12-Gauge Bean Bag Round

This round is fired from a standard 12-gauge shotgun, and consists of a fabric bag filled with small (#9) lead shot. It weighs a little less than an ounce and a half.

After firing, the cordura nylon bag expands and strikes the target more or less expanded to its full size of about 2 inches square. On striking an individual, it delivers a strong blow to the body, briefly stunning the subject, without penetrating the body.

The Bean Bag Round may be used for crowd control, personnel incapacitation, personnel seizure, or to clear facilities of personnel.

After firing, the speed of the bean bag round falls off rapidly, and it falls to the ground after 150 feet. For this reason, injuries from this round depend on the distance and area of the body struck by the round. Beyond the maximum effective range of 50 feet, any injury would be unlikely. At shorter ranges, bruising can be noted. If the round strikes the head, the injuries can mimic those of a blunt object striking the head forcefully. At very close range (20 feet or less), the injuries can be fatal.

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Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
Department of the Navy
2300 E Street NW
Washington, D.C
20372-5300

Operational Medicine
Health Care in Military Settings
CAPT Michael John Hughey, MC, USNR
NAVMED P-5139
January 1, 2001

United States Special Operations Command
7701 Tampa Point Blvd.
MacDill AFB, Florida
33621-5323

*This web version is provided by The Brookside Associates, LLC. It contains original contents from the official US Navy NAVMED P-5139, but has been reformatted for web access and includes advertising and links that were not present in the original version. The medical information presented was reviewed and felt to be accurate in 2001. Medical knowledge and practice methods may have changed since that time. Some links may no longer be active. This web version has not been approved by the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense. The presence of any advertising on these pages does not constitute an endorsement of that product or service by either the US Department of Defense or the Brookside Associates. The Brookside Associates is a private organization, not affiliated with the United States Department of Defense.

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