Talk:Bullet/Archive 1

{{talk archive

Centerfire and Rimfire

If theres no objection I would like to move this section, Centerfire and Rimfire just down to the start of modern bullet subsection and merged into the design section of Cartridge (weaponry). It's well written by an anonymous Wikipedian but does not deal with bullets directly but rather the cartridge case. If the anon contributer is still here and agrees, please feel free to move or make comment. Anyone else want to comment? I will merge in a few days if there are no disagreements. --Buster 19:30, Jul 23, 2004 (UTC)

Merged --Buster 20:59, Jul 30, 2004 (UTC)

Disputed

The Americans have since improved the design to increase its effectiveness against armour, and the SS109 bullet can now pierce about 7cm of armour plate, due to the Tungsten penetrator design, which still tumbles on soft tissue contact.

Nitpick first: the SS109 does not have a tungsten penetrator, the M995 has a tungsten penetrator (actually, tungsten carbide). But more importantly, I find that penetration figure a little difficult to swallow. The M995 was designed to penetrate a BRDM-2 hull (14 mm RHA equivalent not 70 mm!! [1]). Also the M855 (US version of SS109, very similar to M995 but with hardened steel penetrator instead of tungsten) has an order of magnitude less penetration than is here claimed for the M995. Does anyone have any reliable cites for M995 penetration in RHA? Securiger 06:25, 11 Oct 2004 (UTC)

This is a really stupid title for this article

The photos are of CARTRIDGES, not of BULLETS. I am strongly in favor of moving this to Firearm Cartridge or Rifle Cartridge or something more sensible than bullet. Goddamn firearm luddites. Avriette 16:08, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC)

after reading the above mention of Cartridge (weaponry), I am in favor of merging these articles. Avriette 16:13, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC)

While the photos are of cartridges, the article is, in fact, about bullets, and barely discusses cartridges at all; would you be happy with better pictures of bullets separated from cases? Having said that, I wouldn't object if you did a good merge of the bullet article and the cartridge article, except that you'll hit the 32 kB limit, and you'll have a heck of a time moving all 182 redirects. ;^) Securiger 14:02, 14 Mar 2005 (UTC)

See my short response to the current proposed move further down the page at Talk:Bullet#Proposed_merge. TeamZissou 18:02, 16 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Bullet Size?

I know nothing about firearms, but there is something I would like to read about on this page. On TV shows people are always talking about (I think) the size of bullets, like a 44 millimeter. What does this refer to, the diameter at the base of the bullet? Does this pertain only to hand gun bullets? Also, what kinds are used for what purposes? For example, certain hand guns require 9mm bullets? Or can you use different sized bullets on the same gun?

--unregistered 15:38, 30 August 2005 (UTC)

This is explained in short in Cartridge (firearms).

The first number is the nominal diameter of the bullet in either mm oder fractions of an inch. eg.: .44 (0.44 inch)

The nominal diameter can be the distance between the lands, sometimes even between the grooves, the diameter of the original bullet used in that cartridge or something inbetween. This means that the nominal diameter differs slightly from the actual diameter of the bullet. Also bullets of slightly different diameters and designs can be use in the same cartridge. eg.: A normal .44 Magnum FMJ bullet has an actual diameter of .429 inch. A normal .44 Magnum lead bullet .430 inch.

The nominal diameter is not enough to define a cartridge, because several cartridges might share the same diameter, but have different lengths and amounts of gunpowder in them. Therefore cartridges are specified by giving the diameter and either a brand name like "Magnum" (which is common in the US and UK) or by giving the diameter and the length of the cartridge's case (which is common in Europe and NATO). Older rounds sometimes also use designations where the diameter is followed by a dash and a second number which might be the year of it's adoption or some version number of the inventor.

eg.: .44 Magnum, .357 Special, .455 Webley, .45 ACP

9x19 (mm), 9x18 (mm), 7.62x51 (mm)

.30-06, .30-30 (Winchester), .25-35 Winchester

Some rounds have several more or less official designations:

7.62x39 = 7.62 Soviet = 7.62 Russian

9x18 = 9mm Makarov = 9mm Russian

9x19 = 9mm Parabellum = 9mm NATO

7.62x51 = 7.62 NATO = .308 Winchester = .308 Win.

5.56x45 = 5.56 NATO = .223 Remington = .223 Rem.

(NATO-rounds are not exactly the same as the civillian .308 or .223, though they can usually be fired from the same weapons with slightly reduced accuracy and reliability. Some gun makers, however, insist on using the correct type of ammunition to prevent liability issues in case of a catastrophic failure due to the higher gas pressures in military ammunition.)

With few exceptions different cartridges require different guns or at least a conversion kit. The most famous exception are .357 Magnum revolvers. The .357 Magnum uses bullets of the same diameter as the .38 Special thus .38 Special cartridges can be fired from .357 Magnum revolvers. Keep in mind that it doesn't work the other way round, because the gas pressure of the .357 Magnum is well beyond the maximum pressure of the .38 Special.

Last sentence

"Bullets are not faster than missiles. The fastest bullet is fly at the speed of 1500+ km/h"

The Nike Sprint Missile flew significantly faster.--Asams10 02:47, 28 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I took the liberty of removing this last sentence, because it's not only grammatically incorrect, but also regarding it's content.

While 1500 km/h is a halfway appropriate number for most handgun bullets, it's just the lower margin for rifle bullets. Nowadays military assault rifle bullets reach velocities of generally around 900 m/s (~3200 km/h). Special rounds (sabot subcaliber rounds like SLAP) reach app. 1200 m/s (~4300 km/h) which is still well below the theoretical maximum achievable with unmodified weapons.

