Right from the start you should know that this video isn’t about guns, explosions, and super slow motion, it’s about learning! And science. So please pay attention.
The YouTube show SmarterEveryday wanted to learn about what happens when a pistol fires underwater. In a Mythbusters-style experiment, the video runs through how both a revolver (what seems to be a starter pistol) and a Ruger (9mm?) look when firing immersed in liquid. Both handguns worked–and survived to function properly afterwards–firing off a round while being recorded with a high speed camera.
The video playback reveals a few notable things about underwater handgun usage. First off, if someone has a gun in the pool step away. You probably won’t have to go very far but moderns guns aren’t matchlocks: they work fine when wet.
By using the high speed camera more interesting facts are revealed. For example we see a tiny bubble released when the Ruger fires–most likely a bit of gas escaping from the bullet after it was struck by the firing pin. Then when the bullet does its thing a huge amount of gas is let out, something everyone knows about, but when in the water we see that the semi-automatic expelled those gases in a much more efficient manner than the revolver. The open design of the revolver means that gas escapes from all part of the handgun, as oppose to only from the business end, which means lost bullet velocity.
Regardless of all the science-y stuff, it’s a well done video with some interesting and easy-to-digest information. And if that wasn’t enough, it leaves us with an excellent SAT word that you should try to use this weekend: toroidal.