Captive bolt pistol
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2008-06-30T18:49:00Z
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[[Image:Schlachtschussapparat (modified).jpg|thumb|120px|Captive bolt pistol]]
A '''captive bolt pistol''' (also variously known as a '''cattle gun''', '''stunbolt gun''', '''bolt gun''', or '''stunner''') is a device used for [[stunning]] animals prior to [[Slaughter (livestock)|slaughter]]. Proper stunning is essential to prevent the pain and suffering of the animal during the [[bleeding]] ([[exsanguination]]) process (which is itself necessary to prevent [[meat]] [[spoilage]]) during [[butcher]]ing.
The principle behind [[captive bolt stunning]] is a forceful strike on the [[forehead]] using a bolt to induce [[unconsciousness]]. The bolt may or may not destroy part of the [[brain]].
The bolt is a heavy rod made of non-rusting alloys, such as [[stainless steel]]. It is held in position inside the barrel of the stunner by means of rubber washers. The bolt is usually not visible in a stunner in good condition. The bolt is actuated by a [[trigger]] pull and is propelled forward by compressed air or by the discharge of a [[blank (cartridge)|blank round]] ignited by a firing pin. After striking a shallow but forceful blow on (or through) the forehead of the animal, spring tension causes the bolt to recoil back into the barrel.
==Variations==
The captive bolt pistols are of three types: penetrating, non-penetrating, and free bolt.
In the '''penetrating''' type, the stunner uses a pointed [[bolt]] which is propelled by pressurized air or a [[blank cartridge]]. The bolt penetrates the [[skull]] of the animal, enters the cranium, and catastrophically damages the [[Telencephalon|cerebrum]] and part of the [[cerebellum]]. Due to [[concussion]], destruction of vital centres of [[brain]] and an increase in [[intracranial pressure]], the animal loses consciousness. This method is currently the most effective and widely used type of stunning, since it physically destroys [[white matter|brain matter]] (increasing the probability of a successful stun), while also leaving the [[brain stem]] intact (thus ensuring the heart continues to beat, facilitating a successful [[Bleeding|bleed]]). One disadvantage of this method is that brain matter is allowed into the [[blood stream]], possibly contaminating other tissue with [[bovine spongiform encephalopathy]] (BSE).
The action of a '''non-penetrating''' stunner is similar, but the bolt is blunt with a [[mushroom]]-shaped tip. The bolt strikes the forehead with great force and immediately retracts. This concussion is responsible for the unconsciousness of the animal. This type of stunner is less reliable at causing immediate and permanent unconsciousness than penetrating types; however, it has undergone a resurgence of popularity due to concerns about mad cow disease. In the [[European Union]], this captive bolt design is required for slaughter of animals that will be used for [[pharmaceutical]] manufacture.<ref>[http://www.emea.europa.eu/pdfs/human/bwp/TSE%20NFG%20410-rev2.pdf Note for guidance on minimising the risk of transmitting animal spongiform encephalophathy agents.]</ref>
The '''free bolt stunner''' is used for the emergency in-the-field [[animal euthanasia|euthanasia]] of large farm animals that cannot be restrained. It differs from a true captive bolt gun in that the projectile is not retractable; it is similar in operation to a [[powder-actuated tool|powder-actuated]] [[nail gun]] or conventional firearm. Capable of firing only when pressed firmly against a surface (typically the animal's forehead), the device fires a small projectile through the animal's skull. The [[veterinarian]] can then either leave the animal to expire from the projectile wound, or administer [[lethal drugs]].
==Use==
With [[cattle]], [[goats]], and [[sheep]], a penetrating stunner is typically used since it destroys the [[cerebrum]] while leaving the [[brain stem]] intact; this results in a more consistently reliable stun, and ensures the animal's heart continues to beat during the [[bleeding]] process. In some [[veal]] operations, a non-penetrating concussive stunner is used in order to preserve the [[Brain|brains]] for further processing.
[[Image:Stunning with captive bolt gun.jpeg|thumb|right|Stunning a cow]]
Captive bolt stunners are safer to use in most red meat slaughter situations. There is no danger of ricochet or overpenetration as there is with regular firearms.
