Rifle ammo
The vast majority of bullets are constructed of a solid lead core with a copper covering (called a “jacket”) that contains the lead. Lead is used because it’s an extremely dense, yet cheap metal, making it perfect for giving projectiles their weight while keeping the overall size small. Copper is used because it’s strong enough to keep the softer lead from de-forming, but soft enough to allow the gun’s rifling to “grip” the bullet.
The copper jacket starts out as a cup, having been cut from a long sheet. Through a process called “drawing,” the cup is lengthened and shaped to fit the profile of the projectile they’re making. These cups will eventually end up as jackets for 5.56 NATO rounds.
However, while this process is very efficient, it’s extremely difficult to actually get the metal to encase the entire lead core without any gaps. To keep production costs down, bullet manufacturers usually leave one end of the projectile open. Which end is open – and how that’s done – determines the classification of the projectile.
Here are three 150 grain .308 caliber bullets (a “grain” is a unit of bullet weight). And while they look very similar, the way in which they were manufactured is very different. The first projectile on the left is a “full metal jacket” (FMJ) round with a solid copper point. The other two are an open tip and a soft point bullet respectively, with openings in the copper at the tips of the projectiles.
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Hornady DG .416 Rigby 400 Grain DGS FMJ 20Rds Box
Hornady 416 Rigby 400 Grain Full Metal Jacket$99.09 -
Federal P458T2 Federal 458 Winchester Magnum 500 Grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw 20rds
Federal 458 Winchester Magnum 500 Grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw$101.99 -
Federal P416RT2 416REM 400 TBSL 20rds
Federal 416 Remington Magnum 400 Grain Trophy Bonded Sledgehammer Solid$110.99 -
Federal P458T3 458Wn 500 TBSL 20rds
Federal 458 Winchester Magnum 500 Grain Trophy Bonded Sledgehammer Solid$120.99 -
Federal P458LTI 458 Lott 500Grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw 20rds
Federal Premium 458 Lott 500 Grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claw$127.99