simply spin right out of the sides of the hollowpoint during flight.

Jim

Bing! We have a WINNER!

No way in hell wax will retain the mercury. And if you somehow capped the HP with something that would, the mercury would amalgamate with the lead, making it brittle. Now a Nyclad might be different.

Posted: 3/15/2005 11:06:27 PM EDT

[#21]

Acctually saw a TV show on this and it was found the wax melts before the bullet even leaves the barrel.

Posted: 3/15/2005 11:14:24 PM EDT

[#22]

The idea is you're supposed to let the mercury get "coefficent" or "amalgamate" or whatever....with the lead. Like, leave it sit for a while. Supposedly this creates a very "different" effect when the bullet hits. Wouldn't know from trying it since I'm not going to shoot poisonous liquid metal through an 1800 degree barrel that might blow shit back in my face. YMMV.

Posted: 3/16/2005 12:05:36 AM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
... I drilled out the top of .38special rounds, filled the top with mercury, and sealed them with wax. ...

Sounds to me like maybe you just converted those bullets to hollowpoints.

Posted: 3/16/2005 5:39:50 AM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
Also mercury poisioning has very little effect and can take YEARS to cause anything. Also liquid mercury isn't the danger it's mercury vapor that is harmful.

I recall my college biology prof describing a woman who drank several ounces of liquid mercury, in an attempt to commit suicide. It didn't do anything, other than produce some VERY interesting x-rays.

Posted: 3/16/2005 5:46:30 AM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Sounds like a job for OP.

+1

he's better than mythbusters.

Mercury Box O' Truth!!!!

Posted: 3/16/2005 5:49:22 AM EDT

[#26]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Sounds like a job for OP.

+1

he's better than mythbusters.

Mercury Box O' Truth!!!!

I have about 60 lbs of the stuff here and would gladly donate whatever is needed.

Posted: 3/16/2005 5:53:08 AM EDT

[#27]

You can achieve the same effect by stuffing a ball barring in the open end of the HP.

Posted: 3/16/2005 5:58:40 AM EDT

[#28]

… I've heard that if you spray Teflon® Lube on the bullet it will cut through Kevlar as well!

ANdy

Posted: 3/16/2005 5:59:10 AM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
Quoted:
... I drilled out the top of .38special rounds, filled the top with mercury, and sealed them with wax. ...

Sounds to me like maybe you just converted those bullets to hollowpoints.

That's very possible.

As I mentioned, unfortunately, I didn't have any hollowpoints to compare the results to.

In - in my defense - I was only 15.

Posted: 3/16/2005 5:59:19 AM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Also mercury poisioning has very little effect and can take YEARS to cause anything. Also liquid mercury isn't the danger it's mercury vapor that is harmful.

I recall my college biology prof describing a woman who drank several ounces of liquid mercury, in an attempt to commit suicide. It didn't do anything, other than produce some VERY interesting x-rays.

I worked as the safety manager in a hospital where the exact same thing happened with a 15yo boy. He drank 2 liquid oz of mercury that he found in his g.mother's basement. The result was THE DUMP FROM HELL. I got the call for a mercury spill on the psych ward.

(In a "mercury free" environment?)

There was shit and mercury on the floor, walls, in the hopper. The wonderfully trained and thoughtful nurses tried to flush the evidence (Hg spills are covered in the annual training - flushing into municipal sewer system is a no.) It took 5 clean up kits and 2 hours to clean up.

Kid was fine. Elemental mercury doesn't go from the G.I. tract to blood easily - used to be given as a laxative. Hg vapors OTOH are nasty and attack the whole central nervous system.

Posted: 3/16/2005 6:05:00 AM EDT

[#31]

So, mercury as a "solid" isnt really dangerous but only as a gas?
So, I could play with mercury for a little while and be ok so long as I didnt breathe the fumes?
Cause playin with mercury is FUN.

