Bullet Tutorial for Writers

.40S&W cartridge next to expanded hollow point bullet. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

DISCLAIMER - This is a non-political site that is geared to help writers write it right. I am presenting information to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes. In no way am I advocating any position or personal decision. 




So things got pretty serious. Guns were drawn; a body sprawls on the ground. What the police find on the scene has a lot to do with what kind of bullet you as the author chose for this plot line.

If you need a tutorial about Step One - choosing a gun click HERE

Once your heroine has a gun in her hand, there are other things to consider. Let's begin understanding bullets and how they impact plot.

THE BASICS

* The bullet is just the top piece of the round - the part that hits the
   target.
* A cartridge or round is the entire component 
   (brass + powder + primer) When the primer is hit by the hammer 
   or firing pin, it ignites the powder in the shell, forcing the bullet 
   in the only direction it can go - down the barrel of the gun.
* The caliber is a measurement of the bullet. (If the bullet has two
   numbers the first is the width of the bullet the second is the
   length of the round.)
* Another way to measure a round is by grain the higher the grains
   the more the bullet weighs - the slower it goes and the deeper it
   will penetrate.

INTERMEDIATE - How to read a bullet box:

Jackets

*Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) - the entire case is encased in metal,
  offering the most penetration through your  target. The base is 
  exposed showing the lead.
*Total Metal Jacket - (TMJ) - The entire case including the base
  is covered
*Semi-jacketed (SMJ)- or just (J) for jacketed - the jacket only
  goes half way up the bullet.

Tips

.22 hollow point     9mm hydro-shock      9mm FMJ round nose/tip

Flat Point - (FP) has a flat tip (pictured below - left)
.
Round Nose - (RN) (below center) - This bullet will not expand in
      size with impact; it will continue on its trajectory. 

      This is an author's decision if she wants the victim to have an 
      exit wound, to die of impact/blood loss, or for the bullet to hit a
      secondary object or person. All of these would could result
      from a RN Click HERE to go to my blog article on Blood
      Spatter.

A cut-through of a hollow-point bullet.  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hollow point -(HP) the tip is hollow. When it hits its
      target it will expand very quickly to almost 3x it's 
      original size. This means that the bullet expresses 
      the power inside of the body, damaging more 
      tissue than a round nose bullet. This expansion 
      also reduces the chance of a bullet exiting the 
      body and hitting someone nearby. This is safer 
      for self defense where innocent people are 
      nearby. This type of bullet creates massive pressure
      and the victim is likely to die of a brain embolism.
      Click HERE to go to my blog article on EMS and
       gunshot wounds.


Video quick study: First Science TV Round Nose v. Hollow Point (2:08)

9mm flat tip                     9mm round tip                    9mm hollow tip
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ADVANCED - Information about calibers

Baby Bear

.22 is cheap so it's good for target practice, but has minimal penetration - not great for defense.

Video Quick Study (5:56) This is a little in depth but shows him weighing the bullet (grains) and measuring the bullet for caliber, and also ballistic tests through testing medium.

.25 is used in small pistols it has a big kick - so a lot of recoil.
.32 penetrates a little deeper than a .380 and has less recoil  
.25 for a very small gun this is a good self-defense round

Mama Bear

38s and 9mm are the same size bullet. One is calculated in inches, and one is calculated in metric.The three kinds of 9mm  from smallest to biggest:

.380 Auto vs. 9mm Luger (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

* .380 and 9mm Short are the
   same (9x17) a little more
   power than the 38 special - 
   goes in a small pistol.
* 9mm Makarav (9x18)
* 9mm Luger is also known on
   the box as a
   9mm Parabellum (9x19)
   These are accurate far
   away, up close they are devastating. At 15 to 20
   feet your character might have to hit a guy 6 times
   to stop him if he's drugged up.
   (This is the bullet I shoot in my Springfield)


This is probably as big a caliber as your character needs. But if you are trying to make a decision between giving your character a 9mm or a .45 here is a good comparison video
 9mm v .45 bullet (17.31)

Papa Bear

.40 is the same as a 10mm. But a 10mm is really a .40 caliber magnum (I'll explain in a second) The .40 does not have the penetration of the 9mm because it is heavier and takes more power to shoot.

.45 is highly effective in dropping the target in one shot.

Video Quick Study: 10mm ammo energy test   (7:28) go to 3:50 mark

Rabid Klondike Mama Bear Protecting Her Young -or-What is MAGNUM?

