A great Article On Ammunition

Different Types of Ammunition

Author: Alex Wallin

There are many different types of ammunition and sometimes selecting the right ones can be extremely difficult. Usually the design and style of the ammunition will determine the purpose for different situations. In this article, we will discuss a few different types of ammunition and uses for them and also the reasons they can benefit you on specific jobs or hunts.

Handguns are sometimes used for hunting, but are mostly used for recreation and personal protection. Handguns are an extremely effective tool for self protection, but choosing the right ammunition is just as important as choosing the actual handgun. Defensive ammunition is designed to expand within the target rather than going all the way through the target.

Hollow points are the most commonly used defensive ammunition on the market. When fired, the pressure created in the hollowed tip when penetrating the target forces the tip to expand outwards typically resembling a mushroom. The advantage of the hollow point over other ammunition is the decreased penetration of the target for the safety of others around you.

If firing rounds off in your home or apartment with other family members in the next room, penetration is a concern as it could easily travel through walls, potentially injuring your loved ones. Hollow point ammunition is safer for all parties concerned including your attacker as he is more likely to go down from one or two rounds of hollow point than six or seven rounds of other types of ammunition.

Frangible ammunition, a lot like hollow points, are also extremely effective self defense ammunition; they have the same hollowed end but are filled with tiny metal beads and covered by a polymer end cap. They are designed to break apart when they hit walls or hard surfaces preventing ricochets during close quarter combat.

FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) ammunition doesn’t expand and is made to penetrate, making this a bad choice for use as self defense ammunition. FMJ are used often by the military mostly because they hardly ever jam up making them a more reliable choice. Shotgun ammunition has basic types of loads: buckshot, birdshot, and slug loads and are used most commonly today for sport shooting and hunting small and big game animals.

The choice of caliber depends on the type of situation the firearm is being used for. Shotguns have various different uses; law enforcement officials and military personnel use them for self protection and long range shooting, sport shooters use them for clay and target shooting, and of course they are used for hunting lots of different sized animals such as bear, elk, deer, prairie dogs, rabbits, turkey, and many other types of game.

Buckshot is loaded with large diameter lead balls used for large game hunting and self defense. It is also used in riot and combat situations by police and military because this load has a lot of stopping power. Birdshot is loaded with smaller diameter pellets and is mostly used for hunting game birds.

Shot size is selected not only for distance, but for game being hunted as the shot must reach the target with enough force to penetrate and kill the animal. Lead shot is the cheapest, but environmental restrictions have more hunters turning to steel shot. Stopping power is poor with steel shot and it is only recommended for personal defense in the home. Slug shots are a solid lead shell with enormous stopping power and rifle-like performance, by firing one large projectile rather than many smaller ones.

Unlike the other loads, the slug loads must be aimed like a rifle or handgun; this load ruins the shotgun’s major benefit of superior hit probability. This load is also used in law enforcement and military as a reasonable substitute for a rifle when the targets are at medium ranges. When selecting ammunition, try to keep in mind these useful tips; American-made is the best. Stay away from foreign-made ammunition and hand loads; use manufacturer-loaded cartridges only.

Here are some examples of name brand ammunition that we recommend: Federal ammunition, Cor-Bon ammunition, Hornady, Remington ammunition, Winchester or CCI ammunition. The most common question that gets asked is: What type of ammunition to use? If you find yourself asking this question a lot, there are some different ways to find this information rather than asking someone at your local gun shop and later finding out that he has no idea what he’s talking about.

Do some research on your own and find out what is best suited for your shooting needs. This is best way to find out which types of ammunition will work best for you.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/equipment-articles/different-types-of-ammunition-431238.html

About the Author:
Alex Wallin is a firearms specialist for the largest online firearms dealers in the country.