Can .17hmr cause hydrostatic shock?

Based on what I've seen, the bullet comes apart pretty completely. One buddy of mine who used them extensively out to 200 yards controlling beaver populations says that it works really well for his purposes. He works for the levee board and part of his job is controlling nuisance beavers. He says that he often shoots them out to 200 yards with the cartridge and it's immediately effective. However, any crosswind is tough on them. He's thinking about stepping up to a .22-250 for better wind-bucking ability.
 
If what I remember about hydrostatic shock is correct, its the displacement of liquids in the body by the bullet hitting and causing that massive initial wound cavity. Kinda like squeezing a water balloon, the liquids are forced from one place to another. When it channels down to veins in soft tissue they can rupture and damage the soft tissue. (like a brain). So with all that, if the target was small enough for the cavity size to matter, then yes, but if the target was large enough to aborbe the displacement, then no.

But I just got off a 12 hour shift so my memory could be faulty.
 
It turns little tundra squirrels inside out and foxes drop in their tracks without an exit hole. Never thought about hydrostatic shock.
 
The speed of sound in tissue is about 5,000 fps. If your bullet is traveling faster than this through tissue then it can cause hydrostatic shock. If not, the wound trauma is a result of the bullet, and any resulting fragments, crushing and cutting tissue. Which is why a 1" broad head can kill a deer just as good or better than a 30-06.
 
I think it depends on the bullet. The Vmax varmint type with the plastic tip disintegrate on impact, but on small critters like prairie dogs it is inside them when that happens so it is devastating. The hollowpoint type definately will cause hydrostatic shock. Makes a completely different sound on prairie dogs. I suspect the 17HMR bullets perform very much like a .223 or .243 of similar bullet type at similar velocity (2500fps) just on a smaller scale. 17 to 20 gr bullet vs a 55 to 80 gr bullet. Same terminal ballistics, but less energy
 
The speed of sound in tissue is about 5,000 fps. If your bullet is traveling faster than this through tissue then it can cause hydrostatic shock.
Click to expand...

I don't think that has anything to do with the hydrostatic shock phenomenon. Hydrostatic shock is tissue damage caused by pressure waves. Hydrostatic shock can cause brain hemorrhages even when none of the bullet fragments reach the brain. Upon impact, bullets can generate pressure waves in soft tissue. Hydrostatic shock occurs when these "ballistic pressure waves" cause organ damage. I would imagine that the .17 hmr can easily cause hydrostatic shock in small animals.
 
My understanding is that the bullet causes a displacement of fluids - air, water, blood, etc... as it travels. When it passes through an animal, the fluids in the animals body react to that displacement. The violence of the reaction is relative based on the size of the animal and the size of the bullet's displacement. The mass and velocity of the bullet dictate the amount of displacement - obviously bigger and faster lead to greater displacement. Objects (or animals) that are small compared to the area of displacement have a more violent reaction, but those whose mass greatly out measures the displaced area are more able to absorb the shock. That is why a .22 (relatively small displacement) hitting a milk carton full of water makes a little hole, but a 30-30 (considerably larger displacement) makes the carton go boom. So, if the animal is small enough that it cannot absorb the shock of the displacement of the .17, then yes, hydrostatic shock can occur.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top