Posted: 3/16/2005 6:06:37 AM EDT

[#32]

Quoted:
You can achieve the same effect by stuffing a ball barring in the open end of the HP.

Actually I think that would make the HP more effective.
It's been proven by Ol-Painless that through thick clothing hollowpoints can get filled and turn into FMJ want to be's.

I think that if you were to put a ball bearing in the cavidy it would prevent the cavidy from being pluged and also aid in expansion, even through thick clothing.

I'm thinking along the lines of polimer tipped bullets like Cor-Bin Personal defense bullets.

Anyone willing to give this a try, stuffing the cavidy with a ball bearing and sealing it somehow, melted led or copper to lock it in place comes to mind.

Uea I think of ways to improve things... unfortunately the things I think of I normally can't try.

Posted: 3/16/2005 6:09:19 AM EDT

[#33]

I can't believe I'm reading this post.

<---beats head against wall (like this;

)

Posted: 3/16/2005 6:12:19 AM EDT

[#34]

Quoted:
I can't believe I'm reading this post.

<---beats head against wall (like this;)

I can't believe I though enough about this as a kid to actually try it !

Posted: 3/16/2005 6:19:24 AM EDT

[#35]

Quoted:
Quoted:
You can achieve the same effect by stuffing a ball barring in the open end of the HP.

Actually I think that would make the HP more effective.
It's been proven by Ol-Painless that through thick clothing hollowpoints can get filled and turn into FMJ want to be's.

I think that if you were to put a ball bearing in the cavidy it would prevent the cavidy from being pluged and also aid in expansion, even through thick clothing.

I'm thinking along the lines of polimer tipped bullets like Cor-Bin Personal defense bullets.

Anyone willing to give this a try, stuffing the cavidy with a ball bearing and sealing it somehow, melted led or copper to lock it in place comes to mind.

Uea I think of ways to improve things... unfortunately the things I think of I normally can't try.

Its been done by a couple of ammo manufactures in the past(Ill get the names when I get home). Dave Corbon has some good info on it in his swaging books. A steel bearing works much better than a plastic ball. Hell ever look inside a a balistic tiped bullet? Its a HP with a plastic cone over a hollow spot.

Posted: 3/16/2005 6:23:16 AM EDT

[#36]

Quoted:

I can't believe I though enough about this as a kid to actually try it !

mercury is a liquid, for a hollowpoint to be more effective a tip (polimer tip/Ballistic tip) should be installed and designed to expand in the body, negating heavy clothing.

I wouldn't try this because mercury just scares me.

Edit:

Fat_McNasty... you just gave me an Idea on something to do. Now I'm just wondering which HP bullets to buy and whch sized Ball Bearings to get.
Then how to seal and balance them properly.

Posted: 3/16/2005 6:33:54 AM EDT

[#37]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Sounds like a job for OP.

+1

he's better than mythbusters.

Mercury Box O' Truth!!!!

Thanks, guys.

But Old_Painless don't want to play with mercury.

It's poisonous.

But I'll tell one on myself.....

Many years ago I read about Glazer Safety rounds that were filled with small BBs. Being too poor to buy any, I decided to make some.

I took a few Jacket Hollow Point .38 bullets and dropped them into my lead melting pot. The lead melted and I poured it out, leaving an empty shell.

I then filled the empty shell with some #12 "Dust" Shot and capped it off with some epoxy.

I then loaded them hot and was off to the range.

I shot a normal JHP into a milk jug of water and then one of my Frankenstein loads into another. The result was amazing! It blew it to bits.

(And, just for those that accuse me of always giving bad advice, I am not recommending these loads as good for anything except blowing up milk jugs.

)

Posted: 3/16/2005 6:49:41 AM EDT

[#38]

Quoted:
Fat_McNasty... you just gave me an Idea on something to do. Now I'm just wondering which HP bullets to buy and whch sized Ball Bearings to get.
Then how to seal and balance them properly.