Captive bolts allow for meat trimming from the head to be salvaged.
Most animals are stunned at a place on the forehead or pate above the eyes. Some animals, such as old [[Hereford (cattle)|Hereford]] cattle, which have too much hair on the forehead or pate, and bulls, which have too thick a skull, are stunned at the back of the poll. This is known as poll knocking. It can render livestock unconscious, but may require more attempts since the placement of the bolt is more difficult (place the bolt in the space where the skull meets the head in the depression that it makes).
The cartridges typically use 2 to 3 [[grain (measure)|grain]]s (130 to 190 mg) of [[gunpowder]], but can use up to 7 grains (450 mg) in the case of large animals such as bulls. The velocity of the bolt is usually 55 m/s in the case of small animals and 75 m/s in the case of large animals.
There are certain specific stunning sites for various animals:
*[[Cattle|Bull]] and [[cow]]: The stunning site is at or below the point of intersection of two imaginary lines drawn from the base of each horn to the inner [[Canthus (anatomy)|canthus]] of the opposite eye.
*[[Pig]]: The stunning site is on the forehead at a point 25 mm above the eyes. The stunner should be directed towards the [[gullet]].
*[[Sheep]] and [[goat]]: The stunning site is below the ridge which runs under the base of the horn. The direction of shot is towards the gullet.
For all [[Polled livestock|polled]] animals, the site is at the center of forehead, the shot being directed towards the [[gullet]].
==In popular culture==
In the novel ''[[No Country For Old Men]]'' and its [[Academy_awards|Oscar-winning]] [[No Country for Old Men (film)|2007 film adaptation]], the [[killer]] Anton Chigurh uses a captive bolt pistol to kill several people and to punch out [[cylinder lock]]s on doors.
The captive bolt stunner is described in Eric Schlosser's [[2001]] [[book]] ''[[Fast Food Nation]]'', and footage showing its use in a [[slaughterhouse]] appears in the film adaptation.
In the 1983 novel ''[[Cal (novel)|Cal]]'', the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]] soldier Crilly uses a captive bolt pistol to [[kneecapping|kneecap]] fellow paramilitaries. The victims subsequently develop a limp, pointing them out as [[traitor]]s to others. In the novel, the man uses a captive bolt pistol because he believes "it doesn't leave a trace". Ironically this is what leads investigators to him and his [[paramilitary]] unit.
A captive bolt pistol is used to commit [[murder]] in the book and [[film adaptation]] of ''[[The Butcher Boy]]''.
The 1992 German film ''[[Benny's Video]]'' features a captive bolt pistol in the killing of a [[pig]] for slaughter and also in the commission of a murder by the title character.
In [[Neil Gaiman]]'s novel ''[[American Gods]]'', Czernobog discusses the use of the captive bolt pistol in a slaughterhouse as part of a history of his work in the [[meatpacking industry]].
In the [[video game]] ''[[Hitman: Contracts]]'' [[Agent 47]] can use a bolt pistol to eliminate his targets in the level 'The Meat King's Party'.
The [[comic book]] ''[[The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (comics)|The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Cut!]]'' features [[Hitchhiker (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)|an unnamed villain]] who uses a captive bolt pistol (referred to as a "bolt stunner") to murder one teenager and knock another unconscious.
The [[Deli Creeps]] song "Boom Ch Ka," a song written about [[McDonald's]] and the slaughter of cattle used in their [[burger]]s, is named after the sound created when the bolt is fired.
The television show [[Bones_(TV_series)| Bones]] referenced a bolt pistol as the weapon of choice for a hitman tied to Dr. Temperance Brennan's [[fugitive]] parents. The use of the bolt pistol was the unique signature that led to additional charges for this [[hitman]].
One of the first occurrences of the captive bolt pistol in a detective story can be found in the [[1935]] [[novel]] ''[[The Unicorn Murders]]'' by Carter Dickson (one of the pen names of [[John Dickson Carr]]).
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Meat processing]]
[[Category:Animal killing]]
[[de:Schlachtschussapparat]]
[[fr:Pistolet à projectile captif]]
[[sv:Bultpistol]]