Using a similar thought process, I guess since the Army currently uses 7.62 and 5.56mm platform weapons that completely outclass the .58 cal muzzleloaders of Civil War, the tens of thousands of men killed by Minie balls in that conflict should take comfort that they were felled by "ineffective" weapons. Maybe CNN or MSNBC can interview them?
I read most of the book "
Gunshot Injuries" by
Col Louis La Garde. He was one of the wound specialists in the US Army before the adoption of the 45ACP round. He took part in the animal shootings that lead to the 45 ACP round. His background and gun shot experience was vast and recorded in this book What I did find very interesting, Col La Garde would have been eleven when the American Civil War started, and he was able to examine survivors throughout his career, and the bone specimens stored at the Army Medical College. He claimed that the service rounds around 1910ish, that is the 303 Brit, 30-06, 8mm Mauser, etc, were inferior in wounding and lethality to Civil War projectiles! (Particularly if they hit bone, those huge, soft lead bullets would mush and continue going!)
That might have been due to the adoption of the
Geneva Conventions, which if you trace the history, the bullet section was adopted to embarrass the British. The first 303 FMJ bullets were inferior to the old lead 450 Martini bullets, but lead tipped 303 Brit bullets did a fantastic job on the natives. Germans, Irish separatists and Liberals tag teamed to show how horrible and inhuman the British were, and the political fall out, was less effective bullets!
The 455 Webley was developed after vast experience with Natives armed with swords and spears, sometimes wearing chain mail, sometimes hippopotamus armor. Don't laugh, the British had frequent failures with their edged weapons, designed against wool clad Europeans, when used against chain mail and hippopotamus armor. I believe the British were looking for the minimum round, low recoil, fast recovery, and short range, and the 455 Webley satisfied that role well. The 455 Webley was not made to shoot buffalo, elephants, or dinosaurs!
