Inch Closed

Can A Bullet Injure You If It Is Flying 1/4 Inch Away From Your Body?

If a man is standing and a 30-06 bullet flies 1/4 of a inch close to his skin, will it injure him?

I feel that there will be a noticeable bruise on the skin caused by the shock wave of the bullet as it passes that close to the skin. There will not be any bleeding, and no cutting of tissue, but I feel there will be some sort of mark left when the bullet passes that close to the skin.

I base my answer on an event that took place many years ago. About 5 of us was gathered on the house boat shooting pistols. My friend took his .357 Mag. and shoved it in the front of his jeans to hold the gun much like a holster would.

For some reason the gun went off. When he examined the damage he found only about a 10 inch bruise going down his upper left leg.He was extremely lucky, because the nearest hospital was 50 miles away and 10 of those miles was a slow boat ride.

I will have to say it could very well have been caused by powder burn, but it looked more like a bruise then any thing else.

But think of a 30/06 traveling at over 2500 feet a second. There will be a substantial shock wave as that bullet passes that close to your body. It would have to be enough to leave a bruise. But that’s only my opinion.

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