Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!att!cbnews!military From: mjt@super.org (Michael J. Tighe) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Exploding Bullets Message-ID: <7364@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 12 Jun 89 00:58:38 GMT Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Lines: 32 Approved: military@att.att.com From: Michael J. Tighe [ Discussion on exploding bullets] I am not familiar with the bullets used by the Chinese Army, but I am familiar with exploding bullets in the US. The brand I know best is called Devastator, and they come in a variety of calibers. The bullet itself is similar to a hollow point bullet except that it is filled in with a gelatin like substance and then the top is tapered off to prevent it from falling out. Although they are designed to detonate on impact, supposedly they are very safe. If you drop one it should not go off. In fact, they don't go off a lot, even when they should. They are not like hand grenades. If you are not hit you will not be hurt, unless of course a small fragment gets in your eye or something like that. I do not know why they were invented. As far as I know they are not very useful. I do not know of anybody who uses them (police, SF, etc). They are just a novelty. If my memory serves me correctly, John Hinckley (sp?) used .22 caliber exploding bullets in the assassination attempt. And I do not think the bullet(s) that hit Reagan detonated. One more thing. Don't the accords from the Geneva Convention ban the use of any bullet that is not a full metal jacket? This doesn't mean you can't use them against your own people, but it makes one wonder why the Chinese Army has them...