A magnum round is a high powered round. So for example you can have .22 magnum or .45 magnum
* Lots of recoil
* Painful to shoot
* This is for hunting (a back up when an angry bear is running full
   tilt at the heroine) not usually for self-defense.
* IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU USE A MAGNUM IN A GUN
   THAT CAN HANDLE IT -
   The gun must be designed to handle magnum bullets unless of
   course you want your heroine to put a .44 magnum (name of a
   round) or .44 special (name of a round) and blow her gun apart
   because the gun couldn't handle the pressure.

Popular wisdom says, a bullet shot from any handgun at a distance of three feet will probably stop anyone. Most of the time a civilian is shooting, it is that close in range. Stopping power is not as important to a civilian as it is to a police officer whose range moves out to nine yards. So your gun/bullet choice depends on who is doing the shooting and why.

Sonic v. Subsonic Bullets Shot with a Suppressor - 

Brian Coates, U.S. Marine Corp., veteran

LINK Nottoway Shooting Sports

PLOT TWIST - One thing that I should point out is that just because a bullet will load into the gun, it does not mean that there will be success in shooting it. A particular round might misfire or jam. Once you know which gun is being used, research which bullets work best. Though, this could create a plot twist for you. Perhaps your heroine is new to the gun scene and buys a weapon for self-protection, purchases some bullets, loads it all up and there is a catastrophic failure. She could be hurt instead of the villain.

Image publicly distributed source unknown

VIDEO 1 - Bullet Basics 101 (8:01)

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Choosing a Handgun for Your Character

__________________________________________________________

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

DISCLAIMER - This is a non-political site that is geared to help writers write it right. 
I am presenting information to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes. In no way am I advocating any position or personal decision.

Decision One - Why is your heroine carrying a gun?

Target Shooting - chose a gun that
    is comfortable to shoot and the
    ammo is inexpensive.
    (.22 is cheapest)
Conceal Carry - strong enough
     bullet to do the job (higher
     caliber), light enough and small
     enough to conceal on the body.

Home Protection, Back Woods, Zombie Apocalypse - 
     for all 3, she might want a 
     higher caliber
     (bigger bullet - .357, .44) to
     protect against large animals
     such as bear or werewolf.

This is a picture from one of my target practices with a Springfield 9mm XD-S/20 feet/32 bullets.

DECISION TWO: There are two kinds of handguns - the revolver and the semi automatic

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Revolver - 

The revolver gets its name from the barrel that must revolve forward to bring the next bullet into play.

The industry standard is a six-bullet cylinder.

If the villain is using a revolver then your heroine can count bullets and has a window of opportunity when he has to reload.

Now choose:
Single action - your character will have to cock the gun before she can pull the trigger. This slows down her firing ability.
Double Action - every time your character squeezes the trigger it will pull the hammer back and fire

PROS

* Extremely simple
* Point and shoot
* They fire every time - if they fail to fire in an emergency situation
   simply continue to pull the trigger and the cylinder will continue
   to rotate and prepare the next round
* Easier to clean and maintain than a semi-
* Can be left loaded without issue

CONS

* Smaller capacity than a semi
* No recoil spring to help you with recoil action - the shooter's hand
   takes the recoil. This HURTS so, in my opinion, not a great gun
   for target practice but okay for emergencies.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Semi-automatic - 

A semi-automatic fires the bullet in the chamber, extracts it, ejects it, and loads a new round

PROS 

* More control than a revolver
* More comfortable to shoot because of the recoil spring
* Higher capacity (holds more rounds)
* Quicker to reload

CONS

* Not as simple as a revolver: there are more parts such as the
   magazine release and the slide release.
* Not necessarily as reliable because they can jam occasionally. 
   The character would have to clear the jam before she could
   continue shooting.
* Must take apart to clean and maintain
* If you leave your gun loaded for a long time the magazine springs
   can become compressed so one should not leave it loaded (or just
   replace the magazines every once in a while). But this might 
   be a reason for a complication in your plot.

Semi- automatic video quick study (6:15)

DECISION THREE - What is the gun made from?

This mostly has to do with weight - how carry-able is it? How accurate is it? How much can your heroine handle?

Three Most Common Materials

Steel and Polymer (around 26  oz.)
Steel and Aluminum Framed (around 32 oz)
Full Steel ( around 40 oz.)

DECISION FOUR - Safety or no safety?

With a safety on, even if there is a bullet in the chamber, squeezing the trigger will not produce a shot. This might pose a problem for your character if her adrenaline is flowing, her brain isn't functioning, and she can't figure out why the bad guy is still attacking her.

Without a safety - her shot is quicker. However, accidents can happen. Would this advance your plot?

DECISION FIVE - Is this a good fit for your character?