As an aside: Missiles fly between around 300 m/s (slow TV-guided Air-To-Ground missiles) and 1400 m/s (long range Air-To-Air missiles).

This could just be me, but that's not meant to be in the 'Materials' section. Is it?

Where is the list of sources?

What are you disputing? Much of what I edited came from my memory. Dispute that with your own sources.--Asams10 02:47, 28 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You know everyone, this is a rather juvenile conversation...kinda like arguing which basketball player could beat-up which baseball player and why... There are many low velocity cartridges and many high velocity cartridges. The .22-250 Remington, a common varmint hunting cartridge, can launch a bullet at a usable 4,000 ft/s or more. There are other examples of fast cartriges available. Some missiles move slower than others (say, a NATO TOW-2), while others are very fast (like most SAMs). "Barry Bonds is so much stronger, he could take Scotty Pippen any day..." TeamZissou 18:35, 16 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Full Metal Jacket

I figure contributors to this article would like the heads up on the FMJ article. It's pretty messed up right now, lotsa bad and just plain wrong information. --Cuitlahuac 04:30, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bullets and Weapons Price

I am not looking for places to buy guns, I am just curious to know how much do weapons cost. Anyone here can tell me how much does a bullet cost? I understand that prices probably are very different acording to the type of bullet and market, but can anyone point me in right directions and tell me of any good web source of information? I would like to know, for example, how much does an average person pays for an Ak-47 and its ammo (per bullet).Maziotis 23:37, 27 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I just happen to read a news article about this yesterday. (http://www.mingpao.com/) It states the price of the black-market AK-47 bullet is US$0.31 in Iraq. People shot to death in Iraq takes an average of 8 bullets, therefore, approximately US$2.48 is needed to kill each of them. It does not state the price of the AK-47 though. Also, this is really not the place to ask, try to search the web yourself, I did a very simply search at google and found a lot of results like this one. MythSearcher 02:46, 28 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Slug Base and Pelton Wheel

Is the flat base of all the slugs the most efficient design for transfering the explosive energy? I thought about submitting a patent to have a slug with a concave base with the principle of the pelton wheel. Aside from fluid dynamics being different, to me it makes sense, aside from the weak ends where the skin of the slug is thin. If it deformed outward, it would lose power from the rifling of the barrel. --Nuke-Marine 08:33, 6 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Not All Bullets Come From Cartridges

I'm taking the liberty of changing the description of a bullet from a metal slug propelled from a mechanism in the cartridge to simply being a metal slug. Not all bullets come in cartridges, but, to my knowledge, all bullets from firearms are made of some kind of metal.--Echo5Joker 21:27, 8 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Are they all made of metal? Aren't less-lethal bullets usually made of rubber or nylon? And aren't many frangible bullets made of a hollow plastic shell around a number of smaller projectiles? - EngineersAnon 05:10, 11 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

merge from frangible

I'm not sure anyone has noticed but it has been suggested that frangible be merged in this article. For the record, I oppose: the term is also used in rocketry for instance and I think there's room to expand the frangible article so that it does not exclusively deal with bullets. Pascal.Tesson 23:26, 4 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'll disagree with you only because the frangible rocket cannot be anything significant. Frangible bullets are. I used 100 of them just two weeks ago qualifying on the M16. What is a frangible rocket, how often are they used, and does it justify any more than a sentence under frangible bullets?--Asams10 19:03, 5 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What is the furthest distance a bullet can travel before it just stops?

I think I'll have to vote for fleshing out the entry on "frangible" rather than merging it. There are several other instances of frangibility that are applied in everyday life. For instance, certain types of jewelry (rings, necklaces) can be made frangible so that if you happen to get it caught in the belt sander at work, you won't lose your finger, just the jewelry. More importantly in many mechanical engineering instances certain parts of an assembly may be designed to be frangible to protect more delicate portions of the assembly. For instance, a part may be deigned to break and release dangerously high pressure in a safe manner before it can destroy the entire assembly. For these reasons, I belive the stub should be expanded into a full article about "frangibility", rather than inferring that the only objects that can be frangible are bullets.

If fleshed out, the bullet part should be moved to Frangible bullet, because articles under adjective titles is bad form. Night Gyr (talk/Oy) 01:46, 8 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I have to agree with the vote for fleshing out - clearly the concept of frangibility is a significant part of mechanical engineering, not merely a type of bullet. And the (unsigned) post is correct, too, about having the article be about the noun indicating the concept rather than the adjective describing an item made in such fashion. This answers, too, the point that an article whose title is an adjective is bad form. - EngineersAnon 05:17, 11 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Armor piercing bullets

While counter-intuitive, pointed bullets are less effective penetrators than flat tipped bullets. Understand that a pointed bullet must push and deform metal to get through armor plate. A flat-tipped bullet cuts a plug out of the armor, thus requiring much less energy be expended for the same result. This is well documented in the book I referenced. Check it out and read it, please.--Asams10 04:48, 4 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

ASams, quit spewing complete and utter nonsense.

There is no "plug" cut from an armor plate with respects to small arms cartridges. If it were true then the most modern AP rounds like M993 or M995 for the 7.62Nato and 5.56Nato would not have conical points for their hardened penetrators. Even MK211, the wonder round of the elite NASA space shuttle door gunner, doesn't have a "plug" (better term would be "wadcutter") profile, it too is a conical shapped penetrator.

Cut aways of the M993/M995 cores can be found at the following link.

