[Possibilities for injuries caused by rubber bullets from the self-defense weapon MR 35 Punch].

Manurhin developed a "non lethal" weapon, the MR 35 Punch, which fires 21 g weighing rubber balls of 35 mm caliber. The black powder cartridges which were used as propellant cause important variations of the projectile's velocity from 120 to 140 m/s. The resulting energies were about 150 to 200 J. The wounding potential was examined by shots on different materials and gelatin. Shots from 2 to 5 m distance caused penetrations of 3 to 8 cm in 10 percent gelatin. Covering the gelatin with skin or thick textiles did not significantly change the penetration. Skin and textiles were penetrated in all experiments. Pieces of flat bone which were embedded in gelatin were fractured by the shots, in part fracture elements were dislocated. The discussion of the wound ballistic results contradict the "non lethal" character of the MR 35 Punch.