A Fired .38 caibre Hollow Point round, completely expanded and deformed after striking its target. From Wikipedia, by user Rickochet

Welcome back! So far we’ve talked about the flight of projectiles, and how things change as our projectiles and the atmosphere around them change.  Now lets talk about what happens to our projectiles when they actually impact with something!

These projectiles that we’ve thrown have now flown from their projector to the other end of their ballistic trajectory.  Eventually, they’ll hit something other than the medium they are flying in.  Wether it’s the intended target, something that happens to be in the way, or one of those weird bubblegum asteroids those Sci-Fi writers keep dreaming up, something will happen. Continue reading →