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m993.htm

Velocity is king when it comes to defeating armor or metals, hence the reason why 50BMG SLAP is so much more effective than ordinary KE AP like 700grn M2 or even the MK211 wonder round. Push things fast enough and it doesn't matter what the shape of the projectile is. (The previous comments were left unsigned by user:66.27.228.181)

Your personal attack is unwarranted. Your argument is wrong. I provided a reference. Now, you provide a reference that says your argument is correct or stop spewing. You counter my assertation by accusing me of spouting nonsense and making an unreferenced accusation? C'mon, keep it civil. --Asams10 15:08, 5 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's no personal attack, if I wanted to do that I would have been much more blunt and direct.

I've handloaded enough AP projectiles, from old M2 163grn 30-06 AP and M2 700grn 50BMG, as well as more recent M61, to know what the cores are shaped like. I've also driven the M61 tips to 3400fps at which point they tended to fail miserably upon impact with steels due to the cores being made of a more mild steel, where as the M2 AP remained sharp at muzzle velocities exceeding 3200fps and exceeded the performance of M61.

Argue theory out of a book all you want, if it had a practical effect then you'd see it used on a more wide spread scale or you would see a sweeping change to the new core design in AP ammunition that is made. After 60+ years of AP ammo being made, they still have penetrators that come to a sharpened point.

If a sharpened tip of the bullet's penetrator was not desired, then the most recent M993 and M995 would not employ such a design in their penetrators(a profile which they are purposely machining into the penetrator, otherwise they'd simply face off the core making cylinders instead of pointed truncated cones). Want to talk about the effectiveness of a rounded ogive on a sharpened point penetrator or a variety of conical/truncated cone type point on a penetrator, okay. But flat faced cylinders?

Velocity makes the metal "flow" more or less regardless of tip shape, this point is proven time and time again when NASA fires a tiny .177 caliber bb at insane velocities against a steel plate and can make it fail.

Mind you I've spent the past 8+ years on various forums talking about these sorts of things where I either have direct first hand experience or am discussing it with others who do. Some of the members of those forums have some impressive collections of old AP ammo for both handgun as well as rifle. The only time you see interesting bullet designs comes with handgun rounds that have to rely on some kind of trickery, in combination with a lower bullet mass to allow it to achieve a higher velocity, to make it through soft body armor that would stop ordinary rounds from the same chambering. Yet due to their low velocity and construction, they are pitiful performers against actual hard "armor", their "AP" abilities are only effective against soft armor.

There are 2 rifle bullets that I can think of that have a "clipped" point to their penetrators(note that they still have a relative "point" though), one is the meager little steel penetrator of the M855/SS109 bullet(which after having used it quite a bit is hardly an ap round by any stretch of the imagination), and the other is the steel core of the Israeli 7.62Nato which I have seen fail miserably just like M61 due to poor core construction.

Personal experience speaking, from having loaded it and then shot it against a wide variety of materials? A truncated cone point is likely the most effective tip/point to put on a penetrator.

That's all fine; I disagree. Again, anecdotes and repeating your POV over and over don't make you right. AP bullets are pointed because that's a more aerodynamic shape. Rod penetrators on tank guns are shaped with a point because it increases spalling. You may write all you want but I'll continue to be right unless you post a reputable source that counters mine. I don't doubt your intuition, but that's not what we're looking for here. Twist rate actually has a greater effect on penetration than does velocity, but the optimum bullet shape is a flat slug. Also, please sign your posts.--Asams10 23:21, 5 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There is more than just acnectodal evidence, personal experience in having fired various AP rounds against 1 1/4inch steel plate will tend to show a person a couple things about how the rounds actually perform. And having always been curious of if there is anything better out there I do keep an eye out for new developments in AP ammo. How come there is no cylinderical flat faced penetrators for 50BMG ? Aerodynamics aside, if it was as effective as you lay claim(or your reference material claims) then ammunition makers would be developing it for use.

May I ask how much experience you have actually have putting AP rounds down range and against what kind of medium?

I'm not about to start posting links to my own personal URLs within this wiki entry but would be more than willing to post them on sites that I am a member of such as AR15.com, TheFiringLine, or any one of several others I am a member of. Your claims are something that I am sure others would like to take part in and discuss openly so I urge you to open this up for discussion else where, if not then I likely will.

Other than this one reference you have regarding the theory of getting metal to flow around a cylinderical AP core, your claims are just as anecdotal at this point. Still haven't seen this link to your reference material, which I would be more than glad to read if it is online. And hopefully it's not referencing very large projectiles such as would be fired from artillery or naval cannons.

Again, if it was so remarkably effective then it would be employed right here and now in modern bullets intended for armor piercing capabilities. And by that I mean, they could easily have a normal jacket giving an aerodynamic shape to it's nose, with a cylinderical AP core under neath that jacket. But what is actually out there, does not demonstrate your claims to be true.

Stop sounding so much like a kid fresh out of boot who takes everything he reads or is told to him as gospel, this based on your statement regarding twist rate having an impact on penetration. I can only assume that you are mentioning twist rate with regards to penetration in tissue, because in hardened materials it is NOT going to matter provided the round is in stable flight at the time of impact. And twist rate will NOT have a more advantageous effect that is above that of velocity, proof is in the pudding with respects to what 30-06 M2 AP is capable of as opposed to what the same bullet being driven from a 300WinMag is capable of. It's again ironed out with the differences in M193 55grn 5.56 versus M855 62grn 5.56, at closer range out of a rifle length barrel the 55grn bullet often exhibits better penetration than the 62grn bullet simply thanks to the velocity(twist rates being equal due to being fired in the same firearm). Yet the 62grn bullet down range, which due to additional mass and better aerodynamics, pulls ahead and begins to penetrate better at extended distances thanks to the retained velocity.

