Pistol Binder Rebekah Bogle Grade 12 Shooting Sports-Pistol A Guide to Purchasing Your Ammunition Table of Contents Background information ......................................................................................................... 3 Overview of Bullet Parts ................................................................................................................... 4 Types of Bullet Measurements ................................................................................................ 5 Different Designs of Bullets .................................................................................................... 7 Full Metal Jackets ............................................................................................................................. 8 Hollow Point ..................................................................................................................................... 9 Open Tip ......................................................................................................................................... 10 Ballistic Tip ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Soft Point ....................................................................................................................................... 12 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 13 Works Cited ........................................................................................................................... 14 Background information So you bought a handgun. Now, you need some ammunition in order to use your new gun! But there are so many types of bullets available for handguns; what exactly should you buy? Don’t worry; read on and learn a bit about bullet measurements and different types of bullets, as well as what they’re used for! Multitudes of bullets are available for handguns. Each bullet type can be categorized by caliber, primer location, weight, and overall design. Each bullet also has different strengths and weaknesses, as well as usefulness in various situations. It is important to be aware of all of the variety of criteria before purchasing rounds for a handgun or pistol. First, though, let’s define the parts of a bullet. Overview of Bullet Parts As you can see, the bullet consists of a primer, a casing, powder, and a bullet. The casing with primer and powder are called a cartridge, while the part of the bullet that enters the target is called the bullet. However, “bullet” can also refer to the entire package, cartridge and bullet. Part of the Bullet Job Primer Provides necessary spark that ignites the powder. Powder Provides the explosion to send the bullet forward. Casing Holds the powder and primer; focuses the explosion of powder to send the bullet forward at immense speeds. Types of Bullet Measurements There are several ways to measure and identify the size of a bullet. You can measure a bullet by caliber, length of cartridge, primer location, and weight. The following paragraphs give a brief definition of each of these ways to measure a bullet. The caliber is one of the simpler concepts of a handgun and its rounds. The caliber, measured in either inches or millimeters, is simply the diameter of the barrel, and thus the diameter of bullet that will fit into that particular barrel. Bullets can also be measured by the length of the cartridge, so make sure you’re getting a length of ammunition that will fit into your gun. For example, a 9 millimeter bullet can come as a 9x18, 9x19, or several other lengths. These bullets are NOT interchangeable, so make sure you know your gun’s requirements. Basically, each bullet can either have its primer in the rim or the center of its cartridge. Those with primers in the rim are called rimfire cartridges, and are extremely cheap; therefore, they are good for practice ammunition. Those bullets with primers at the center of their cartridges are called centerfire cartridges; they are easily identifiable by the different-colored circle in the casing of the cartridge. Different Primer Locations Bullet and gunpowder weight are measured in grains. How much is a grain? Well, it takes 7,000 grains to make up one pound. Therefore, a grain is a very small amount of weight. When grain is advertised on ammunition boxes, it typically refers to the weight of the bullet itself. Did you know that outside the United States, bullet weights are measured in grams, not grains? Different Designs of Bullets Now the part you’ve all been waiting for: the different designs of bullets! By this point, you know how to identify the measurements of the bullet best suited to your gun; now, let’s look at the different types of bullets and what you would use each type for. We will briefly discuss bullets with full metal jackets, hollow point bullets, open tip bullets, ballistic tip bullets, and soft tip bullets. This is not an exhaustive description, but it should get you started on what type of bullet you might want to purchase for your various needs. Of course, some bullets may be outlawed in your state or area, so make sure you’re aware of local regulations before shooting anything! Full Metal Jackets These bullets are exactly what they sound like: a soft metal, such as lead, encased fully in a harder metal, such as copper. These bullets can be round, pointy, or flat. They are typically used on the range; they are not typically used for hunting or self-defense because they tend to go straight through a target. Full Metal Jacket Bullets Hollow Point These bullets are also what they sound like. They have hollow points at the tip, which allow them to expand when they hit a target, staying inside soft tissue and causing more damage. This is desirable in order to try to ensure a target stays down when it goes down. These bullets are typically used by police, concealed carry guns, and home defense weapons. They can also be used for hunting. These bullets can’t be used by the military, as the Hague convention states that bullets that can easily expand or flatten in the body are not to be used in international warfare. It is a common misconception that the Geneva convention was the convention to ban these bullets. These bullets are often somewhat controversial; if you do an internet search, you will quickly come across a lot of articles arguing for or against hollow point bullets for various uses, including military and home defense. Hollow Point Bullets Open Tip These bullets can be confused with hollow point bullets. They also have a hole at the tip, but the hole is not large enough to perform like a hollow point bullet. In fact, the hole at the tip of this bullet is a result of how it is manufactured and is part of why it is used in matches. The manufacturing method results in bullets that are very similar to one another in terms of weight, increasing a person’s accuracy because the weight varies very little from bullet to bullet. As a result, these are typically used by long-range match shooters, but can also be used by the military since they aren’t technically hollow point bullets. Open Tip Bullets Ballistic Tip This bullet is a modified version of a hollow point bullet. It is a hollow point bullet with the hollow area covered by a pointed plastic tip, which gives the bullet a more aerodynamic shape yet preserves the purpose of a hollow point bullet. The bullet itself is boat-shaped in design, which means that its base tapers back down. This improves long-range accuracy. These bullets are typically used in hunting or for precision shooting. Ballistic Bullet With Cartridge Ballistic Bullet w/o Cartridge Soft Point These bullets are formed with a soft metal tip, which functions similarly to a hollow point bullet in that it will expand once inside a target. However, it is different from a hollow point bullet because the soft metal tip means that it will penetrate further into the target and expand more slowly than a hollow point bullet will. Unfortunately, the soft tip also means it is less accurate over long range, so it is mainly used in close to medium range hunting where hollow point bullets are banned. Soft Point Bullets Conclusion Hopefully, you’ve learned a bit more about what types of ammunition are available for your handgun! Now, you will be able to purchase ammunition that not only fits the gun correctly, but also fits the purpose for which it will be spent. After all, who would pay for hollow point bullets when you now know you can buy cheap full metal jacket bullets for practice? Now that you’ve read this brief guide, you will no longer make any such mistake! Works Cited https://www.pewpewtactical.com/bullet-sizes-calibers-and-types/ https://blog.springfield-armory.com/bullet-breakdown-how-diameter-grain-and-length-factor https://gunbelts.com/blog/all-about-hollow-point-bullets/ https://ammo.com/bullet-type/open-tip-match https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollow-point_bullet https://ammo.com/bullet-type/nosler-ballistic-tip https://ammo.com/bullet-type/soft-point-sp .