Blubber vs. Bullets: How fat would you have to be to be bulletproof?

There are two ways by which the damage caused by a bullet can be measured: the depth of penetration and the amount of tissue damage per centimetre of penetration.

For instance, a 9mm handgun round – the most common type – can penetrate approximately 60cm of human flesh before it stops. That’s an average of 1 cm3 of damage per cm of penetration. However, in reality, the distance penetrated is often much less than that because the bullets frequently hit bones or sometimes bypass the target. Also, because fat is approximately 10% softer and less dense than muscle, the figure of 60cm may be too little.

As much as being bullet-proof sounds advantageous, carrying a 60cm-thick layer of body fat obviously comes with a greater share of health problems.

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