What is the difference between hollow point and ballistic tip

It's a good read and I recommend you take a look, but this picture is the one we really want to focus on. The vast majority of bullets are constructed of a solid lead core and 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 is strong enough to keep the softer lead in shape, but is soft enough to allow the 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. 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 grain. 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" 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 tip of the projectile.

Looking at the bases of the projectiles we can see why they're different. The "full metal jacket" bullet does actually have an opening, but it is at the bottom of the round. So, why are these bullets different? Let's go over each one in turn. Military FMJ ammunition is completely covered by a copper jacket as per the Hague Conventions , which uses a more involved process than traditional civilian ammunition but doesn't alter the lethality of the rounds.

FMJ ammunition is manufactured so that the bottom of the original cup of copper becomes the tip of the bullet, producing a continuous jacket of copper over the top of the round. However, most civilian ammunition leaves the base of the lead core uncovered, as illustrated with the bullet on the left in the above images the ones with the three bullets side by side. FMJ ammunition is cheap to produce, and therefore is the traditional choice for use on the firing range.

The uniform and aerodynamic design of the projectile also makes it the ideal choice for long range precision shooting.

However, that streamlined design means that it's also more likely to penetrate a living target like a human or an animal and keep going out the other side, possibly injuring people further downrange and leaving only a small wound in the target.

Therefore, for home defense and hunting it's not advised to use FMJ ammunition. FMJ ammo is the "default" ammunition style, and the only one where the jacket is "drawn" from the tip. Every other projectile uses a jacket that is "drawn" from the base, and the tip is usually designed to perform some sort of function. With FMJ bullets, the bottom of the cup becomes the tip of the bullet. Past that to the bigger calibers or looking for a bear hide, it's usually a Hornady interlock. Good hunting!

Great for Desert Poodles! Right Rail 1. Top Active Users. Right Rail 2. Latest Topics. Congrats on a beautiful bull WAM. That's a real nice one. Channel: Big Game Hunting. Came across these interesting tables. Yes, its true. The insane pervert caught masturbating on a Zoom call with his co workers, calls a citizen bravely defending himself and property against Channel: Other. Reply to Veterans Day. Thank you all for remembering.

SFC crm, rd Abn. Veterans Day. To all the Veterans out there, this is your day. Thank You! View All. Right Rail 3. Footer Ad. One of the first tipped bullets was the Remington Bronze Point, first introduced over 80 years ago.

Because of the bullets ability to stay uniform for longer periods of time down the bore and along its more aerodynamic trajectory, the design enables a stable flight path leading to improved accuracy. Popular within the competitive shooting world, it use is marketed towards those looking for match grade capabilities and high reliability to feed. Also popular within hunting applications, upon impact with a soft target the polymer tip is forced into the core of the bullet, thus creating a rapid and uniform expansion with maximum takedown power.

This design enables a projectile to have the best of both worlds by combining the efficacies of soft point reliability, hollow point lethality, and unparalleled ballistic performance.

That said the round is still susceptible to damage during handling, transport, and feeding into the chamber of the firearm. Overall, polymer tipped bullets are by far the most cosmetically pleasing rounds for consumers as they come in a variety of colors and are heavily produced by nearly every premium bullet manufacturer.

Whether you are a purist who shoots blunt soft point rounds in heavy woods for that class buck on your trail cam, or a competitive shooter attempting to be ahead of the curve by using heat shielded polymer tipped projectiles during a match. The type of bullet you choose is just one of the many factors that can lead to tight groups, a healthy harvest, and a great range day.

Thank you for the explanation, this definitely helps me understand more about the structure and impact of different products and when they should be used. Thanks for this article. Thanks for helping me understand more about bullets. Interesting info on bullet tips.