As for twist rates having an effect on bullet tumbling/yawing behavior, a simple search for the research of Dr Martin L Fackler will provide more than enough insight to how "stabilized" and "over stabilized" bullets act in tissue. Only with grossly inappropriate twist rates, where the bullet is likely to tumble in flight long before it impacts the target, is rifling twist rate going to have an effect on penetration.

I'm more or less done with responding to this entry and discussion, want to talk about it more I urge you to bring it over to where there is much more experience and genuinely interested people to discuss it.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/forum.html?b=3&f=16

More anecdotal evidence. Falker didn't research AP bullets, however Hughes did. You are wrong on twist as well. The M855 performed better on armor out of a 1-in-7 twist than it did from a 1-in-12 barrel. That's a fact. You still should sign your posts. Just start an account here like you have on ARFCOM and you'll be more annonomous. You've already decided you're right and I'll just have to let you think that. Read the Hughes book.--Asams10 01:27, 6 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'm well aware of what Fackler did research on, and until just now I had no idea who you were trying to reference with this stuff about cylinderical wadcutters being optimal in penetrating armor.

regarding twist rates,

Ofcourse 62grn SS109 bullets in M855 are going to perform better fired from a 1:7 than they will a 1:12, it's because a 1:12 twist is generally not going to stabilize a bullet well enough for it to even stay stable in flight. Kinda hard to penetrate a target when it impacts the target broadside or shows signs of keyholing in paper.

Now try something like a 1:9 that will stabilize the bullet just fine and test it against a 1:7 and watch how marginal the differences are.

The reason for the 1:7 twist was never due to some perceived need for enhanced penetration. The twist rate was used due to the problems that came with trying to stabilize the long M856 tracer which has all the length of a match grade 80grn bullet. If it wasn't for the M856 tracer a twist rate of 1:9-1:10 would of sufficed for the 62grn SS109 bullet.

You claim to be a gunnut, come on over and start a discussion in a thread dedicated to the topic by people who have more than a passing interest in such things. I gaurantee it won't be the armchair commando types you evidently think infest the internet, the forum is moderated and they hold people accountable.

I'd love nothing more than to have a lathe and a Corbin bullet press so I could try different nose geometries with a steel core penetrator, there is likely some conical shape that is between a flattened wadcutter like you advocate and the old rounded ogive designs of WWII/Vietnam era M2 projectiles. If I had to guess, I'd look at the geometry of the M993/M995 and MK211 penetrators with their conical points.

I've been on ARFCOM for years. That you hang out there doesn't make you right. Neither does it make pointed bullets penetrate better than flat tips. Feel free to have the last word.--Asams10 07:09, 6 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pointed penetrators are more effective because they concentrate the force (which comes with mass and velocity) over smaller impact area than with flat tipped penetrators. Energy can be the same if mass and velocity are equal for both bullets but with pointed tip it's concentrated on small area Gogens (talk) 18:39, 25 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Just a few things I wanted to add. Bullets are most often made to deliver the maximum “pressure” on the point of impact (force/area). In order for a spherical/flat tipped bullet to penetrate, it needs to have a large amount of force to compensate for the greater impact area. Bullets that are conical/pointed do not require as high a force because they will have a much smaller surface area. Of course, if you can ramp up the force while keeping the impact area down, you have an even better combination. One last thing. In the bullet abbreviations I didn't find APFSDS as a valid abbreviation. I know it's slightly off topic, but since it is a class of armor-piercing bullet I figured it would be simpler to mention it here rather than create a whole new topic. 75.142.4.206 (talk) 06:20, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Advertisement?

In the middle of the article, there's a segment which mentions (and links to) a website called RCBS. It reads "RCBS, one of many makers, offers many different designs, starting with the basic round ball." While I'm sure it's very convenient to link to a place with information, I fail to see the reason to cite this specific maker, and what it offers. Please advise. Buzinkai 06:19, 12 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Bullets?

There are plenty of pictures of cartidges, even an Enfield Mk7 round, when the article calls it a mk1. I'll see if I can get some pictures of bullets. Then figure out how to post the fuckers. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 68.60.202.157 (talk) 15:41, 2 May 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Reusability

I want to know if a bullet can be reused. (Unknown user guy)

Sure...kind of. Bullets are made from lead. (I'm going to talk from logic here, not personal experience or actual knowledge, anybody with those things can feel free to trump me on this one)Lead happens to be rather plyable. So when plyable metal hits an object that has enough mass to stop it despite the fact that it is traveling (at LEAST...maybe)900 m/s, it kinda gets deformed a little.
Point being? If you want to search for the bullet, remold it, and reload it (into a cartridge), and then risk actually FIRING it, then yes, I suppose a bullet could be reused.
Why not just buy another one for that much trouble?
Also, please sign your posts and capitalize the start of sentances (don't worry, i'll fix the latter for you). KungfuJoe1110 09:23, 24 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Bullet shapes

Bullet shapes have evolved over time to those used today, but although this article deals with the subject, there aren't any images to emphasise on this. If you can, please add to this article with an illustration that shows the evolution of shapes - probably starting with lead balls and ending with present day's aerodynamically shaped objects.

