Allright, so here is the background story on this....
Every day at lunch, Me and a few of my freinds have 5 minute debates. We make a topic one day, go home and reaserch it, and defend our points the next day.
So the one that was the most contravercial, was is a harpoon considered a bullet?
Now, I say Yes it is. A bullet by deffinition is a projectial shot from a gun.
A crossbow is not a gun and the "arrow" is a bolt very different from an arrow or bullet. I would say that a harpoon is a bullet since it is shot from a gun and for other things I suppose stated by other people.
I define a bullet as a shaped piece of lead(or other metal) propelled out of a gun barrel through combusting gunpowder(or other explosive material).
A harpoon gun uses compressed air to fire a harpoon. So it does not fit.
Crossbows are still, as said, bows. They fire a specialized arrow(known as a bolt) off of a string which is held back by a mechanism. So it's a fancy bow.
I think you are looking at it from the wrong perspective skater.
And while it is a projectile, it is shot from a harpoon GUN. Which means it is a bullet.
I think that you are focusing too much on what the projectile is shot from rather than HOW it is shot. Just because a harpoon is shot from something called a harpoon GUN, doesn't mean that whatever comes out of it is a bullet.
Instead of looking at what it is shot from, lets actually take a look at what a bullet is. A bullet, (in my book) is a small, pointed, solid metal object that is shot from a cartridge via an explosion from gunpowder.
If you really think about it, a bullet is not shot from a gun, but a cartridge containing gunpowder. The gun is just a holding device that makes it more user friendly and easy to use. If I really wanted to, I could take a normal bullet and hit it on the end with a hammer and it would fire off, (because of the primer mechanism in the bottom).
Anyways, lets take a look at the harpoon. Although it is shot from a GUN, does that really make it a bullet? Does a harpoon have a priming mechanism in the bottom like a bullet does? No. Does it use gunpowder to shoot? No. Does it have a separate cartridge part containing the gunpowder and the priming mechanism? No.
So In my opinion, a harpoon is not a bullet, it is a projectile.
The main defense here for the harpoon being a bullet is that its shot from a gun. But I've never heard anyone saying that stungun or spudgun ammo are bullets. So its safe to say that not all guns shoot bullets. Radarguns are an even better example, its hard to imagine light being considered a bullet.
So why then does a harpoon have to be a bullet if its shot from a gun?
I define a bullet as a shaped piece of lead(or other metal) propelled out of a gun barrel through combusting gunpowder(or other explosive material).
I agree with you.
Explodes?
A firearm is a weapon[1] or tool[2] that projects either single or multiple projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion. The firing is achieved by the gases produced through rapid, confined burning of a propellant.
That explains what you just asked.
The guns we are talking about are firearms. Guns can refer to artillery so to be specific, bullets are fired from firearms. According to definitions harpoons are not bullets.
I believe harpoons are not bullets. Bolts are fired from crossbows.
Harpoons are fired from harpoon launchers. That doesn't mean that they are bullets.
a harpoon is not a bullet... read more into the deffinition and bullets do not explode unless they are hollow tip... and they still really dont explode as much as break down into shards...
A bullet is a hard projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun and is normally made from metal. A bullet does not contain explosives, but damages the intended target by tissue or mechanical disruption through impact or penetration. The word "bullet" is sometimes erroneously used to refer to a cartridge, which is the combination of bullet, casing (case or shell), gunpowder and primer. See ammunition. The Oxford English Dictionary definition of a bullet is "a projectile of lead ... for firing from a rifle, revolver etc." [1] However, bullets for air guns are not part of a cartridge.
That is the definition of a bullet according to Wikipedia.
But he said the bullet explodes on contact...
It doesn't. The bullet is propelled by the use of gunpowder. It does not explode on contact. It penetrates.
Wait, harpoon as in fired by hand or a harpoon gun?
Harpoon gun.
Here are a few definitions of the word "harpoon" which is used in fishing.
Wikipedia
A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument used in fishing to catch fish or other large marine mammals such as whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal, allowing the fishermen to use a rope or chain attached to the butt of the projectile to catch the animal. A harpoon can also be used as a weapon.
Merriam Webster
a barbed spear or javelin used especially in hunting large fish or whales
Dictionary.com
a barbed, spearlike missile attached to a rope, and thrown by hand or shot from a gun, used for killing and capturing whales and large fish.
a harpoon is not a bullet its a harpoon if it was a bullet they would just call it a pooky sticky bullet not a harpoon...btw my dad owns one there def not bullets
a harpoon is not a bullet its a harpoon if it was a bullet they would just call it a pooky sticky bullet not a harpoon...btw my dad owns one there def not bullets
Good. Someone who definitely can prove that harpoons are not bullets.
This thread makes me laugh maniacally since there are ones who believe that harpoons are bullets. If harpoons are bullets then javelins and throwing spears would be bullets. They are NOT bullets.
