Things to Consider when Buying Ammo for your Firearm

Introduction
Some people do not own any type of firearm.

And some people own either one or two firearms.

And some people own more that two firearms. But these people are usually only able to carry two of their firearms with them when they are walking. In this type of situation the person will normally carry one handgun and one rifle.

Regardless of what type of firearm you own, the ammunition that you select for your firearm should be able achieve the results that you desire, whatever those results might be.

Discussion
Firearms can be divided into the three major categories of handguns, rifles, and shotguns.

This short article will briefly discuss some of the factors that impact the performance of handgun bullets and rifle bullets.

The vast majority of the people who own a firearm will only use their firearm to shoot at targets and these individuals may never use their firearm to shoot an animal or a criminal. Therefore most people make their ammunition choices based on how well they can hit a paper target with that ammunition. But if the person may one day need to use their firearm to shoot a wild game animal or a criminal, then the person should consider how effective their ammunition is in those other situations.

The following discussion will consistently use the word "target" with the understanding that the word "target" can refer to a paper target, or a wild game animal, or a dangerous criminal who wants to hurt or kill you.

Accuracy and Distance: The most important decision when selecting ammunition for your firearm is that the ammunition should be reasonably accurate at the normal distance at which you intend to shoot your firearm. If you miss your target then you will not achieve your objective whatever it might be.

Accuracy is impacted by a lot of different variables but the most important variable is the distance to your target. If your target is one foot away from the front end of the barrel of your firearm then the chance of hitting the target is almost 100% unless the target moves, or there is a misfire or some other type of problem. As the distance to the target increases, the percentage of bullets that will hit the target decreases. For example, most of us (and that includes me) cannot hit a target that is 200 yards away even if we have a scope on our firearm.

Therefore when selecting ammunition for your firearm you should consider the average accuracy of that ammunition at the normal distance that you intend to use that ammunition.

The other variables that impact accuracy will be discussed next but none of the following variables has a greater impact on accuracy when compared to the distance to your target.
Caliber: Caliber refers to the diameter of the bullet expressed in decimal inches, such as .40 inches, or in millimeters, such as 10 mm. A 10 mm bullet has the same exact diameter as a .40 caliber bullet. Each firearm will only work with one caliber (diameter) of bullet. But the same caliber may be available in bullets that have different nose designs and different grain weights. The nose design and the grain weight can impact the accuracy of a bullet in a specific caliber.
Bullet Nose or Tip: The front end of a bullet can be rounded, pointed, or some other shape. Each of these different designs can impact accuracy. And the bullet tip also impacts what happens when the bullet makes contact with your target.

Round Nose (or Ball): While in flight the bullet will encounter more resistance from the air due to its round nose, and the air will slow the bullet down, and the air will reduce the distance the bullet will travel when compared to a similar bullet with a pointed tip. When a round nose bullet makes contact with the target a lot of its knockdown energy will be transferred to the target and the bullet will not penetrate as deeply as a pointed bullet. Energy transfer and stopping inside the target are very important factors that increase the damage done to the target.

Pointed Nose: While in flight the pointed nose of the bullet will encounter less resistance from the air and the bullet will lose less of its speed and it will travel further when compared to a similar bullet with a round nose. When the bullet makes contact with the target the pointed tip more easily enters the target. But less of the knockdown energy of the bullet is transferred to the target and the bullet will penetrate deeper into the target and the bullet may even pass all the way through the target without causing very much damage inside the target. The reduction in the transfer of energy and the reduction in wound damage are two factors that reduce the amount of damage done to the target.

Other Shapes: Other shapes, such as hollow points and plastic tips, are designs that will achieve some of the desirable characteristics of the above two types of bullets. However, these other shapes can sometimes cause feeding problems in semi-automatic firearms and in lever-action rifles.

None of the above bullet designs is the best choice in all situations. However, each of the above designs may have a significant advantage in a specific type of firearm that is used for a specific purpose and that will be used at a specific distance to the target.
Bullet Weight: The bullet is the projectile that travels towards the target. The weight of a bullet is expressed in grains. Heavier grain bullets will usually reduce the amount of recoil of the firearm and they may hit the target with more energy depending on the distance to the target. However, heavier grain bullets will usually slow down more rapidly while in flight due to their weight, and they will usually not travel as far as a lighter grain weight bullet. However, heavier grain bullets are usually the best choice for a handgun because they are more accurate at the normal distance that a handgun is used (due to reduced recoil), and they will usually hit the target with more energy than a lighter grain bullet.
Penetration versus Expansion: A hollow point bullet is designed to expand when it hits a target and create a bigger diameter wound channel in the target and transmit more of its knockdown energy to the target. A pointed tip bullet is designed to easily pierce and deeply penetrate into a target. Therefore a pointed tip bullet transmits less of it knockdown energy to the target. And a pointed tip bullet may completely pass through a target and exit the target without causing much wound damage.

Therefore it is important to consider whether penetration or expansion is the best option for the caliber of firearm that you will be using and the objective you wish to achieve.

Handgun Bullets: A handgun that uses centerfire ammo that will be used for self-protection against criminals should usually be loaded with hollow point bullets that transfer maximum knockdown power to the target, and create a bigger wound channel inside the target, and remain inside the target to cause internal bleeding. However, a handgun that uses 22LR ammo that will be used for self-protection against criminals should usually be loaded with round nose (ball) ammo that will penetrate more deeply into the target before coming to a stop because penetration is more important with a 22LR bullet than a slightly larger wound channel. However, a 22LR firearm is not recommended for self-defense. But if a 22LR firearm is the only firearm you have then you should learn the correct way to use it for self-defense.

Rifle Bullets: Plastic or polymer tip pointed bullets have the aerodynamic advantages of a pointed bullet but the tip causes the bullet to expand on impact and more of the knockdown energy is then transmitted to the target. And the bullet expands and creates a larger wound channel in the target. Therefore this type of bullet is a good choice as a hunting bullet for wild game animals and it is also a good choice for self-defense against criminals. However, a plastic tip bullet is not as effective in penetrating a bullet-proof vest when compared to the average pointed bullet in the same caliber. In should also be mentioned that most rifle bullets will not penetrate a steel plate that has been inserted into a special pocket inside a bullet-proof vest.

Armor-Piercing Steel-Core Bullets: These bullets have a steel-core and they are designed to penetrate metal. However, in the USA there are laws that prohibit the sale of many types of armor-piercing bullets to civilians. Therefore you should verify the current laws about armor-piercing bullets before you invest in some of them.

Conclusion
The above is a very brief summary of a few of the major characteristics of bullets.

If you wish to know more about bullet calibers and bullet performance then the following chapters in my 418 page book, Self-Defense Weapons: Traditional and Modern, discuss the design and performance of bullets in great detail.

Chapter 30 - Bullets: Design and Function, 6 pages.
Chapter 31 - Handgun Bullet Calibers, 12 pages.
Chapter 32 - Rifle Bullet Calibers, 12 pages.
Chapter 37 - Shotguns, 14 pages.

Respectfully,
Grandpappy.

Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com