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AnthreX
May25-04, 08:34 PM
i heard that in the war between iraq and america
the american soldiers used uranium bullets.

why is that ? is it because its very dense ?
Integral
May25-04, 10:25 PM
Anti Tank "bullets" are made from depleted Uranium, Yes their density is a key factor. I do not think that these are used by foot soldiers but are Tank or aircraft ammo.
AnthreX
May26-04, 01:44 AM
cool..

say a i shot a uranium bullet to a tank with a rifle like ( M4 )
and would they go through ? or shatter into pieces on contact,
if they do shatter into pieces are they radioactive ?

i hope they are not shooting radioactive bullets there
it wouldnt be such a nice thing to do....
russ_watters
May26-04, 07:19 AM
say a i shot a uranium bullet to a tank with a rifle like ( M4 )
and would they go through ? or shatter into pieces on contact,
if they do shatter into pieces are they radioactive ? No, typical foot-soldier's bullets are not uranium tipped. The most common are the 30mm shells of the A-10 Warthog tank killer.

i hope they are not shooting radioactive bullets there The bullets are radioactive, but not very much. The chemical hazards/properties are worse than the radiological ones and those are only marginally worse than lead. There is a common knee-jerk reaction of people assuming them to be highly radioactive - as if all levels of radioactivity were the same.

For more info on radiological and chemical properties/risks, see THIS (http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=26216) thread.
jono
May27-04, 09:04 AM
No, typical foot-soldier's bullets are not uranium tipped. The most common are the 30mm shells of the A-10 Warthog tank killer.

The bullets are radioactive, but not very much. The chemical hazards/properties are worse than the radiological ones and those are only marginally worse than lead. There is a common knee-jerk reaction of people assuming them to be highly radioactive - as if all levels of radioactivity were the same.

For more info on radiological and chemical properties/risks, see THIS (http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=26216) thread.

funny, I would have thought the tissue damage would be the main concern :tongue2: