Dr. Chris Raynor, an orthopedic surgeon, provided a detailed, medical analysis of high-speed video footage that captured the devastating effects of gun muzzle blasts alone—excluding the projectile—on ballistic gel, illustrating the shockwave's capacity to cause severe and often unrepairable trauma. Dr. Chris Raynor emphasized that the severity of the injury dramatically escalated with the caliber of the weapon.
The surgeon began his dissection with a smaller caliber revolver. While the gas escaping the cylinder might cause a surface burn, it resulted in superficial injury, primarily creating a pressure wave visible traveling through the flesh between the thumb and index finger. He concluded that the worst potential outcome was a contusion or a small, undisplaced fracture of the tuft (the bone at the end) of the index finger, stressing that one should still never place a hand in front of the cylinder.
The injury severity sharply increased with a move to a larger revolver chambered in .45-70 Government. This blast caused a wound that was "burnt and cut to the bone," creating a deep laceration on the palmar aspect of the hand. Such damage is problematic because it disrupts the flexor tendons that allow the finger to bend, along with the digital nerves and arteries, compromising sensation and blood supply. While potentially repairable, the injury would likely result in long-term problems, including stiffness, scarring, and a reduced ability to grasp. High-speed footage of this blast clearly demonstrated the concept of a temporary cavity, where the exploding gas caused the soft tissue to momentarily expand "like a water balloon that's being blown up" before collapsing. The soft tissue was "quite severely damaged," and the index finger was bent far back by the force of the gas, potentially causing a fracture or dislocation. Dr. Chris Raynor noted this injury was "quite a bit more severe" than the first, resulting in degloving, where the skin is pulled off the bone, putting it into territory that "may not be a fully repayable injury".
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The analysis continued with a carbine chambered in 7.62 (an AK-47 type round). This caused a "full thickness laceration" and a burn in the palm, deep enough to reach the bone. Dr. Chris Raynor characterized this as a high-pressure injection wound, meaning the damage beneath the surface is much more extensive than what is visible. The gas is blown into the soft tissue, potentially burning and contaminating tissue away from the entry site with black powder and gas, requiring extensive irrigation and debridement.
The experiment culminated with heavy-duty weaponry, beginning with the Desert Eagle. The muzzle blast alone caused a "severe injury," resulting in the traumatic amputation of the thumb and a degloving injury of the index finger. The force level was "much higher than what we've already seen," making this injury much more likely to be unrepairable due to significant damage to the soft tissues, especially the blood vessels and nerves. The instantaneous force caused the tissue to expand so violently that it "blows apart".
The final and most devastating blast came from a .50 BMG (Barrett) round, which caused a catastrophic injury and traumatic amputation at the level of the wrist. The hand was "literally gone," and the intense energy of the gas—only half of the total gas being expelled—was so high that Dr. Chris Raynor speculated it might cauterize the wound, potentially buying time to apply a tourniquet and seek medical help despite the immediate loss of the hand. The violent expansion of the temporary cavity causes the ligamentous attachments to be "grossly disrupted," scattering the bones, an effect veterans refer to as "pink mist".
Finally, the experiment demonstrated the effect of the .50 BMG blast hitting the face, which Dr. Chris Raynor deemed an "instantaneously catastrophic and fatal blast". The gas alone fragmented many facial bones—including the orbital, zygomatic arch, and frontal bone—and exposed soft tissue brain matter. The gas literally "peels the skin off the face," and the doctor speculated that a significant proportion of the gas enters the nasal sinuses, causing a pressure buildup that results in the skull exploding "like a pressure cooker". Dr. Chris Raynor's ultimate conclusion was a cautionary note: "do not put your hand in front of the Desert Eagle".