The reason I'm asking this is because the article refers to a "spitzer" bullet, and although I have an idea about what it looks like, I was expecting a supporting illustration. I'm not a weapons expert though, so unfortunately I can't be of help here. -- MiG 10:10, 7 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

See Spitzer (bullet), to address your specific question. As to the general issue of having illustrations, I agree that would make the article better. As an alternative, if every entry had a link to a real (not "red") Wiki article, then a reader of this article can quickly access additional information about a given bullet (including pictures, if available for publication here) --Joe Sperrazza (talk) 19:20, 23 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Proposed merge -- not done

I think if we take all the little bullet-shape stubs like spitzer and wadcutter and put them here, it will make a more robust article. Arthurrh 23:46, 10 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

There have been libraries written on the subject of bullets, and volumes written on bullet designs such as the Spitzer. This article could become more robust if editors in-the-know took the time to add to it. The same goes for particular bullet designs. I disagree with the merge of Spitzer with Bullet...Wadcutter could be improved, but does not have the same historical or technological significance as the Spitzer.

The bullet article should have a greatly expanded history section, as well as description of current trends in bullet design, including light metal and polymer tips, bonded jackets, alloys, Teflon and molybdenum coatings, and perhaps a description of projectile ballistic coefficient and how it applies to bullets' effectiveness and accuracy, etc. And, of course, the photos are lacking and inaccurate (no pun intended). TeamZissou 16:56, 16 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I also disagree with the merge; if the goal is a "more robust article", then hell we could roll in FMJ, JHP, JSP, et al until this article is 1.21 gigascreens long -- but I do not think that is the right thing to do.

This Merge Notice has been up for five months now with little action; I'll check back in a couple of days and remove the notices unless someone objects. --WhyTanFox (talk) 15:51, 13 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

There has been little talk on the merge since 2007-09. I'm yanking it from here and from Spitzer (bullet) and Wadcutter. --WhyTanFox (talk) 18:37, 27 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The Brown Bullet from Trinidad

I've deleted from the figurative section the item:

Expressions such as "the brown bullet from Trinidad" for a very fast human runner athlete.

because Google returns no non-wikipedia hits for that phrase. If this is indeed a common way to refer to fast people (rather than being a transparent metaphor, or a nonce construction) I'm sure someone can find a real example. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.135.188.86 (talk) 05:26, 4 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Wooden bullets

I'm guessing they're for training, but I thought I'd post a forum link here incase anyone is interested. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbhistory/F2233811?thread=4940789 -OOPSIE- (talk) 02:11, 6 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Similarities?

this [page http://atlantisarms.com/History/Ammunition%20History.htm] seems rather similar to this article. Particularly regarding the talk about typesetter's lead – "Typesetter's lead (used to mold Linotype), works very well." which is the same.

Thoughts… who came first? Mobius (talk) 22:23, 20 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Overpressure designations (+P and +P+)

Overpressure designations refer to cartridges, as discussed in the Overpressure ammunition article, not to bullets. I'm going to be bold and remove these from the Bullet Abbreviations list:

+P—Plus P (10-15% overpressure)
+P+—Plus P Plus (20-25% overpressure)

--Joe Sperrazza (talk) 18:08, 23 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Winchester Magnums (WSM and WSSM)

Similarly as regards the +P and +P+ entries, WSM and WSSM refer to cartridges, as discussed in the Winchester Short Magnum (WSM) and Winchester Super Short Magnum (WSSM) articles, not to bullets. I'm going to be bold and remove these from the Bullet Abbreviations list:

WSM—Winchester Short Magnum
WSSM—Winchester Super Short Magnum

--Joe Sperrazza (talk) 19:15, 23 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Referencing and citations

I'm working on adding additional references and citations to this article, as it was noted in a deficiency. Completing this effort will ultimately require the creation of some additional Wiki articles, but I'll start with existing Wiki articles and external references. My goal is to enable this article to be promoted to the next level of quality. --Joe Sperrazza (talk) 03:18, 25 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Improvements

Have there really been no significant innovations in bullet technology since 1901, per the Modern Bullet section? I'm not disputing this; it's just somewhat startling. If in fact the bullets we use now are essentially the same as those over a hundred years ago, isn't this itself a fact worth noting? 70.112.74.230 (talk) 08:19, 19 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

There has been ongoing research in bullets. In 1991 depleted uranium bullets were used for the first time. Some might say that this is not an improvement because of the chemically toxic residue left when DU bullets hit and destroy their targets, but death and destruction is what bullets are all about in the military. It is a problem that some of the U.S. soldiers and some civilians suffered from the chemical toxicity of uranium too, but it is certainly a change in technology. Proximity fuses were introduced in WWII. New guided munitions are currently in development. All of these things are suitable for the article when reliable sources for the information is found.--Fartherred (talk) 23:36, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Lead

Bullets ain't made of lead these days I think? 84.250.110.93 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.250.110.93 (talk) 15:48, August 30, 2007 (UTC)

The vast majority still have a lead, or lead-alloy core. Most modern bullets have a copper (or other metal) jacket. Some bullets containing little to no lead are being produced to limit shooters' exposure to lead particles in places where exposure is concentrated, like indoor shooting ranges.TeamZissou 17:00, 16 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

"It might also be noted that lead is toxic, making it an even more dangerous weapon." - has anyone seen a documented case where lead poisoning was the cause of death instead of bleeding or other trauma? 76.167.187.159 (talk) 00:48, 3 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

about modifications in bullets

Is we adopt the converjent-divergent shape bullet for more firing range. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.241.128.38 (talk) 03:58, 23 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

References to pointed bullet and boat tail streamlining already exist in the article under the "The modern bullet section"--Fartherred (talk) 21:54, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Some Bullets Contain Explosives

I changed "A bullet does not contain explosives" to "Usually bullets do not contain explosives" because common English usage refers to explosive bullets as in this article: [2]--Fartherred (talk) 21:44, 28 May 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I added a source from a medical journal that has a pretty good explanation re exploding vs expanding. I also edited the phrase to make clear that exploding bullets are atypical. AliveFreeHappy (talk) 17:34, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

One Question That Puzzles Me...

