Hitting a Bullet With a Bullet

What would happen it you tried the same thing but have the collision occur in a smallish block of jell. Would it help “capture” the event

David Hile

Hi Destin, was really fascinating video that you have produced. Very curious that the lead fragments rather than deforming. Could the modern lead be an alloy that makes it more brittle than the historic lead that was pure lead , or had some natural contamination that made it softer. Would be very interesting to compare the composition of different lead samples. Keep up the great work :)

Andy P

I think it'd be cool to have a livestream about this Destin.

Jeff Murri

That slow-mo footage of the revolver makes me giggly every time I see it!! Love your work, my friend!!!

Great safety explanation.

Michael T

@20:46 was a beautiful shot!

John Cox

I suspect it would be more down to the speed, which is addressed in the latter parts of the video Temperature wouldn't be too much of a concern as the pressure at which the rounds collide hit (even at lower speeds) would be far greater than the temp transfer of the initial explosion from the cartridge. Similar to a space shuttle re-entry, the temperature is caused by pressure, not friction.

Steve Coleman-Williams

My new favourite phrase "atmosphere of intellectual humility". Love the work.

I know I'm probably wrong as I don't have experience in this feild, but wouldn't the Civil War firing points be further apart? I feel like shooting them point blank definitely has better chances of them hitting, however would airtime and bullet temperature play a role in the lack of fusion? Or would the extra airtime not allow enough temperature decrease to make a difference?

Nathan Baltazar

Along with your point about the lead composition I was also thinking about minie balls being hollow in the back to allow them to expand in order to engage the rifling. Do you think that may have helped with the fusion?

You beat me to the punch! I was thinking that using traditional black powder might have an impact. I like your idea of using Minié balls, as well as that of changing the alloy composition.

Reuben Rosenberg

Livestream? Yes, please! I think my favorite part is the line about surrounding yourself with smart people who love you enough to look you in the eye, smile, and tell you you're wrong.

Maybe cut the barrels shorter? secure the propellant with wool at the bottom? use thinner bullets to reduce friction? maybe put out a tarp to catch some of the lead.

Chris K

Did you think about leaving all that toxic lead on the ground?

My 7, 8 and 10 year old and I loved watching this together!

After watching and seeing a failure to fuse I have two suggestions. The first is to use a Minié ball and switch to black power. The other is to play around with different lead alloys.

Joe Schneider

Oh please Do a live stream for us

Great video! I admire your commitment to not becoming sensational and clickbaity. As for the sticker, I think it might be cooler to have a Prince Rupert's Drop Team, though the Bullet v Bullet would be awesome too.

Tor Park

All that safety and no hearing protection. I now wish id never fired a gun without it. Tinnitus is maddening.

Randy Coffee

Super enjoyed this video too, Destin.

Michael Hahn

As someone in the business of making test systems which involve a significant element of danger for operator safety: I really appreciate the portion of this video where you talk about the humility of creating safety procedures, and the value of having colleagues and experts go through said procedures to poke holes and offer suggestions. I’m sharing this video with everyone on my team who is involved with establishing safe operation procedures in our labs. On top of all that: excellent video and amazing content!

This is incredible! The bullets colliding make me think about things colliding in space; the slow mo footage looks like galaxies forming

As someone who also makes videos - the amount of energy/time that had to go into this is insane. Respect...

Mrgunsngear

Fascinating video. Needless to say, the attempt to fuse the two bullets was ambitious and clever. What I found equally impressive was the safety procedure you created and then its evolution through peer review. Very Smart. Oh yes, I'm buying the wallet! Clearly the most clever promotion of a product ever made.

Absolutely brilliant, and thank you for showing us all the stuff

Vanella

This one really tickled my engineering bits Destin. Bloody loved that you showed all of the safety procedures. Also... Ridge must have loved that ad! Awesome stuff.

Reef