Fri 12 Mar, 2010
In the photo below the pink arrow indicates the terminal effects of a 115 grain, full metal jacket, 9mm round from a Browning Hi-power. It left the barest of indentations in the 1/4″ plate, before turning itself into a splash of lead. Range was the same 53 yards as used with the ballista shots.
Now of course, a 9 mm is only a measly pistol round, but this disparity in penetration between a 2,000 year old technology and that of a modern cartridge, one that is generally considered not to be a perfect slouch in the penetration dept., does give some perspective on what the Romans were able to achieve with their ancient handiwork. Not exactly stone knives and bearskins.