Does bullet travel in a straight line? If not , how does it travel start from the muzzle until it reaches a certain target? That's all. Thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.82.92.126 (talk) 05:00, 5 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

No, a bullet doesn't travel in a straight line. Like any other ballistic object, it travels in an arc, the trajectory of which depends on the elevation of the muzzle. Wind can also cause the bullet to drift to one side or the other and needs to be corrected for, particularly at long ranges where wind drift can cause the bullet to be off target by several feet. Finally, minor imperfections in the bullet, damage to the crown of the barrel, and lack of rigidity in the barrel itself can cause the bullet to deviate from an ideal trajectory, resulting in inaccuracy. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.239.134.20 (talk) 22:21, 27 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Bullet points

Bullet point should be added to the Figurative uses section. Colt .55 (talk) 19:06, 9 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Move

The following discussion is an archived discussion of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

No consensus to move. Vegaswikian (talk) 02:49, 6 November 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Bullet → Ball (projectile) –

Also split off the info on cartridges to a different article, and remove images of cartridges
Implement info on balls of cannons, also mention alternative cannon projectiles (ie triple ball/"bolo" (used to destroy ship masts), chained balls, ...)

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.182.225.114 (talk) 09:14, 30 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose; I think going the other way is more sensible. Split off the information on balls and retain the information on the modern bullet-with-cartridge. Powers ^T 13:34, 30 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Figurative uses and wiktionary

I linked to wiktionary, and moved this section here in case any need moving to wiktionary.

Figurative uses

The word for the bullet, usually because of its speed, is sometimes used figuratively, e.g.:

The Bullet Ant.
The Japanese Bullet Trains.
The expression "bullet-headed" for a dolichocephalic shape of an animal's head.
The term silver bullet, an extremely effective solution to a problem, comes from the modern addition to werewolf folklore that the monster is highly vulnerable to firearms using silver ammunition.
The phrase "biting the bullet", meaning (usually mental) preparation for an unpleasant task or experience, refers to a patient biting on a lead bullet put between his back teeth to brace himself for a painful medical procedure (such as the removal of a bullet or amputation of a limb) before the advent ofanesthesia.
In motion pictures (including television, narrative film and motion pictures and gameplay within videogames), bullet time is a digitally enhanced shot in which, first, the film's speed is reduced to extreme slow motion or, sometimes, to a static frame, and then, second, the camera rotates around the scene at normal speed, providing the viewer with a glimpse of the action from many different angles. Bullet time allows the viewer to capture action s/he would not be able to see in detail at normal speeds. It also allows the viewer to see this action from many angles that would be otherwise hidden from view. The bullet time technique is often used in videogames as a convention that allows the player special abilities, such as the ability to slow down time and gain the advantage from this. The term, "bullet time," was first used in reference to the film, The Matrix, that used this technique to create a slow motion shot of a series of fired bullets in which the camera circled around the bullets and their intended target.
The expression "shooting blanks" is used idiomatically to refer to male sterility.
"Bullet points" are a form of marking available in various typefaces.

Widefox; talk 12:31, 7 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Shapes section

Anyone opposed to a section of the more standard bullet shapes? Conical, pointed, wadcutter, semi-wadcutter, RNFP, rounded/ball, hollow point, and?? I think the biggest challenge is finding a similar series of images or illustrations. --Scalhotrod - Just your average banjo playing, drag racing, cowboy... (talk) 02:42, 19 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Multiple impact bullet

Can someone write a section or an article on this new type of bullet?--Sanya3 (talk) 18:28, 9 May 2015 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 5 external links on Bullet. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add {{cbignore}} after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add {{nobots|deny=InternetArchiveBot}} to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 5 June 2024).

If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers. —^{cyberbot II}_{Talk to my owner:Online} 21:09, 28 August 2015 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to one external link on Bullet. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add {{cbignore}} after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add {{nobots|deny=InternetArchiveBot}} to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:

Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20090808071438/http://www.gsgroup.co.za:80/articlepvdw.html to http://www.gsgroup.co.za/articlepvdw.html/

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 5 June 2024).

If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—^{cyberbot II}_{Talk to my owner:Online} 19:39, 27 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Abbreviations

A couple of paragraphs use abbreviations:

"A ballistic tip bullet is a hollow-point rifle bullet that has a plastic tip on the end of the bullet itself. This improves external ballistics by streamlining the bullet, allowing it to cut through the air more easily, and improves terminal ballistics by allowing the bullet to act as a JHP on impact."

"As a side effect, it also feeds better in weapons that have trouble feeding rounds that are not FMJ rounds."

These need to be removed to improve readablity.2A02:C7D:A8BF:4100:9422:E9B0:2EF5:5B95 (talk) 10:24, 3 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on Bullet. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20131006233757/https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/ccm-columns/ballistic-basics/bullets-dont-go-bang-cartridges-do/ to https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/ccm-columns/ballistic-basics/bullets-dont-go-bang-cartridges-do/

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at {{Sourcecheck}}).

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 5 June 2024).

