Maybe you just bought your first handgun or rifle. Millions of Americans have; the past three years have seen record growth among first-time gun owners.
If you are new to the shooting sports, you’ve probably learned by now that not all bullets are the same.
Excuse that tongue-in-cheek talk, but we don’t mean “there’s a difference between 9mm Luger and 10mm Auto.”
We mean, “not even all 9mm bullets are the same.”
So, with that said, let’s take a look at some of the common bullet types and how/when they are commonly used.
Table of Contents
Full Metal Jacket (FMJ)
Full metal jacket bullets, like full metal jacket 9mm, are totally encased in a metal jacket, typically a copper alloy.
This copper jacket offers a few benefits. One is that it minimizes lead fouling in the bore of the firearm.
The main benefit, however, is that the jacket helps prevent bullet deformation or expansion on impact, allowing maximum penetration.
However, for the most part, jacketed bullets are useful for high-volume competition shooting because of their low cost.
Be aware that there are also plated bullets, sometimes referred to as “TMJ” or “total metal jacket.” These are cheaper than, but do not offer the same performance as, FMJ bullets.
Hollow Point Bullets (HP)
Hollow point bullets, sometimes marked as HP bullets, have a hole or a depression in the nose of the bullet.
This depression causes maximum bullet expansion on impact, allowing the round to dump as much energy as possible in the shortest window of time.
Because of their superior energy transfer, HP bullets are the top choice for most self-defense and many hunting applications.
Also, HP bullets present a lower risk of over-penetration than FMJ bullets.
Round Nose (RN)
Round nose, or simply RN, is just a designation of the shape of the bullet’s nose; a RN bullet can also be plated or have other characteristics.
Round nose bullets, such as lead round nose bullets (LRN) are affordable, widely available, and offer average performance.
They are popular, especially among rimfire shooters, because they are very affordable, especially unjacketed, lead round nose (LRN) bullets.
Ballistic Tip (or Ballistic Point) Bullets (BP)
Ballistic tip bullets, also sometimes known as ballistic point bullets, offer similar performance to HP bullets but are more stable at greater ranges.
In a BP bullet, the depression in the tip of the bullet is filled with some low-density polymer or compound that enables greater aerodynamic efficiency but which also allows expansion on impact, ensuring greater energy transfer.
One variation of a ballistic tip bullet is a soft point (or SP) bullet, in which the lead core is exposed above the metal jacket at the tip of the bullet.
With the soft core of the bullet exposed, maximum expansion is achieved, allowing for greater energy transfer.
Both BP and SP bullets are popular among hunters because they offer stable trajectories at greater distances and still provide great stopping power.
Wadcutter Bullets, or Flat Nose (FN)
Wadcutter bullets have a flat nose; for this reason, they are sometimes referred to as flat nose or FN bullets.
These bullets are popular amongst competition shooters because the flat bullet punches a relatively clean hole in paper targets, making scoring much simpler.
They, like FMJ bullets, are suitable for high-volume competition and target shooting applications.
A Note on Nomenclature
One thing to note is that not all of these traits are exclusive. There are, for instance, jacketed hollow points that are marked as JHP bullets. Keep this in mind as you become more familiar with different terminology.
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