bullet (thing)

A part of a firearm cartridge, the projectile. Bullets are shaped or composed differently for a variety of purposes.

1. Round-nose (RN) - The end of the bullet is blunted, round, allowing it to penetrate solid objects farther than other types of bullets. The most common type of bullet, usually utilized in target shooting.
2. Hollow-point (HP) - The point of the bullet is hollowed out, which creates a mushrooming effect when a target is struck, causing more damage.
3. Pre-Fragmented - made up of many smaller pellets compressed into a single full-sized bullet, some are constructed like a shotgun shell, other simply break up into small pieces upon impact. Designed to disintegrate on impact with a solid object. They were designed to prevent a bullet from passing through a wall and injuring somebody on the other side. They have the least penetration ability and are only used for training or for specific tactical considerations.
4. Jacketed - The soft lead is surrounded by another metal, usually copper, that allows the bullet to penetrate a target more easily. Subdivided into:
   1. Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) - the lead core is completely enclosed in the copper jacket. The only type of bullet permissible in warfare.
   2. Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP) - The top of the bullet has an opening in the jacket, exposing a hollow lead core. On the force of impact, the bullet is forced to open up and expand, resulting in less penetration but greater damage due to the larger diameter of the now expanded bullet.
   3. Bonded Hollow Point (BHP) - Same as the JHP, but the metal jacket has been chemically bonded to the lead core to ensure that the jacket cannot separate from it on impact. This is desirable for when a bullet may need to penetrate glass or thin metal and still remain intact.
   4. Jacketed Flat Point (JFP) - similar to the wadcutter (see below), but jacketed.
   5. Total Metal Jacket (TMJ) - Same as the FMJ, however, unlike the FMJ where the metal jacket encloses the whole bullet except the base, the TMJ bullet's base is also enclosed by the jacket. Used for target shooting and at indoor ranges.