* How big are her hands? (check grip size on gun)

* How strong is she? (check weight)

* Can she take the recoil? (a revolver might put her on her butt and
   that might be where you want her)

* What capacity (how many bullets does she need to do the job? 
   Or fail at the job?)

* Reloading (How fast? How many times? How successful?)

* What caliber of bullet does she use? Bullet tutorial

I would suggest that after doing some research and making some initial decisions, that you go by the gun store and hold the gun that you think your character would use. I have very small hands and some guns are just too large for me to grip properly. Glocks for example have HUGE grips and are not great for small hands reaching the trigger. Blog entry of me shooting a Glock at a F.A.T.S. demo CLICK HERE

I shoot a Springfield 9mm XD-S for comfort, and accuracy in range shooting and home protection. It fits my small hand, is a good weight and size, and I can use extended clips to increase my capacity. The trigger pull is about 6 lbs. which is easy enough for my strength level. 26 oz. Though pretty difficult for me to field strip (open it up to fix a problem). Small enough for concealed carry. 
Excellent overview of the XD (8:36)

While I write my blogs from the perspective of the heroine, my friend at Confidential Resource thinks you should note:

Hand size is not a gender issue. Handguns are all about the shooter's hand size. Hand strength is also an issue as most people don't work with their hands today. However, hand size is the most critical issue.

The reason it is so important is that the pistol barrel must align with the forearm to enable accurate controlled fire. To line-up with the forearm the tips of the second and third fingers must press on the side of the grip opposite the palm. Without this, you will not be able to acquire or maintain a proper firing grip. For people with small hands, this means a narrow front-strap that is well rounded--think 1911, P220, or perhaps the SR9 pistols. Of course, the reach to the trigger face is also an important consideration.

For concealed I like:
Sig Saur P238 Copperhead (video 1:38) It is easy to conceal (.380ACP caliber). It hurts to shoot. Watch your character's grip - the gun is so tiny she might get her hand over the barrel/slide.

I also like the Ruger LCP and the Kel-Tec P3AT Ruger and Kel-tec (video 8:38) The Ruger LCP is what Kelli carries Women Carrying Concealed blog entry

A COUPLE OF HOUSECLEANING ITEMS:

Did you know?

When you have a magazine in your semi it is not considered loaded. A loaded gun means that you have a round in the chamber. Careful when you're writing. If you write that the gun is loaded and then the character racks the slide, then you have made a mistake.

Should the gun be loaded? Talking to experts, the prevailing wisdom says:
Semi- 
   * If the semi has a safety, yes. 
   * If the semi has no external (thumb) safety then no (remember
      this just means not having a bullet in the chamber) 
Revolver - yes.
Conceal carry? yes.

Confidential Resource: Sources & Methods for the Investigator  (http://www.confidentialresource.com/ @locuscommunis on twitter) explains that:

Experienced shooters always refer to the 'condition' to describe the pistol's state or readiness to fire. A proficient gun handler will usually keep the pistol in Condition One or Four. Institutions that know their people are incompetent will often dictate Condition Three to avoid negligent discharges in administrative handling.

• Condition Four: Chamber empty, empty magazine, hammer down.

• Condition Three: Chamber empty, full magazine in place, hammer down (Israeli carry).

• Condition Two: A round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer down (extremely dangerous, especially with SA pistol).

• Condition One: With Single Action: a round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer cocked, safety on. With striker fired pistol: a round chambered, full magazine in place, striker at ready position. With Traditional Double Action (TDA), DAO, or LEM: a round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer at ready.

• Condition Zero: A round chambered, full magazine in place, hammer cocked, safety off.

Best video series I have ever seen on guns is:
MAGPUL DYNAMICS THE ART OF THE DYNAMIC HANDGUN YOUTUBE overview available on Amazon.

And before I leave today can I just add this one little bit of information...? A pet peeve is someone who writes a silent shot with a silencer. Shooting with a silencer removes the sound and light to a distance that makes it easier to shoot without flinch (my target paper is always so pretty when I shoot with a silencer) but it IS NOT SILENT! 

LINK Nottoway Shooting Sports

See how this article influenced my plot lines in my novella MINE and my novel CHAOS IS COME AGAIN.

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Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

TROUBLE! Body Language 101 for Writers Writing Aggression

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. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Is your character a police officer? Or maybe your character is the criminal? Here are some of the key "tells" that trouble is brewing.

Remember in your writing that a mind and therefore a body does not go from 0-60 in 1.3 seconds. Unless the person is a victim of a sudden attack, the body will follow the mind's processing and ramp up in aggressive signaling.