If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 16:43, 10 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

1st Century BC References to Bullets in 'The Nature of Things' by Lucretius

The paperback Penguin Classics translation of the classic Roman poem De Rerum Natura (The Nature of Things), written in the 1st Century BC by Titus Lucretius Carus, includes two fascinating references to what is translated as "bullets." On page 202: ". . . take how leaden bullets when they're shot over a long distance actually grow molten from turning." And on page 206: ". . . the way lead bullets grow hot in their course . . . ." There is no mention of how the bullets are propelled, but nearby, on page 207, there is a reference to ". . . missiles hurled from massive catapults."

Just thought this might be an interesting bit of history for the Wikipedia entry on "Bullet." Btw, I'm a very inexperienced editor, so am loath to do more than point this out to more experienced hands, for what it's worth.

JCNSmith (talk) 01:47, 29 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Simply English version of Bullet is even more badly written than this page is

Why are their two pages for bullet? Digitallymade (talk) 22:37, 27 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Possible typo?

"A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or aer gun." Now, im pretty sure this is meant to be "air gun" or "airgun" i just wanted to make sure.

Actually NO a bullet is not a projectile fired from a sling, co2 or air gun. Those are pellets.Digitallymade (talk) 09:57, 28 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Errors in the introduction section and elsewhere, logic and assumptions unsupportable

First line: A bullet is NOT fired from a sling, slingshot, air or co2 gun. Those are all pellets.

This page is to describe bullets, not cartridges. There is no necessity to talk about sonic/subsonic loads.

The word Bullet is a TERM. YOU CANNOT ascribe a term that did not exist in a language to an interpretation that has been retrofitted to an ancient item. You cannot call ancient greek projectiles bullets. There is no doubt that the Greeks did not call them that. The term bullet originated with Middle French and is literally Boullet (small ball). Anglicized we have the term bullet.

The use of items we would NOW call bullets started soon after the development of gunpowder in the 13th century. Early Chinese use of gunpowder was accomplished in a wide manner of devices, early ones used stones as projectiles. We don't call such projectiles bullets now and I am sure they did not then either. However that is the basis for the development of the bullet.

The first "bullets" were made of stone. The earliest firearms were what we now call cannon. Cannon had at first been made of wood, and evolved into bronze in the middle ages as a result of the casting of Church Bells. It was not until quite a lot later that metallic bullets were developed. That development occurred largely because stone projectiles were not effective on stone walls. The first hand held infantry gunpowder powered weapons were referred to as Hand Cannon. They used stone balls at first. Eventually it was found that easy to work metals, such as lead and tin made better projectiles.

The round lead ball projectile was referred to as a boullet (diminutive of boulle, meaning small ball). It was originally used in muzzle loading firearms from the 15th century, then later in cap and ball firearms. Next it was packaged into Paper Cartridges and later in Metallic Cartridges. The term Bullet, today is used only for gunpowder firearms. Air, elastic, CO2 powered "guns" use projectiles referred to as Pellets.

Bullets today are made out of the following materials:

Wood
Rubber
Plastic
Steel
Lead
Wax
Sintered Copper or Iron
Tear Gas - technically not a bullet

Clad metals (Handgun Bullets) The copper is an alloy and the tine and lead are sometimes alloyed as well. Plastic and Wax are non-lethal (in intent). The Tround surrounds it's lead ball with a Plastic casing. German Hard Ball is Mild Steel over Hard Steel.

Common Bullet types below:

Lubricant	Outer Material	Core Material	Gas Check
	Stone
	Tin
	Lead
Wax	Lead
	Plastic
	Steel	Steel
	Copper
	Copper	Lead
	Copper	Lead	Gas Check
	Lead		Gas Check

Rifle Bullets add more types in addition to the ones listed for handguns. They include tracer, Sabot, and Fletchettes. Fletchettes are NOT bullets as such.

Outer Shell	Core	Penetrator	Tracer
Copper
Copper	Lead	Steel
Copper	Lead	Tungsten
Copper	Lead	Tungsten
Copper	Lead	none	Tracer
Rubber	Steel
Wood
Plastic	Copper/lead

Handgun cartridges may also be loaded with shotgun pellets. Some specialty bullets contain pellets such as Cor-Bon and Magsafe Safety ammunition Air Marshall special .22 Long Rifle Ammunition contained explosive. This was used by John Hinkly to shoot President Reagan. Digitallymade (talk) 11:10, 28 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Inappropriate section on pellets used prior to the term bullet and firearms were developed

"The history of bullets far predates the history of firearms. For instance, ammunition for crossbows could have been spherical in addition to shooting crossbow bolts. In discussing astronomical topics such as solar and lunar eclipses, the Western-Han era Chinese mathematician and music theorist Jing Fang (78-37 BC) wrote that the moon, shaped like a ball, produced no light and was illuminated only by the sun, which he compared to the shape of a round crossbow bullet.[12] Originally, bullets were made out of stone or purpose-made clay balls used as sling ammunition, as weapons and for hunting. Eventually as firearms were developed, these same items were placed in front of a propellant charge of gunpowder at the end of a closed tube. As firearms became more technologically advanced, from 1500 to 1800, bullets changed very little. They remained simple round (spherical) lead balls, called rounds, differing only in their diameter."

This section does not belong here. The terminology for these projectiles would be PELLETS It is also inaccurate. Bullets changed to a very great extent.

