How a Popular Misconception Gave Away a Lie by the FBI

[Bob Prudhomme]

[quote=Drew Phipps]Bob, while I am working on my next bit, can you explain what brand and caliber the bullets are in this picture that you used on another forum? (I hopefully attached it to this post.)

Not sure what the two on the right are but the one on the left is a 6.5mm Mannlicher-Schoenauer. While it is a full metal jacket bullet, I am unsure if it is military issue or not. The FMJ 6.5mm MS was popular with elephant hunters in Africa, as this bullet was capable of penetrating the thick skull of an elephant, without deforming or breaking up, and striking the elephant's brain to kill it.

As I pointed out before, the 6.5mm MS cartridge and its 160 grain bullet are almost identical to the 6.5mm Carcano cartridge and its 162 grain bullet, save for one outstanding difference. While both rifles share the same calibre (bore diameter) of 6.5 mm (.256"), the rifling grooves of the Carcano are deeper than the MS, meaning that the bullet diameter of the MS bullet is the standard 6.7 mm (.264") while the diameter of the Carcano bullet is 6.8 mm (.268"). In order to achieve this, and not have the lead below the copper alloy jacket of the Carcano bullet exposed by the rifling's lands or the jacket weakened, the copper alloy jacket of the Carcano bullet has to be a MINIMUM of .002" thicker on each side than the MS bullet.

In other words, the Carcano bullet is even more robust than the 6.5mm MS bullet, affectionately known in the elephant hunting world as the "flying drill" for its remarkable penetrating abilities.

If the 6.5mm Carcano bullet was so robust, and capable of penetrating so much dense material without deforming or breaking up, how did the bullet that struck JFK's head break apart so completely after only penetrating the thin skull of a human?

Bob