Foreword: This is meant to be read with a more...flippant internal voice. If I come across as angry, the voice in your brain is wrong. Try using the one from Masterpiece Theater. (Link)

This page was created because, regular as clockwork, someone will mention .22 ricochet effects. Then someone calls it a myth, and there is a lot of back and forth which really accomplishes nothing.

Have you people not heard of research?

Well apparantly not, and so now some sucker has gone out and done it for you, and condensed it into a primer page to shut you all up. I hope you are happy with yourselves. Below are some of the quotes I have seen on this subject, and I will address each one in turn.

".22 Ricochet exists/doesn't exist"

First the big one. Yes, it exists. It has been documented by coroners, and there are books which discuss it in gruesome detail. So everyone who calls it a myth, stop. You are wrong.

"Of the bullets that do not exit the head, the vast majority are retained in the cranial cavity. Thus, internal ricochet is fairly common, occuring anywhere from 10 to 25% of the cases, depending on the caliber of the weapons and the diligence with which the evidence of internal ricochet is sought. As a general rule, internal ricochet is more commonly associated with lead bullets and bullets of a small caliber. Thus, ricochet within the cranial cavity occurs most commonly with .22 lead bullets" ~Gunshot Wounds: Practical Aspects of Firearms, Ballistics, and Forensic Techniques by Vincent J. M. Di Maio. [Page 264]

"...the .22 short and LR rounds also have the reputation of internal ricochet within the cranium, further creating complex injury patterns..." ~Terminal Ballistics: A Text and Atlas of Gunshot Wounds by Malcolm J. Dodd [Page 41]

From lecture notes dealing with Forensic Medicine at the University of Dundee, regarding X-Ray techniques. "Problems to be aware of:...Projectiles may ricochet within the body off bones, most commonly the inner table of the skull." ~http://www.dundee.ac.uk/forensicmedicine/notes/gunshot.pdf [Page 17]

".22 Ricochet always happens"

This might seem like the same as above, in which case you need to take a remedial English class. Just because something is possible, doesn't mean it will happen every time. In this case, the ricochet is documented for about 10-25% of all .22 head-shots that end up on a coroners table.

"Thus, internal ricochet is fairly common, occurring in anywhere from 10 to 25% of the cases..." ~Gunshot Wounds: Practical Aspects of Firearms, Ballistics, and Forensic Techniques by Vincent J. M. Di Maio. [Page 264]

".22 Ricochet is a reason to prefer this caliber over another"

This is a complex discussion, based on things such as range, familiarity with the weapon, accuracy and reliability during adverse weather. However, as a guide it isn't worth having something with such a low incidence rate as a deciding factor.

".22 caliber is not a lethal bullet"

What the hell? Are you high? It's a bloody gun! I just stated that CORONERS wrote the source material for this page. Quite frankly I find it almost unbelievable that there are people who would view any gun, at any caliber, as a non-lethal weapon. It's a little disturbing, and this kind of thing is the sort of thinking that makes any non-gunowner nervous.