can bullets travel through wood?

Hi jennikins,

Thank you for your question.

US Marine Corps - CHAPTER 6. USE OF COVER AND CONCEALMENT
http://www.tpub.com/content/USMC/mcrp301a/css/mcrp301a_64.htm

"Trees/Logs Wood is a relatively dense material and offers good cover
and protection. Bullets have a tendency to fragment when they
penetrate wood. Live trees have a greater resistance to bullet
penetration than dead trees. Wood that has been treated with creosote,
such as telephone poles and railroad ties, offers better protection
from projectiles than untreated wood, but it still does not ensure
protection from small arms fire."

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Taking Cover Under Fire:
http://www.selfdefenseforums.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-2735.html

"It really depends on the cartridge. Most cartridges will go through a
pine board or two (even .22lr) if they meet it head on, but some are
deflected when shot at an angle. Cartridges that are known to be good
penetrators (such as 9mm FMJ) can usually defeat cover such as a
wooden table or a wood and sheetrock wall quite easily. Most rifle
cartridges can easily defeat light cover, the exception to this may be
.223 loaded with light, softpointed bullets (several studies have
shown that those loads won't penetrate very far at all through stuff
like sheetrock and wood, suggesting that they'd be good home defense
rounds for places that you'd rather not have overpenetration, such as
an apartment or a home with children). Shotguns loaded with slugs
usually have a lot of penetration, simply due to their weight (a
12-gauge shotgun slug weighs a full ounce), but if they are loaded
with birdshot, they usually don't penetrate walls."

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Best regards,
tlspiegel

I agree with tlspiegel; It all depends on the cartridge. I'm not into
firearms any more but the knowledge is still there. Had both a .357
lever action rifle and a model 686 stainless Smith and Wesson .357
revolver. both of course handled the same rounds. But the rifle could
cope with up to 15 grains of powder, whereas the revolver could only
handle 9 grains. For target purposes, I only ever loaded 2 grains.
Just enough powder to get the projectile to the target. Had to make
very sure [ used colour coding] not to mix the two separate loadings.
A nine grain load will pass through a refrigerator. Bit of comedy
here. Once missed putting powder in a case and when the round was
used, only the primer went off. Actually saw the projectile leave the
barrel [686] and plop on the ground five feet in front of me. Be my
guest. have a giggle.