We definitely don’t think about ammunition as much as we think about the gun itself, so we decided to do some digging on the history of the bullet.
THE BASICS OF BULLETS
So first and foremost, a bullet is what you place in a firearm that is the projectile object that expels from the weapon once the trigger is pulled. They are made using a range of materials, including copper, steel, lead, and even rubber and wax. They come in different styles too, depending on what the purpose may be, like hunting, sport shooting, and combat.
TERMINOLOGY
You often hear people using the terms “bullet” and “cartridge” interchangeably, but they’re actually different. Think of bullets as a part of the cartridges – the cartridge is made up of the bullet, casing, propellant, and primer. Another term commonly heard when talking about bullets are calibers. A caliber is the measurement of the diameter of a bullet; different styles of guns use different sizes of bullets.
HOW THEY OPERATE
Most bullets travel faster than the speed of sound – over 300 meters per second! Most modern bullets are supersonic, which means they create a sonic boom. This means that a bullet can actually reach its target before you can hear the sound of the shot. There are also subsonic cartridges which do not create a sonic boom and are much quieter than their counterparts.
Below are just a few of the most common bullet types.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersonic_speed
https://www.pewpewtactical.com/bullet-sizes-calibers-and-types/