Is there a place or article that talks about the different types of bullets? When looking through the classified ammo, I see many types - FMJ, Hollow Point, Red Tip, etc….. I’ve been told that FMJ is good for range.
Bullets
- Thread starter IAMMOOK
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You are correct.
MacEntyre
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If all you ever buy is FMJ (also called "ball" ammo) you will be good to go for the range and for self defense.
If you choot rifles or hunt, then there is a lot more to learn.
If you choot rifles or hunt, then there is a lot more to learn.
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711b
Well-Known Member
This is for a handgun? And "for the range"? Then it pretty much doesn't matter. Except you may want to avoid unjacketed ammunition unless you're willing to work on cleaning out the lead fouling -- although that's not much of a chore if you have the right stuff to do it with. I used to shoot a lot of 9mm, .38, and .357 that I reloaded with lead round nose (or WC or SWC) because in bulk the bullets are a lot cheaper than jacketed ones. If you want to shoot unjacketed lead bullets, invest in a Lewis Lead Remover. They're easy to use.
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contender
Well-Known Member
Bullet nomenclature is often published by the actual manufacturers. It's a BIG list,, and can be confusing. Common abbreviations such as "FMJ, Ball, HP, JHP, SWC, are but a FEW of the many even in the common ones.
So, to have a list of all of them isn't feasible. Especially when one maker uses the same letter to mean something different than a different maker.
Reloading manuals have some info, as do the bullet makers catalogs.
When in doubt,, ASK politely. You will get a polite answer.
Lead bullets are not as bad as mentioned above. BUT,, they do have differences in their qualities, as well as their descriptions. PB, BB, SWC, WC, GC, WFN, PC, just to show a few. In getting a cast bullet to work, you MUST know your bore diameter, your throat size, the hardness, and the velocity. All these things must be correct to make a bullet shoot without leading. Leading occurs when a softer or harder lead is used when the velocity is incorrect for the alloy. AND,, it can occur if the bullet isn't the proper size for your firearm's bore & throat diameter.
And then there are the differences in using a handgun or a rifle, no matter if shooting cast, powder coated, plated, or jacketed.
Reloading manuals are your friends.
So, to have a list of all of them isn't feasible. Especially when one maker uses the same letter to mean something different than a different maker.
Reloading manuals have some info, as do the bullet makers catalogs.
When in doubt,, ASK politely. You will get a polite answer.
Lead bullets are not as bad as mentioned above. BUT,, they do have differences in their qualities, as well as their descriptions. PB, BB, SWC, WC, GC, WFN, PC, just to show a few. In getting a cast bullet to work, you MUST know your bore diameter, your throat size, the hardness, and the velocity. All these things must be correct to make a bullet shoot without leading. Leading occurs when a softer or harder lead is used when the velocity is incorrect for the alloy. AND,, it can occur if the bullet isn't the proper size for your firearm's bore & throat diameter.
And then there are the differences in using a handgun or a rifle, no matter if shooting cast, powder coated, plated, or jacketed.
Reloading manuals are your friends.
711b
Well-Known Member
I didn't mean to suggest that lead bullets are bad, but rather that they do have the sorts of issues you mention. In fact, I never used cast bullets -- only swaged ones from the major manufacturers, usually buying 500 or more at a time. In those cases, the main issue is how hot you load them, but unless you confine yourself to very mild loads, you're going to get some fouling -- and probably some from even the very mild loads. Same with copper, but at higher pressures/temperatures. For that I used a simple electrolysis system -- in rifles, I mean. Not sure I ever saw any copper fouling in my handguns, but I typically wasn't firing full-house loads in the .357s.
It used to be that you could get really inexpensive and pretty good quality reloads for 9mm and .38 at gun shows from local guys who did it with production loaders. I don't know how that is any longer since I haven't been to a decent gun show in probably 20 years (if there are any decent gun shows any longer).
My impression is that, given the way the OP is asking his question, none of this will matter to him -- at least at the moment. 😂
But your pointer to reloading manuals is a good one. There's a wealth of information and education in them.
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contender
Well-Known Member
711b,, understood.
I cast, lubed, sized & shot lead for many years. I kinda figured you were loading commercial lead bullets. Usually they are either too hard or too soft for many applications. And swaged ones,, cause the most problems in general for shooters who do not understand them.
I hated leading myself. that's why I learned what I was doing wrong decades ago.
But as you say, this may not be of concern for the OP. Just sharing knowledge here. All good!
I cast, lubed, sized & shot lead for many years. I kinda figured you were loading commercial lead bullets. Usually they are either too hard or too soft for many applications. And swaged ones,, cause the most problems in general for shooters who do not understand them.
I hated leading myself. that's why I learned what I was doing wrong decades ago.
But as you say, this may not be of concern for the OP. Just sharing knowledge here. All good!