How fast does an antimatter bullet need to move to pierce rather than explode?

The environment is set in (ideal) space with no air for the bullet to interact with. It should encounter nothing until it reaches its target. The bullet is assumed to be a perfect sphere with a diameter of 7mm (what I believe is common for sniper rifles) and is made of antimatter. All variables should be assumed to be "ideal" like in common physics homework.

From what I know, antimatter tends to explode when it comes into contact with regular matter. However, I'd like to see an antimatter bullet go so fast that it pierces without exploding.

The AM bullet doesn't necessarily explode (as explained by @Tim B II) but does react a lot with the target. Whether it's a bunch of explosions or just some fission, I'm not entirely sure. I just want to see some part of the bullet come out.

What would be the minimum speed at which the bullet needs to move in order to pierce through 1 meter of material and exit without entirely blowing up? (Just having a portion of the bullet material removed is OK. I just want to see the bullet exit as a bullet.)

posted almost 5 years ago

John Zhau‭

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