Find a bearing that is the same dia as the opening of the HP. Place on a firm surface. Tap in with a hammer. then reload. If the ball does not want to stay, place a small drop of super glue in the hole. You do not want to cover the ball.

Posted: 3/16/2005 7:25:45 AM EDT

[#39]

what about depeleted uranium? someting else for OP

safety could be an issue!

Posted: 3/16/2005 7:31:33 AM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:
what about depeleted uranium? someting else for OPsafety could be an issue!

I would offer that the A-10 Warthog and it's GAU Cannon has pretty well established the "effectiveness" of Depleted Uranium rounds. They go through the top of a tank, through anything inside, through the bottom, and bury themselves in the dirt beneath.

What more do you need?

Posted: 3/16/2005 7:33:40 AM EDT

[#41]

Quoted:
Quoted:
what about depeleted uranium? someting else for OPsafety could be an issue!

I would offer that the A-10 Warthog and it's GAU Cannon has pretty well established the "effectiveness" of Depleted Uranium rounds. They go through the top of a tank, through anything inside, through the bottom, and bury themselves in the dirt beneath.

What more do you need?

heheh good point

good stuff you do tho with that box of truth

Posted: 3/16/2005 7:35:06 AM EDT

[#42]

Quoted:
Quoted:
what about depeleted uranium? someting else for OPsafety could be an issue!

I would offer that the A-10 Warthog and it's GAU Cannon has pretty well established the "effectiveness" of Depleted Uranium rounds. They go through the top of a tank, through anything inside, through the bottom, and bury themselves in the dirt beneath.

What more do you need?

Is it possiable for citizens like us to aquire some Depleated UraniumFor home defense?

against well armed and organised attackers.

Yes, against home invaders

Posted: 3/16/2005 7:37:25 AM EDT

[#43]

Quoted:

Posted: 3/16/2005 8:31:37 AM EDT

[#44]

What about a Primer in the hollow point.

Posted: 3/16/2005 8:39:46 AM EDT

[#45]

Quoted:
What about a Primer in the hollow point.

There was a compnay that made em called Exploder. Saw a box of .357 once.

Posted: 3/16/2005 9:47:54 AM EDT

[#46]

Thanks, guys.

But Old_Painless don't want to play with mercury.

It's poisonous.

But I'll tell one on myself.....

Many years ago I read about Glazer Safety rounds that were filled with small BBs. Being too poor to buy any, I decided to make some.

I took a few Jacket Hollow Point .38 bullets and dropped them into my lead melting pot. The lead melted and I poured it out, leaving an empty shell.

I then filled the empty shell with some #12 "Dust" Shot and capped it off with some epoxy.

I then loaded them hot and was off to the range.

I shot a normal JHP into a milk jug of water and then one of my Frankenstein loads into another. The result was amazing! It blew it to bits.

(And, just for those that accuse me of always giving bad advice, I am not recommending these loads as good for anything except blowing up milk jugs.

)

This is how 'Magsafe" bullets used to be made. I think they use two different sizes of shot though.

Bob

Posted: 3/16/2005 9:57:48 AM EDT

[#47]

Well, at least if you wound someone they may get mercury poisoning.

This one time at reloading camp......

Posted: 3/16/2005 10:08:16 AM EDT

[#48]

Ding, ding, ding!

Your own home depleted uranium penetrator reloading kit!!

Okay, lets get marketing!

Posted: 3/16/2005 10:11:56 AM EDT

[#49]

Ok, here is what I read... don't know how true this is.

You drill from the base of the bullet and fill it with mercury, cap with lead. When the bullet hits the target and de-accelerates, the mercuries momentum carries it forward and the pressure causes the bullet to fragment violently (explode).

It has nothing to do with putting mercury in the nose of the bullet. That does not make sense.

Posted: 3/16/2005 10:12:09 AM EDT

[#50]

Didn't Chief Brody do that in Jaws? He filled them with something.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Mercury filled hollowpoints? (Page 1 of 2)

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