BL> It's not as bad as you think. If you fire an M16 it leaves the
 BL> muzzle at Mach-3 (990m/s), but if you drop the bullet from an
 BL> infinite height it's terminal velocity in the atmosphere is
 BL> around 70m/s (160mph). It's energy is 200-times less and would
 BL> only give you a nasty bonk on the head.

 DM> Wanna stand still while we try it ?

  Have you got 20 grams of lead? What if I use a 2-dollar piece?

... FX: BONK! Ouch?! Hoi!

   I keep getting hit on the head.

 DM> They say if you drop a dime of the Empire State Building, and
 DM> it hits someone on the head whilst passing by at street level,
 DM> it would pass through almost the entire vertical length of the
 DM> body.
 DM> It would be akin to a metal-tipped arrow.

  And my dick's a kipper and there's fish for breakfast. Everything
dropped has to overcome air drag. An arrow fired slows down. Its
highest speed is off the end of the string, and such an arrow is not
capable of spitting a person, so why would dropping it do any better?

  Force is what counts, and that translates to cross-sectional area
and energy. A lead bullet maximises that, which is why they make the
little pointy bastards out of lead. What remains is velocity, and that
too is a question of cross-section and shape. A bullet leaves the
barrel at Mach-3 (990m/s) facing pointy-end first and spinning to keep
it that way. By the time it comes back to earth or is dropped off the
Empire State building, it is tumbling at its terminal velocity of
whatever I said... I can't be bothered looking it up again. About
150mph from memory.

  A dropped arrow would do better than a bullet. It is heavier to
start with (more energy), it has directional stability, and the shape
is better for penetration at low speed. On the other hand, you'd do
better using a bow. A dime is not worth a dime for killing people off 
a high place.
 
Regards,
Bob
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
@EOT:

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