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The US Navy defines blended-metal bullets as, "projectiles which utilize cores manufactured with materials other than lead, using processes other than melting." [1] The solicitation elaborates as follows: The base metals used in these formulations are usually a very fine powder.
Monolithic bullets have been used for hunting big game in the USA for decades. The first popular all-copper bullet was the Barnes X bullet in 1986. [7] Since then, most bullet companies have a monolithic bullet on the market, including Nosler E-tips, Hornady GMX, Barnes TTSX, LRX, VOR-TX, Federal Trophy Copper, Winchester Powercore 95/5, Hammer bullets, Cutting Edge Bullets, Lehigh Defense, G9 ...
A bullet can be made of virtually anything (see below), but lead is the traditional material of choice because of its high density, malleability, ductility, and low cost of production. However, at speeds greater than 300 m/s (980 ft/s), pure lead will melt more and deposit fouling in rifled bores at an ever-increasing rate.
A tungsten/nylon projectile core was developed by Ecomass Technologies to replace the lead core in the 3-part M855 5.56mm projectile and placed in service between 2000 and 2003. This projectile core performed similar to the lead core with the same, or better, accuracy.
Lead shot is still the best ballistic performer, but environmental restrictions on the use of lead, especially with waterfowl, require steel, bismuth, or tungsten composites. Steel, being significantly less dense than lead, requires larger shot sizes, but is a good choice when lead is not legal and cost is a consideration.
Since lead is a very dense material, bullets made of inexpensive, non-toxic materials will be lighter than bullets made of lead unless bullet length is increased. Inferior external ballistics cause lighter bullets to be less effective against distant targets. Increasing bullet length may require a faster rifling twist to maintain stability.
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As of 2013, lead-based ammunition production is the second-largest annual use of lead in the US, accounting for over 60,000 metric tons consumed in 2012. [5] Lead bullets that miss their target or remain in a carcass or body that was never retrieved can enter environmental systems and become toxic to wildlife.