Types of projectiles used for military and hunting purposes

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I hope all of you are fine, in this blog we talk about the types of projectiles used for military and hunting purposes not cartridges.  

Guys are you thinking about why I am going into this theory topics, there is a purpose to going into theory topics, that is before going deep study about firearms we know this topic, without knowing this topic we cannot understand properly.

Guys according to my knowledge there are 10 types of projectiles are used in military, law enforcement, civilian tactical and sprots shooting.

Before going into this we know that what is projectile,

Projectile is nothing but the cone shaped part of the ammo or cartridges, mostly this part moves forward after firing in a subsonic speed or speed more than sound.

Let us we see about one by one,

a) Full metal jacket projectile 

Here the above projectile is called as full metal jacket projectile, why it is called full metal jacket means the bullet has two layers they are outer layer and inner layer. The inner layer of the projectile is filled with lead core and the outer layer of the bullet is covered with full metal jacket by using the copper or bronze. The full metal jacket bullets are mostly used in target shooting and military applications.

The main need of the metal jacket is to prevent the projectile from expanding and it gives deeper penetration than soft point and hollow point projectiles. 

The main characteristics of the full metal jacket projectile is it can maintain its original shape after hitting the target and pass through the target also it can maintain its path and trajectory after hitting the target and gives good ballistic performance. Main advantage of this projectile is it gives deeper penetration. 

b) soft point projectile

 

Here you are seeing the soft point projectile, don’t confuse this with armor piercing or incendiary. In soft point projectile the tip of the projectile is exposed with lead core and the rest of the parts are covered by full metal jacket by using copper.

The main characteristics of the soft point projectile is it will expand at the time of hitting the target but not rapidly as hollow point bullets or its expansion is slower than hollow point projectiles. The projectiles have less penetration compared to full metal jacket, and it gives a greater damage than the full metal jacket bullets because of the expansion. Also, it gives better balance between expansion and penetration and making them to reach and damage the vital organs of the target.

Soft point bullet expands upon the impact due to the design of their tip. When a soft point bullet strikes a target, the soft lead core at the front of the bullet is forced into the jacket, causing the jacket to deform and expand outward. The expansion creates a larger diameter, mushroom-shaped bullet.

The expansion depends upon the velocity of the bullet, the density and composition of the target material, and the design of the target material, also the design of the bullet. Higher velocities and softer target materials leads to more rapid and higher diameter expansion.

c) Hollow point projectile

 The above figure represents the image of the hollow point bullet, the hollow point bullets have a tip that is hollowed out, creating a cavity at the front. The design causes the bullet to expand significantly upon the impact, forming larger wound channel. The rapid expansion also transfers more energy to the target, increasing stopping power. Hollow point bullets are commonly used for self-defense and law enforcement because their expansion reduces the risk of over penetration, making them safer in populated areas.

When a hollow point bullet strikes a target, the hollowed-out cavity at the tip of the bullet plays a crucial role in its expansion. Upon striking on the target the hollow tip of the projectile experiences a high amount of pressure and the hollow tip expands outwards by the experienced pressure.

The expanded bullet creates a larger wound channel in the target, increasing the hitting of vital organs and causing more tissue damage.

d) Ballistic tip 

The ballistic tip projectile is featured by a polymer or plastic tip attached to the nose of the bullet. The tip serves multi purposes and affects how the ammunition performs.

The ballistic tip improves the bullets aerodynamic profile by streamlining the bullets shape. This reduces drag as the bullet travels through the atmospheric air, it leads better accuracy and retained velocity at longer ranges.

Also, the tip initiates expansion upon impact by compressing into the bullets core. This controlled expansion creates a larger diameter wound cavity in the target, and it increases the effectiveness of the projectile.

By using the polymer ballistic tip helps the projectile to ensure the consistent performance in the different types of atmospheres such as variation in velocity and different types of targets. Some types of the ballistic bullets are featured with controllable rate of expansion and gives a better balance between the expansion and penetration.

e) Boat tail projectile

 The above figure shows an armor piercing incendiary boat tail projectile, boat tail projectile means, the projectile has a tapered base that look like a stern of a boat. This design enhances the projectiles aerodynamic properties.

The rear end of the bullet tapers down, reducing drag and improving flight stability, also the streamlined shape decreases air resistance, allowing the bullet to maintain higher velocity over longer distances.

The boat tail design helps stabilize the bullet in flight, leading to more consistent and accurate shooting, especially at longer ranges and this design reduce the air drag also the bullet can travel further forward motion with less loss of velocity and energy, making it effective for long range shooting.

The boat tail design enhances the ballistic coefficient by reducing the air drag and a higher ballistic coefficient bullet gives a better ballistic performance as well as better trajectory and wind resistance.

A higher ballistic coefficient means the projectile have more efficient stability in flight and less drop in wind.