Bullet

A modern cartridge consists of the following:

1. the bullet, as the projectile;
2. the case, which holds all parts together;
3. the propellant, for example gunpowder or cordite;
4. the rim, which provides the extractor on the firearm a place to grip the casing to
remove it from the chamber once fired;
5. the primer, which ignites the propellant.

Schlieren image of a bullet travelling in free-flight demonstrating the air pressure

dynamics surrounding the bullet.
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not
normally contain explosives,[1] but damage the intended target by impact and
penetration. The word "bullet" is sometimes colloquially used to refer to ammunition
in general, or to a cartridge, which is a combination of the bullet, case/shell,
powder, and primer. This use of 'bullet', when 'cartridge' is intended, leads to
confusion when the components of a cartridge are discussed or intended. See the
reference section for more detail.

Lead sling bullets, ca. 100 g with a winged thunderbolt engraved on one side and
the inscription "Take that" () on the other side. Athens, 4th century BC.
The history of bullets far predates the history of firearms. Originally, bullets were
made out of metal, stone or purpose-made clay balls used as sling ammunition, as
weapons and for hunting. Eventually as firearms were developed, these same items
were placed in front of a propellant charge of gunpowder at the end of a closed
tube. As firearms became more technologically advanced, from 1500 to 1800,
bullets changed very little. They remained simple round (spherical) lead balls, called
rounds, differing only in their diameter.

Matchlock musket balls, alleged to have been discovered at Naseby battlefield.

From the collection of Night of the Museum and Art Gallery.
The development of the hand culverin and matchlock arquebus brought about the
use of cast lead balls as projectiles. "Bullet" is derived from the French word
boulette which roughly means little ball. The original musket bullet was a spherical
lead ball smaller than the bore, wrapped in a loosely fitted paper patch which
served to hold the bullet in the barrel firmly upon the powder. (Bullets that were not
firmly upon the powder upon firing risked causing the barrel to explode, with the
condition known as a short start.) The loading of muskets was, therefore, easy with
the old smooth-bore Brown Bess and similar military muskets.

Mini ball ammunition

The soft lead Mini ball was first introduced in 1847 by Claude-tienne Mini, a
captain in the French Army. It was nearly identical to the Greener bullet. As
designed by Mini, the bullet was conical in shape with a hollow cavity in the rear,
which was fitted with a little iron cap instead of a wooden plug. When fired, the iron
cap would force itself into the hollow cavity at the rear of the bullet, thus expanding
the sides of the bullet to grip and engage the rifling. In 1855, the British adopted
the Mini ball for their Enfield rifles. A similar bullet called the Nessler ball was also
developed for smoothbore muskets.

.270 ammunition. Left to right:

100-grain (6.5 g) hollow point
115-grain (7.5 g) FMJBT
130-grain (8.4 g) soft point
150-grain (9.7 g) round nose

A bullet in mid flight

Bullet designs have to solve two primary problems. In the barrel, they must first
form a seal with the gun's bore. If a strong seal is not achieved, gas from the
propellant charge leaks past the bullet, thus reducing efficiency and possibly
accuracy. The bullet must also engage the rifling without damaging or excessively
fouling the gun's bore, and without distorting the bullet, which will also reduce
accuracy. Bullets must have a surface which will form this seal without causing
excessive friction. These interactions between bullet and bore are termed internal
ballistics. Bullets must be produced to a high standard, as surface imperfections can
affect firing accuracy.

Expanding bullet loaded in a 6.5x55mm before and after expanding. The long base
and small expanded diameter show that this is a bullet designed for deep
penetration on large game. The bullet in the photo traveled more than halfway
through a moose before coming to rest, performing as designed.

Lead alloy bullets as cast (left), with gas check (center) and lubricated (right).