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Why gunpowder is used in bullets

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For defensive purposes, my. I like other brands too, but this has been my choice for years and I trust it as reliable ammunition. Shameless plug aside, I practice and train often with this load, and consequently, I know exactly how it shoots in my gun.

If you spend months becoming a proficient shooter with inexpensive target ammunition, you may find your gun performs differently with self-defense ammunition in play. Here is a quick ammunition acronym guide. Most of this information applies to pistol and rifle ammunition , shotgun shells are going to have to wait for another post! Stands for full metal jacket, which means the manufacturer encased the projectile in a hard metal exterior.

The jacket allows for higher muzzle velocities than bare lead without depositing significant amounts of metal in the inside of the barrel. FMJ bullets do have some disadvantages. Soft tip or hollow point bullets expand upon impact, where FMJ ammunition does not. However, since FMJ bullets tend to penetrate hard targets more efficiently, the FMJ bullet is better suited for military applications, where shooting through armor and barriers is more likely.

This refers to how many feet per second the bullet travels at its fastest velocity, usually at or near the muzzle. Lighter bullets usually have higher velocities. Stands for jacketed hollow point. Manufacturers designed hollow points to expand in size once within the target. This maximizes tissue damage, blood loss and shock. This also allows the bullet to remain inside the target, thereby transferring all of its kinetic energy to that target.

Jacketed hollow points or plated hollow points contain a coating of harder metal to increase bullet strength and to prevent fouling the barrel with lead stripped from the bullet. Refers to overpressure ammunition.

This means that the manufacturer loaded the cartridge with a higher pressure than the standard for the caliber. This typically produces rounds with higher muzzle velocities. Some firearms have injured shooters when the chambers failed to handle the blast. I hope that we cleared up some of the ammo buying jargon you may run into. Buying ammunition can be a little daunting at first.

Do your research before you arrive at the checkout counter, but remember that a well-placed round, no matter what kind, is the right round for the job. Did you know this information about bullet grains? Do you have any other info? Let us know in the comments section below! At 45 yards will a gram Bullitt hit lower on the target than a 50 gram all things being equal?

I used to own a German 8 mm Mauser and I loaded my own shells. And we counted the grains of powder. The original shells from the military for to grain. I loaded my shelves up to grains of powder. We never referred to the weight of the bullet. This was in 6 7 8 9. I hate to admit it, I always thought grain was gun powder. I guess I should of known it referred to weight because the grain measurement also is commonly used extremely small amounts of gold, silver, etc.

I love to read things and learn. Modern firearms use a form of ammunition that consists of a cartridge. The cartridge consists of a bullet projectile , casing, primer, and propellant.

Modern ammunition uses a smokeless gun powder as the propellant. Traditional gun powder is a mixture of charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate. However, smokeless powder uses nitrocellulose as the main ingredient. Modern guns use a firing pin to strike the primer, causing a chain reaction within the cartridge.

The chemical reaction that takes place ignites the propellant that produces gasses sending the bullet down the barrel. Modern bullets use a type of smokeless gun powder for a couple of reasons.

Black powder produces a large plume of smoke when the gun is fired. Additionally, black powder leads to excessive fouling of the firearm with every shot, which can result in failures to fire over time. Finally, black powder produces less energy during combustion than smokeless powder which reduces the effective range of certain weapons. However, modern muzzle loaders use a synthetic type of black powder such as Pyrodex instead of smokeless powder. Muzzle loaders require the shooter to pour powder down the barrel.

Traditionally, gun powder was held in a powder horn, which also served as a funnel when pouring the grains. Afterwards, the bullet along with a wad of greased cloth was inserted into the barrel. The bullet, wad, and gun powder were all compacted using a rod.

At this point, the firearm was loaded, and an ignition system e. This process was cumbersome and required significant reload time. Black powder was abandoned for several reasons with the advent of modern smokeless powder. First, black powder produces an excessive amount of smoke during combustion. In modern applications, this would make target acquisition and aiming much more difficult.

Basic Ingredients Gunpowder consists of three simple ingredients: charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate. Charcoal Charcoal is the most accessible ingredient to find since you can make it from any soft wood. Hard wood contains too much ash to burn properly in the mixture.

Sugar, powdered aluminum, or zinc can substitute for the charcoal. Sulfur Sulfur in nature is most often found around volcanic deposits. Potassium Nitrate Potassium Nitrate, also known as saltpeter, naturally occurs in bat droppings or bat guano. Saltpeter, when mixed with the other ingredients, supplies oxygen to help ignite the powder. Chemical Reaction Charcoal is the fuel, potassium nitrate the oxidizer, and sulfur helps stabilize the ingredients.

Smokeless Powder The term black powder came into use in the United States in the 18th and 19th century. Modern Smokeless Gunpowder Today, manufacturers make two types of smokeless gunpowder: single and double base.

Additional Ingredients Chemists have learned to add certain other ingredients to smokeless powder to create desired effects.

Handloading Basics September 12, Search for:. Is a 9mm Handgun Big Enough? Five Good Reasons to Own a. Categories Blog. Send to Email Address. Your Name.


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