kepo-ing Zz85

…or more technically correct term, a round (5.56mm ball) was fired from the M16, i was shook. It surprised me, even though my earplugs was on and it should be less than half a year that I last fired. Not that I was hit, but while waiting behind the firer for my turn, with each sheer whip or the crack of the shots were forcing me to close my eyes in a unusual reaction.

But when its time for me to fire, even though with the face so near or touching the gun, its doesn’t feel as loud as from beside. Let me breakdown the process as if like a Matrix slow-mo.

With 1.6kg applied to the trigger from the finger, clockwork-liked mechanism would release energy from the cocked spring, transferring it to a firing pin would be strike the back of the “bullet”, the percussion cap. This ignites “gunpowder” or propellant which would burn very quickly, giving out high pressure, hot gases.

The result? The “bullet” or projectile find its way through and out the barrel, until it reaches the end of its flight. Forget the big flames, explosions and actions you see on TV when the guns fire. In a split second, the bullet is now just a piece of metal, which will travel hundreds of meters, and if it touches human flesh, the high velocity spin (rifling) will cause it to penetrate the body and continues to screw through . If by the time the bullet goes out from the other side, it has created a hole exit much bigger at its entrance.

The side-results? The heat from the barrel is air-cooled, so you might see some “steam” arising. Smoke and gases will also escape from a vent. Remember those high pressured gasses? It does a few more things, it extracts the empty cartridge case out of the weapon, and clocks the weapon so that the next shot will be ready to fire (therefore semi-automatic).

I asked why sound of a gunshot is so loud before. My ammo course-mates was saying defiantly was the pressure, its like a pop sound you get when the cock fly out from a champagne bottle. I thought there was more to that, and my reasoning is that since the bullet fly near supersonic speeds (the speed of sound), it gives off mini sonic-booms. The disruption in the sound waves causes it to be deafening.

Something else, guess the power of the pressured gas. 200 horsepower, and i guess too thats about the same in a cannon. Then, the last not to be forgotten, the “recoil”. Knowing this fact will show the unreal-ism in many movies. The recoil is like the gun giving you a kick when its fired. Like some other smaller sized or skinny people, I used to tired out after getting the shock in the shoulder, and have little energy to even hold the rifle steadily. Well, I thought I have improved physically, but mentally I lost after some mistakes and couldnt recover from the mental “kicks”. I shouldnt, but that my excuss for missing the mark for marksmanship.

Thats for explaining the experiences of a live round. Now my experience for watching a demolition briefly (this was sitting in my drafts too many months).

Just 1.5kg of TNT was detonated, at the end of the explosive train. Even with sandbags covering it, earplugs & helmet on, standing behind a wall at safety distance, the shockwave felt was enough to turn you “high”. Here’s what will happen in a spilt second.

1. You see a whole pile of sand, smoke, dust expanded, covering over an area at before you know it. (sorry, no fanciful flames you get in movies)
2. Some might say they felt point 3 happen first, but others say point 4, anyway it all happened in super quick times almost at the same time.
3. You feel the shockwave.. an invisible force, like a push, like a wind, but it shakes the ground, passes through the wall, and goes through your body.
4. You hear a loud blast, better than Dobly Surround.

How can you die because of it
1. Killed by the blast - high pressure and temperatures (enuff to turn solid into vapour)
2. Killed by fragments - high speed (imagine being stabbed by 101 items in 1 second)
3. Killed by suffocation - the sudden lack of oxygen, causing the lungs and heart to crush.

Now, think about it, and you imagine how horrible is just 1 car bombing going to be.