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