Contact time of a projectile with the skin

A crucial factor that limits the amount of heat transferred from the lead bullet to the abdominal skin is the contact time of the bullet with the skin. At an impact velocity between 150 m/sec to 200 m/sec, the contact time of the bullet with the skin⁴⁰ would be at most 0.2 millisecond (0.0002 sec) according to [MSW, p. 3]. Such a short duration could not possibly have caused burn injury!

The fact that a heat source at $200\tccentigrade$ with a 0.2 ms contact duration cannot cause burn injury on human skin can be illustrated by a game that many of us have played and enjoyed. Move a finger across the flame of a burning candle, say at 50 cm/sec; the contact time of the finger would be about 0.02 sec, the temperature of the candle flame varies, but it is at least $300\tccentigrade$. Yet your finger will only feel a tinge of warmth.