KEY BODY LANGUAGE INDICATORS:

In a traffic stop:

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. The suspect keeps looking in the rearview mirror
2. The suspect moves their hands a lot. They should
    be still. This is a cautionary sign to which officers
    should pay close attention.
3. The suspect exits their vehicle - this can be
    interpreted in 2 ways
    a. This is part of a lier's body language
        LINK TO LYING 101 and the suspect is
        trying to distance themselves from some
       evidence.
    b. This is an act of aggression.
4. Either in or out of the vehicle: If the officer makes a
    request and there is a hesitation or non-compliance,
    the suspect has a plan in his mind.
5. Watch the hands. Does the suspect close off by
    pulling clothes tighter to the body or put their hands in pockets?
    a. This is a lier's body language that they are concealing something, either the truth or an actual object
    b. This is an act of nervousness
    c. The suspect is reaching for a weapon

Compliance is a key indicator.

Is the subject dancing around? Showing that s/he won't be following requests? Are they oppositional? Then look for these further signs that aggression will follow:

1 Defensive Barrier - arms folded across the chest

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2 Avoiding eye contact and/or averting the face
3 Rocking motions
4 Clenching fists and/or teeth

5 Target Glance - such as at your weapon or the
   point where they mean to make contact
6 Facial wipe

Further Signs of aggression
1 Squinting
2 Lowering and spreading (opening the chest and
   arms) the body for stability. This happens from a
   standing or sitting position.
3 Redness in the face
4 Exaggerated gestures including shaking fingers,
   fists
5 Forward head butts is a sign of imminent physical aggression


Clapping the hands is one of the last indicators used prior to a fight. A clap of the hands is the MAJOR tell. Violence happens immediately afterwards.

Body Language tells and concealed carry of ANY weapon

1 Belt adjustment - especially if getting up.
2 Blading - if the suspect is carrying concealed and they know an officer is on one side they will shift their
  bodies slightly away from the officer hiding any bulges from the officer.
3 Billowing - where the suspect takes their clothing and pulls it away and loosens it to hide the weapon.
4 Thumb - prior to reaching for a concealed weapon the brain will process through the action. Getting the
   thumb to clear the weapon is key. The brain practices the event prior to execution, so the thumb will often
   twitch just prior to pulling the weapon.
5 "C" hands in to the front sides of the body at the edge of the shirt hem happens prior to pulling a weapon.
6 Holding on to the bottom of the shirt with one hand in preparation for pulling it out of the way to grab a
   weapon.

VIDEO QUICK STUDY

Video 1 (4:24) Concealed Carry Body Language
Video 2 (1:26) Avoiding Violence
Video 3 (2:10) Pre-attack Indicators - real crime with tutorial

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Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

Related articles

• Body Language Intoduction
• Truth In Body Language

How to Write a Liar Telling a Lie: Body Language 101 for Writers

__________________________________________________________________________________

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lies Lies Lies

So your heroine has found herself confronted with a problem. Should she believe what the other character is telling her or run for the hills?

She has a feeling that this is all a big fat lie. Why?

Our brains are phenomenal machines that take in millions of pieces of information, sorts through, and then offers us a small little wedge of consciousness.

Here are the cross-cultural "lying tells" (Studies also run on blind people who have never seen a lie in action) that you might write into the plot line to tickle her brain awake.



1.)  The liars hands. Body language studies show that people tend to touch their face and scratch
       their nose when they lie.

2.) Their eyes. Liars tend to blink a lot and do not maintain eye contact. They will sometimes have a rapid
     eye-shift then look down to the left

3.) Liars will often skip contractions saying I did not instead of I didn't. "I did NOT kill that woman!"

4) Liars will often skip pronouns using their names instead of he or she. "I gave it to Betty Sue."

5) Liars smile using only their mouth - the smile doesn't reach their eyes. Since the brain uses only one
    part to recall but three parts to plot a lie, the face will often freeze into an expression. The typical
    expression is an ingenuous smile.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

6) Liars close their body posture. Arms and/or
    legs may cross, shoulders scoop inward, head
    lower.

7) Often a liar will put an object between
     themselves and the person to whom they are
     lying - like a  folder, coffee mug, or chair.

8) Extended pauses in the conversation make
    liars feel uncomfortable. The liar will fill in the
    space with words.

9) Liars provide more information than necessary
   - overly specific and detailed. "The girls were
   wearing team t-shirts." v. "The team was wearing matching red and white baseball t-shirts."

10) A liar will use a qualifier: "I want you to understand that..." "You can trust me..."

11) Liars will perceptibly change their breathing, sweating, and swallowing (too much saliva or dry mouth)

12) Liars tend to list to the side.

