The Fruit Cocktail Rocket

This is a guest post by Andrew Betts

“Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.” fruit cocktail rocket

That’s the fourth rule of firearm safety according to the blessed prophet Col. Jeff Cooper (peace be upon him).

I thought I was sure of my target before I squeezed the trigger on a swollen can of fruit cocktail. I’ve shot quite a few things over the years, including various cans and containers of fluids. This one really took me by surprise as it seemed to violate the laws of physics.

Hindsight is 20/20 as they say and on reflection it’s pretty obvious that what happened was that the bullet poked a nice, clean, 0.224” hole in hole in the front of the can and blew a much larger hole out the back of the can. The pressurized contents then jetted out both holes, but much more mass made it through the larger hole, propelling the can toward me in complete obedience to Newton.

If I was a smarter man, I might have predicted that result.

If you’re gonna do something stupid, though, might as well get it on video and that’s what I did. In other news, it looks like a 55 gr FMJ with an open base and a cannelure can make a pretty decent choice for defense, even at relatively moderate velocity.

Check out the video and let us know what you think.

Andrew Betts served with the Arizona National Guard for over 12 years, including a tour to Afghanistan.  Visit his YouTube Channel for more great shooting information.Andrew Betts served with the Arizona National Guard for over 12 years, including a tour to Afghanistan.  Visit his YouTube Channel for more great shooting information.

 

 

 

Speak Your Mind

*

Send this to a friend