LAUSR

ABSTRACT Owing to their wounding potential, airguns are regarded as controlled firearms in some countries. In this study, aluminium witness plates were used to evaluate the wounding potential of airguns. A series of firing tests were conducted using six airguns and ten types of projectiles. The velocity and energy density (ED) of the projectiles fired at the witness plates were determined using a ballistic chronograph and high-speed camera. The ballistic limits (V 50 and ED 50) of the witness plate for the different projectile types were also obtained. V 50 and ED 50 were found to be within 86.0–167.0 m/s and 13.2–21.6 J/cm2, respectively. The percentage differences between V 50 and the predicted threshold velocity for skin perforation were found to be <13%. These results demonstrate the suitability of the witness-plate method for evaluation of wounding potential. A Student’s t-test of the ED 50 between paired projectiles further indicated a statistically significant influence of the projectile material and structure on ED 50, attributable to the deformation of the projectiles and the local-heat effect of the witness plates. The obtained results indicated that steel ball- and lead ball-type projectiles are most suitable for the wounding potential evaluation of smooth-bore BB guns and airguns with rifled barrels.