Bullet hole in helmet

[Jean-Loup]

Walter, very interesting pictures you posted. I agree the impacts seem typical of a 7,62 and similar type of bullets do to a german helmet.
Matt, I would agree with you that on the helmets Walter posted it would be hard to determin the exact caliber. But from what I know, Yougo helmets arent the same quality as german helmets, and react like a tin can; the helmet keeping the exact shape of the bullet, contrarly to what we see on these FJ helmets, where the metal splintered with the impact.
It is also interesting to note that we only vary rarely see a helmet with an impact coming from straight in front.
JL

[Matt Weber]

Walter, Great looking helmets! Where did you find these?
Jean, I agree, and I must have mis-understood you earlier. I thought that the helmut you pictured was yours.
Can you post pics of your helmut?

I hate to say it, but if you really want to find out the answer (I don't know how important it is to you Jean), but your suggestion of shooting at another helmut is probably the best idea. If you got a helmet that you don't mind shooting. Take it out and shoot it with a 1911 at point blank range. Then shoot it at 10 feet, then at 10 yards. Now compare the holes to the one in your helmet. This could help find out not only the proper caliber, but also range.

Walter also brought up another good question. Does your helmet have an exit hole as well? This answer (yes or no), will help determine which direction the bullet was fired from.

Matt

[Jean-Loup]

Hey Matt.
No problem. When you speak over the net there are often little misunderstandings.
Unfortunately I can not post pics of my helmet: I dont have a digital camera. It really isnt important to know if the hole is original or not; its no big deal; its just interesting to try to figure things out.
About test firing; there is a small problem: I live in France, and dont have a bunch of .45's and stuff lying around the house. To bad!! Anyways, even if I can determine the exact range, and type of round, that still wont tell me if hole is combat made or not. On this helmet there are several things that make me thik the hole is combat made; but also several things who make me think it is a post combat addition. Without pics thow, I cant share all this with you guys.
JL

[WalterB]

Matt, thank you for your nice comments. My FJ helmet was a vet buy. By the way, I have posted something in the following thread that hopefully you will find interesting (it is related to bullets and helmets). Follow this to get to the post:

http://dev.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...922#post310922

By the way Jean-Loup, look at the helmet that I posted in the above thread. This helmet was hit by a German machine gun, so I think the caliber is 7.92 mm (I think).

[Jean-Loup]

Wow! Another great helmet Walter.
As this helmet illustrates; it is hard to see what caliber made a hole is US helmets; because the hole tends to be quite bigger than the actual bullet.
JL

[J.von Canon]

Don't think a .45 will punch through most helmets...

Hello
I got a helmet from the civil wars in Yougoslavia; and it has a bullet hole in it that is supposed to be from the war. The hole seems to have been made by a 45 caliber bullet, or something very similar.
I have my doubts that the hole is original, and here is my question. Are there any weapons either than pistols that fire 45 cal, or very similar cal bullets and that were likely to have been used in Yougo?
The chances of a person being killed in combat by a pistol shoot are very small, even thow, in civil wars, everything is possible.
JL

Hi;
I don't think a .45 cal.(low velocity as ammunition goes)will punch through most helmets.Though having tremendous knock-down capability it just is too big & slow.The Fallschirmjaeger helmet example previously posted by Andy Hopkins,I think anyway,pretty well illustrates a typical .45 hit signature.
von Canon