Intro to Ammunition
Accelerator Rifle Bullets
30-30 Win, 308 Win, 30-06 Springfield Remington one: sub-caliber bullet with sabot
Belted Cases
300 Winchester magnum Extra metal piece by the extractor to provide a place to headspace Avoids bullet going too far back in chamber Rim would cause feeding issue, so we don't have that Usually in bolt-action hunting guns Never find this on rimmed because the belt does what the rim does
Military Primers
5.56 military grade Brass center Red sealant Straight, rimmed
Where Guns Headspace
9mm Luger headspaces behind nose 38 Special at rim (has cannelure)
Cannelure
A circumferential groove generally of a knurled or plain appearance on a bullet or cartridge case Near base of a rimmed cartridge Uncommon in pistol bullets Common in revolver ammo
What team? Wildcat Ammo!
A concept of a cartridge Somebody has an idea and they want to get it sold to a company for mass production
Meplat
A term describing the blunt of a bullet, specifically the tip's diameter Basically, the nose
Bullet Puller
A tool used to remove the bullet from cartridges
Chamfer
Beveling the end of the case
Factory Ammo
Big company produces it in bulk Like Winchester, Remington, etc. General ammo you can buy
50 Browning v 500 Smith and Wesson
Both .50 Caliber But difference in energies 12,500 ft/lb vs. 2,500 ft/lbs
Bodies of Cases
Bottleneck Straight wall Tapered wall - usually can't tell difference from straight
Full Metal Jacket
Bullet with exposed base The one that's not actually totally jacketted Lead nose Thicker jacket than TMJ
Roll Crimp
Bullets held in place by this Right near the nose of the bullet Older, had a piece of cardboard in the middle to hold stuff inside Not useful when ammo gets damp because cardboard gets yucky Ex. 38 Special Revolvers
Ways of Naming a Cartridge
Caliber: .44 cal Powder charge Date of adoption: 30-.06 Velocity: 3000 Savage Manufacturer's name: Springfield Designer's Name: 35 Whelan Dimensions in mm: most descriptive
Cartridge Metals
Can be cartridge brass, Nickel plated brass, steel, aluminum (rarer because it's soft)
Bullet Cores and Jackets
Can be: Antimony/Lead Lead/Tin Gilding metal Aluminum Nickel plated brass Bronze Steel Nylon Teflon Black Oxide Cupronickel
Obturation
Case expands to fill volume of chamber to seal up gasses Good so more gas stays in to push out the bullets Avoids gases going back out to shooter's face
Straight Crimp
Common in rimless pistol cases
Deep Draw and Anneal
Cup is drawn numerous times: applying force to inside of cup with closed sides so material has to move predictably upwards Stretches the shape as metal thins You want thin walls because the metal has to be hit by firing pin Eventually stop at the shape of a rifle cartridge
Military Ammo
Doesn't have as much info on headstamp Usually more subtle signs NATO cross-in-a-circle symbol 06 is also a symbol, year made FA for Franklin Arsenal is another
Hand-loaded Ammo
Download a factory cartridge, remove some powder, put it back together, and fire it
Ghosting
Faint impression on bullet of the lands and grooves through the jacket IS NOT AN INDENT!
Mouth and Neck Anneal
Flame or Induction Softening Colors of neck show heating was involved in making it
H&K MP-5
Fluted chamber is notable here Lines will be seen on case that SEEM like rifling, but are not The purpose is to squeeze case back to original shape after obturation Facilitates extraction and gases as they leave Spent cases come out relatively aggressively
Trilobal Crimp
Google isn't helping "C" on primer is a manufacturer mark, NATO mark, 3 indents
Recoil Plate
Hardest part of the gun Made of hardened steel Contacts primer Marks on plate will show on bullet case
Jacketed Hollow Point
Hollow point bullet fully encased in some metal Won't open up fully if it hits a solid or hard object, but it will in something like human flesh Little piece of brass can be found in the middle of the lead to stop the jacket from pealing back too far and breaking off
What does the firing pin do?
