Wait, is that true? I mean it clearly would be significantly less effective, but would it really not have enough propulsion to go vaguely forward with enough force to penetrate into a body?
Nope, not even close. The edge of the casing is the weak point, the explosive energy would breach all around there first and the bullet would just kinda plop forward a bit.
How a gun “works” is that a thick-walled chamber houses the cartridge, so that as the powder ignited within rapidly expands (deflagration) there is nowhere for it to go besides violently propelling the projectile into the barrel. If there is no chamber, the thin walls of the cartidge are the path of least resistence, and the bullet likely stays put as the gases escape from cracks in the casing.
So no, while this wouldn’t be “safe” (eye damage comes to mind), there would not be enough energy to significantly wound a human by striking a round’s primer without a chamber.
The bullet is heavy. The pressure wants out it’s easier to breach a little bit of brass than to move a heavy bullet. The greatest risk here is the fragmentation of the brass casing.
Wait, is that true? I mean it clearly would be significantly less effective, but would it really not have enough propulsion to go vaguely forward with enough force to penetrate into a body?
Nope, not even close. The edge of the casing is the weak point, the explosive energy would breach all around there first and the bullet would just kinda plop forward a bit.
How a gun “works” is that a thick-walled chamber houses the cartridge, so that as the powder ignited within rapidly expands (deflagration) there is nowhere for it to go besides violently propelling the projectile into the barrel. If there is no chamber, the thin walls of the cartidge are the path of least resistence, and the bullet likely stays put as the gases escape from cracks in the casing.
So no, while this wouldn’t be “safe” (eye damage comes to mind), there would not be enough energy to significantly wound a human by striking a round’s primer without a chamber.
The bullet is heavy. The pressure wants out it’s easier to breach a little bit of brass than to move a heavy bullet. The greatest risk here is the fragmentation of the brass casing.