Ammunition: What Is It, Why Is It, And Where Did It Come From?

What is ammunition? Simply, ammunition is a bullet

, or most likely many bullets. It is whatever is coming out of what you are shooting. When you think of ammunition, you automatically assume, "bullets" but that isnt always the case. Depending on what you are shooting, it can be a bullet, or a pellet, a shot, or even a grenade. There are many types of ammunition for firearms, and even if two firearms have the same calliber they may have to use two very different cartrigdes (differing in size and power).

Firearm ammunition started as a lead ball shoved into the barrel of a gun with gun powder stuffed in there as well. This was difficult in terms of accuracy for the shooter bacause there was nothing to stabilize the ball while it was in motion. It wasnt until the early/mid 1700's when an actual cartridge was made. The casing made it so that the bullet could fly straight towards the target you were shooting at.

There are many different types of bullets. One being lead bullets; they are the oldest type and made of lead or more often from an alloy of lead. They are inexpensive but usually cant withstand higher voelocities. Another type is jacketed bullets; they are the most common but are only available for military use (this bullet is mainly called FMJ bullet- Full Metal Jacket bullet). These bullets are known for good penetration but stopping power is not significant. The most popular bullet for police force and self-defense ammunition is expanding bullets (which include Hollow-point and Soft-point bullets); the Hollow-point bullets are designed with a hollow point at the tip of the bullet that expands once it hits its target making a wider wound channel. The Soft-point bullet had a lead core that also creates a larger wound channel.

Still, loading was a difficult process. Even a skilled gunsman could only get three to four shots per minute. Now we see ammunition belts to make loading easier and automatic. Loading has become very easy even for a simple handgun. The magazine of a gun is what holds the ammunition, for both semi-automatic and automatic weapons.

Through the years bullets were made from copper instead of lead, but have a soft lead point at the end of the bullet to increase damage. Belts are usually for machine guns, while other guns such as a handgun or a rifle would use a magazine to carry its ammunition. Ammunition comes in different sizes, depending on the size of the barrel. The casing of the bullet is discarded while the end of the bullet is what keeps going towards your target. Inside the barrel of the gun the lands and groves spin the bullet towards the target to create a better accuracy. Back when firearms were first created, we had led balls and that was the end of our ammunition expertise. Now we can shoot off grenades to create a bigger, more immediate, destruction.

It is hard to imagine what else can be used as ammunition or to carry it when if feels like we have a good handle on things already. Considering the fact that, as humans, we are always making things easier and more available I wouldn't put it past gunsmith to come up with another more powerful ammunition that would have a stronger impact without using a bomb, or something that would create too much devastation. Or even if we were to make a mini nuke that could be contained enough to be shot and not kill yourself in the process, it would completely change the foundation of ammunition.

When it comes to ammunition there are so many different types that it seems hard to choose what you want to use. It all depends on what you are using it for. When hunting you want to consider the weight of the ammunition and what you are hunting. If you were hunting deer you would choose heavier ammo that if you were hunting a fox. Ammo also varries in size depening on caliber, and cartridge case length. But if you were using it in self defense you wouldn't need to worry about the distance in which you were shooting, because the most likely possibility of this would be someone within close range.

by: Chelsea McVey

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