Added note - Liars tend to prefer technology (phone calls etc.). Because they do not need to maintain their body and facial features, they can focus on their tone and delivery. But as writers, we can still show the lie being  told. And when a lie is being told through technology the body language would not be monitored, so it will be even more on evident display.



VIDEO QUICK STUDY

How to Catch a Lier (3:57)
How to Detect Lies - Steven Van Aperen (4:20)
Scam School Teaches You How to Lie. (15:51)

See how this article influenced my plot lines in my novella MINE and my novel CHAOS IS COME AGAIN.

Fiona Quinn's Newsletter Link, Sign up HERE

Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

Related articles

• 
  
  Four Easy Steps to Tell If a Child Is Lying
• The Kinesics of Lying

Self Defense - Electric Weapons: Stun Guns v. Tasers - Information for Writers

Tasers? yep.. (Photo credit: number657)

DISCLAIMER - This is a non-political site that is geared to help writers write it right. I am presenting information to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes. In no way am I advocating any position or personal decision.

In the beginning there was a Taser and a stun gun. And while they come from the same family of electric self defense weapons they are not at all alike.

Many writers will use the terms interchangeably.

Who would carry and electric self defense weapon?

This weapon can fit with any character over the age of 18.

Is it even legal to carry this type of weapon?

For the most part the answer is yes. Though check your characters' state codes. This link takes you to a state by state review of applicable laws.

So what is the difference between the two weapons?

The Stun Gun 

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

*A stun gun is a brute force weapon. You must make personal contact with

  your assailant.

* Though the prongs DO NOT need to make direct skin contact.

* The contact that is required is LONG 2-3 seconds
   to be precise. While this doesn't sound too bad.
   Think about the last time you were waiting for your
    microwave to ding. I know! 

   Now imagine those 2-3 seconds while someone is
   stabbing you or even punching you. 

*  2 seconds can cause muscle spasms and a state
    of shock lasting up to fifteen minutes - enough to
    get away. 5 seconds is best.

* The current will not transfer to you even if you are
   grabbing at each other

* Water is not a problem even if you are standing in water.

                                                      How does it work?

On the packaging, the manufacturer will indicate the voltage. It is not the voltage though that makes the difference it is the pulse rate frequency.

Yes, the more volts the better, but the pulse rate determines the gun's power to put an attacker down. You see, it's the frequency rate that disrupts the neural pathways in the body - and believe it or not it's a sugar thing. As the electricity pulses the muscles, they produce lactic acid and consume the glucose causing the loss of muscle control (like a Type1Diabetic seizure). Your character should look for at least 100k volts to ensure enough pulse power to be effective.

The Taser 

English: Police issue X26 TASER (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

*A Taser is a distance weapon.

*You can use this weapon from fifteen feet (5 meters)

* The Taser works by shooting out tiny metal probes that embed
   in the flesh. These probes are attached to wires that connect to
   the Taser unit.

* A Taser is HIGHLY RELIABLE and HIGHLY EFFICIENT 

* It works by interrupting the communication between the muscles
  and the brain, effectively attacking the central nervous system.
  This interruption continues as long as the electricity is
  administered.

Unlike Stephanie Plum in the Janet Evanovich novels, electrical weaponry no longer depends on batteries but is plugged into the wall to charge overnight like a phone.

Also, if you are looking for plot twists - some of the stun guns have a probe in the bottom that attaches to the lanyard around the wrist. If the attacker tries to take the weapon, as it is pulled away from the victim, the pin releases and the weapon is no longer operational. But some do not have this safety.

Electric weapons are effective on sub-creatures including Vampire, Werewolves, and Zombies - but do not have an effect on phantoms or ghosts.

Perhaps your heroine wants to be clever and arm herself with a camouflaged electric weapon - try these on and see if they serve:

       Cell Phone Stun Gun (1:48)

. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

      Lipstick Stun Gun (1:49) 

Electric weapon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tampon Taser (3:47) No, I'm not kidding

Telescopic stun baton (3:33) similar to asp    

Advanced M26 TASER Stun Pistol - The United States military version of commercial TASERs for non-lethal detainment. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

VIDEO QUICK STUDY

Video - Taser v. Knife (1:05)
The Taser Explained (7:05) Shows an experiment where a man was able to overcome the Taser showing
                                           that it is not fail safe.
Female review and demonstration of flashlight/stun gun (3:42)
Why a stun gun isn't fabo. (8:19) Excellent descriptions and explanations.

Fiona Quinn's Newsletter Link, Sign up HERE

Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.