Why just shoot a guy when you can shred him? That's the question Le Mas Ltd. of Little Rock, Arkansas, has for the U.S. government. Le Mas distributes "blended-metal" ammunition that they insist can kill with a single shot, or at least create "untreatable wounds."

Ben Thomas, a private security consultant, had some of Le Mas's bad-boys loaded in his rifle while travelling in Iraq. As it happens, Thomas came under fire and shot an Iraqi in the ass. Thomas says the round "completely destroyed everything in the lower left section of his stomach." But the U.S. Army has its doubts.

Army testing of Le Mas's fancy toy showed no difference from standard ammo when fired into gelatin. Le Mas's president of sales and manufacturing, Stan Bulmer, says that's because the gelatin the Army uses has a temperature of about 36 degrees Fahrenheit. Blended-metal bullets work best on warmer targets - preferably around body temperature. He'd like the U.S. to conduct tests on animals.

» Scott Saxon