Impacts the primer To kick the bullet out of the chamber during firing This marks a bullet being FIRED Ammo that has been cycled numerous times has no firing pin mark
Handgun Bullets
Lead round nose Semi-jacket soft point Full metal jacket Hollow point Jacketed hollow point Wad cutter Semi wad cutter for target shooting Total metal jacket Frangible: hard to trace to gun Specialty: shot, plastic
Proprietary Ammo
Limited to a few guns Like Weatherby: expanded the width of their cartridge to make it fit more powder Basically unique types of ammo designed for specific purposes
Cup and Anneal
Making a brass case Cutting a large roll of brass into strips and cupping it Annealing is softening the metal
Cut Groove
Making the groove on a case for the extractor This is a turning process
Boat Tail Rifle Bullet
Narrow end with a wider middle Wind tunnel effect
Commercial Primers
Nickel center
Boxer Primer
One flash hole
Heel of Bullet
Part between propellant and lead that fits into the case
Head and Pocket
Part of making the case Bunter used to impress headstamp information on case base Imperfections in bunter may impart on the case
Spitzer Rifle Bullet
Pointy front of bullet Never in a tube magazine
Petals on Ammo
Premade indents on tip to facilitate mushrooming out of a hollow point Pieces of petal can break off in a victim 9mmL ammo for example
Rim Fire Cartridge
Primer in hollow rim Propellant, Lead bullet 22 Magnum
Center Fire Cartridge
Primer, flash hole, propellant, copper jacket, lead core Springfield 30-06
Ogive
Pronounced o-jive Curve of the bullet that aids in feeding
Neck Down Case
Push out bullet faster with a flatter trajectory
Rimmed Cases
Revolvers 45-70 Government case Rare in semi-auto feeding because rim could get stuck Winchester 1892, .38-40 caliber, bottleneck Headspaces on rim Rim also stops it from slipping too far in chamber
Headspace
Rimmed: measured from the rim Semi-rimmed: ditto Rimless: measured from mouth Belted: measured from belt Bottleneck: measured from shoulder
White Vs. Yellow Primer
Say this not "Nickel plated" because if you test it and it's not Nickel, opens up to issues in court Just save your ass by saying yellow or white
45-70 Government, 30-06, 7.62 x 39mm
Sealant around primers Required under military contract Makes more durable cartridge
H&K 91 Bolt Face
Semi auto Magazine lip marks on bullet Only traces cartridge to mag, not gun Fixed ejector
Semi-rimmed Cases
Semi-auto pistols Slight extension on rim 25 ACP
Rifle Bullets
Semi-jacketed soft point Full metal jacket Jacketed hollow point Total metal jacket Spitzer Boat tail Ballistic tip Frangible Accelerator
45 ACP Petals
Six segments to promote predictable expansion when fired
Flash Hole
Size and symmetry of this is critical to cartridge performance To let sparks and flame from primer ignite the propellant
Rebated Cases
Smaller cartridges with more power Action can handle larger bullets, but remake the barrel for smaller ammo Not common 284 Winchester Very skinny cartridge base with wide body
Lead
Space after chamber before rifling begins
Lead, Barium, Antimony Particle
Spherical three-component particle only found in the primer of firearms
SAAMI
Sporting Arms Ammo Manufacturing Institute Governs ammunition, tests it, makes sure it's good to be marketted
Straight wall cases
Straight crimp: sharp definition between mouth and case 9mm headspaces at length of cartridge case
Taper
Taper it numerous times depending on the shape of the final cartridge you want First, second, third taper This is how the shape of the case kind of bends inward as you move toward the tip
Total Metal Jacket
The base is not exposed It's totally jacketted Yes, it's confusing Core completely enclosed with jacket material Can have a two-piece jacket Jacket deforms more than in FMJ
Ballistic Tip
The hollow point is filled with something, usually rubber, to make it pointy The rubber cap falls away on firing Does not affect anything, just fills the hole
Sabot
To accomodate full width of the barrel Bullets with this have no rifling because sabot would engage the rifling and it falls away on firing Can give an estimated muzzle-to-target distance
Trim and Chamfer
Trim the case to the right length Chamfer the mouth Involves shaving a few metal bits off
Berdan Primer
Two flash holes Anvil is part of the case Pistol and rifle primers Not in shotguns
Sealed Primer
Usually colored, like red Found on base around the primer When fired, this can break off and stick to breech face Also can break off and stick to other ammo
Black Talon
Was taken off the market because a doctor claimed it "was like a buzz saw" But it's nowhere near that fast Remarketted as Ranger SST without the oxide finish, but it's literally the same otherwise That'll fool those idiot consumers!
Cartridge Brass
What cartridges of brass are made of; C260 70/30 Copper to Zinc