Digitallymade (talk) 07:34, 29 January 2017 (UTC).[reply]

Error on handgun cartridge velocities Comment

The statement "Low-power handguns have muzzle velocities generally less than the speed of sound (subsonic), while bullets fired from high-power handguns (such as a .44 Magnum) and from rifles have an initial speed faster than the speed of sound, meaning they are supersonic and thus can travel a substantial distance and even hit a target before a nearby observer hears the "bang" of the shot. " is FALSE.

The .38 S&W Special, the Colt .45 ACP; Both are high powered handgun cartridges and subsonic. 9 x 19mm is supersonic and is also high powered. 9mm is available in sub sonic loads as are .22 Long Rifle, which is low powered and often supersonic. "

Cartridge	Max Velocity	Supersonic	High Powered
.22 Long Rifle	1550	Yes	No
9 x 19mm Parabellum	1350	Yes	Yes
.45 ACP	1050	No	Yes
.44 Magnum	1350	Yes	Yes

"...is available in sub sonic loads as are .22 Long Rifle, which is low powered and often supersonic. "

Incorrect. The .22 long rifle load has average mv of 1200 FPs or more and is supersonic.

Only a special subsonic .22 short load is factory loaded to not make the familiar "crack" on passing. These are used in single shot suppressed guns for truly "silent" shots.

(Possibly factory subsonic 9mm or .380's are available, too; but this passage incorrectly mislabels .22 rim fires. Any center fire can be of course handloaded to subsonic muzzle velocity.)65.129.170.201 (talk) 17:06, 2 February 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Year "Bullet" used?

We get the etymology of the word, but, what year was it first used? I see "bullet" used in shows about 1805, when I'm positive the word: "ball" would be used. I know that ball and bullet were often used interchangeably after the Civil War, from old books. Either kills, NBD.65.129.170.201 (talk) 17:11, 2 February 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Page Incoherence - more logical errors, off topic discussions Comment

This page purports to be about bullets. In the introductory paragraph it diverges into ballistics, terminal ballistics, and cartridges, and rifle design in an incoherent fashion while ignoring entire sections of history.

This page jumps past early bullets of stone, and neglects properly describe muzzle loading, cap & ball, and paper cartridge developments although it's happy to jump to metallic cartridge as if there were no preceding developments.

The proper use of round balls in muzzle loading rifles is not discussed at all so the jump to the Mini ball, which was easier to load makes no sense and there is no explanation for why. There is no mention of how the paper cartridge was used with rifles or how cap and ball used separate components. Cap and Ball guns were the most important development of the 19th century as they lead to the development of metallic cartridges.

The section on Bullet Design is not sufficiently coherent especially when it glosses over the idea of a bullet exploding because of rifling spin rate. This needs to be properly explained. The first paragraph is not sufficiently clear as to the process of a bullet being fired through a rifled barrel. Some of the design aspects of Chambers are completely neglected which reduces the clarity of the concept of a bullet engaging rifling without deforming the bullet (which does not happen).

Propulsion: Bullets can be propelled by Air, CO2, Magnetic Force, and other methods. A soldier was killed in the Revolutionary war by an Air powered rifle.

There is no such thing as a multiple impact bullet. There are multiple projectile cartridges which should NOT be part of a discussion on bullets. These include cartridges which fire Fletchettes (not bullets)and Pellets (not bullets).

There is NO reason to have a section on Treaties and prohibitions in a discussion of bullets.

There is also NO reason to go into an extensive list of all the various types of bullets that exist. It is sufficient to list the common types that people can buy off the shelf in their local sporting goods stores as loaded in cartridges or provided separately for use in Cap and Ball guns.

Blanks are not bullets, they are cartridges. Incendiary bullets are NOT found in sporting arms. They are in military cartridges which are usually cannon projectiles. Tracers are not considered incendiary and even fired through a gasoline tank, will typically not start a fire.Digitallymade (talk) 11:55, 28 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Incendiaries are, or, have been, made for small arms. Tracers are almost as effective for starting fires--at least, in dry brush, that's why they are illegal for hunting. Why Not gasoline? Have you Seen this or just repeating a rumor? I've seen FMJ's set fire to an old car--hit the wiring, shorted out battery, then upholstery caught fire.65.129.170.201 (talk) 17:18, 2 February 2017 (UTC)[reply]

"rifled musket"

This term is incorrect, a colloquialism, like using: "bullet" for: "cartridge", or, round. Or, like calling any old gun or muzzle-loader a: "musket".

This should be noted. Muskets aren't rifled. To use an expanding Minie ball to engage existing rifling makes the gun a rifle with a specific kind of ammunition.

I know this was common parlance, then, but is still incorrect. The armed forces drill the term cartridge, or, round, into troops to keep nomenclature correct, so they don't ask for the wrong thing in battle.65.129.170.201 (talk) 17:35, 2 February 2017 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 2 external links on Bullet. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20120326090103/http://www.rcbs.com/default.asp?menu=1&s1=4&s2=9&s3=83 to http://www.rcbs.com/default.asp?menu=1&s1=4&s2=9&s3=83
Corrected formatting/usage for http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=6010

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 5 June 2024).

If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 11:52, 27 July 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Loosely or tighly?

The main article currently has this phrase: "wrapped in a loosely tightly fitted cotton patch".

How can a cotton patch be both loose and tight? 2601:98A:4102:5980:801F:FC04:46E5:973A (talk) 15:22, 19 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]

It should be something like either "wrapped loosely in a tightly-woven cotton patch" or else "loosely wrapped and then tightly rammed". These shouldn't be over-emphasised though, as it's about ball, not bullets. Andy Dingley (talk) 17:01, 19 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion:

MHS bullet mold.jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 02:06, 21 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]