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Joined 10 months ago
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Cake day: January 10th, 2026

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  • Yes and no. I think the reasoning behind this often has to do with how the projectile behaves after striking the target. Generally speaking, a distinction is made between deformation-type and fragmentation-type projectiles, and, if I understand the arguments correctly, it’s assumed that lead-free projectiles don’t fragment as effectively or, in the case of deformation-type projectiles, don’t mushroom as well as lead-based ones do. I don’t know if there was any truth to that when lead-free ammunition was first developed, but today that’s definitely no longer the case, and that argument is therefore invalid.







  • There are effective vaccines against smallpox.

    I think that if a belligerent were to use the disease as a biological weapon, it would first secretly stockpile large quantities of vaccine. Once the disease breaks out, there would be a window of opportunity lasting a few weeks to a few months during which one could gain an advantage, because the enemy would first have to ramp up vaccine production and vaccination rates. When I think about it, however, I have serious doubts as to whether such preparations in the 21st century could be kept secret enough to actually surprise the enemy (in this case, the West).