This is a quick addendum to the "Nonconformist Guide...". Think of it as a little extra "how to not get made fun of by gun owners for no good reason" giudeline.This is a "bullet":
This is a "casing" aka "brass":
A "bullet" is the part of the ammunition that is fired from the barrel of the gun. The "brass" is left empty and ends up on the ground.
A "bullet" is the part of the ammunition that is fired from the barrel of the gun. The "brass" is left empty and ends up on the ground.In contrast, these are not "bullets":
These are "cartridges", often also called "rounds".
These are "cartridges", often also called "rounds".To avoid endless ridicule, never refer to a cartridge as a "bullet". There are even reports of newbies going into a gun shop to buy ammunition, asking for a box of "bullets", and the smart aleck behind the counter selling them exactly what they asked for, a box of "bullets", that is, unattached to a casing, primer, and powder, jacketed lead pieces. When the foolish buyer arrives at the range they find that these "bullets" are quite incapable of being fired from their gun in their unattached state.
To get onboard with the common vernacular, when you go to the gun shop or gun counter at Wal Mart, what you want to buy is "ammo". Otherwise properly called "ammunition". While we are buying ammunition, here's a quick run-down on some sizes and types.
If you took my advice and you have a 9mm semi-automatic, odds are you actually have a gun that is chambered for 9mm Luger, aka 9mm Parabellum, aka 9x19. These three terms all refer to the same ammunition. The term "chambered" means that is what the chamber of the gun is designed to hold. Sometimes the same gun may be available with different chamberings so it may not be enough to just know what model of gun you have.
There are some other types of 9mm which is why it gets confusing. Regular 9mm ammo is known by the three names above. Non-regular 9mm is known by a few other names:
9mm Short is more commonly known as .380ACP or just .380.
9mm Makarov is also commonly known as 9x18. This is ammo between the size of the .380ACP and a regular 9mm Luger.
9mm Largo is also known as 9x23 and is much less common.
These "other" 9mm rounds will not work in a regular 9x19 chambered gun.
Attempting to use the wrong size ammunition in your pistol may result in disaster! Be absolutely sure you know which one to get!
There are many other calibers as well. .38 Special is approximately the same size/weight bullet as 9mm, and .357 Magnum is also very similar in size and weight of bullet. But these are rimmed cartridges designed for use in revolvers. .357Sig is a semi-automatic round that is like a 9mm but with a larger casing allowing for more powder and therefore a more powerful loading. .40S&W is a slightly bigger cartridge than 9mm, and .380ACP is slightly smaller. There are dozens of other calibers, I am just hitting the highlights.
Some more terminology:
FMJ is "full metal jacket". This means the bullet has a layer or "jacket" of metal (usually copper) covering the lead on the bullet. FMJ ammo will be "ball" ammo, which means it is round nose and not hollow-point.
JHP is "jacketed hollow point". This is a hollow point bullet with a metal jacket around the bullet.
The "jacket" of copper serves as a barrier between the barrell and the lead, and reduces "lead fouling" when you shoot it from the gun. Instead you get "copper fouling". Lead fouling is worse to clean up. Regular lead cast bullets are common in some very cheap reloaded ammo and may void the warranty of your pistol if you shoot them.
+P, +P+ are "plus pressure" and "plus pressure plus". This basically means they are hotter loads than "standard pressure" ammunition. They will produce more muzzle velocity with the same bullet weight, and will produce noticeably more recoil. Also they are tougher on the gun since it has more impact happening in the gun. Some guns are rated to shoot +P or +P+ but recommended to not shoot them on a regular basis. Normally for practice you would use standard pressure, and maybe for self defense you might want +P. Most of us don't use +P+.
115gr, 124gr, 147gr these are common bullet weights, measured in "grains", for 9mm ammo. 115gr is standard. There are some lighter bullets for 9mm, but they are not very common. As physics would have it, the higher the bullet weight, the lower the velocity will be given the same powder load. There is a huge amount of debate about the merits of one or the other bullet weight and little agreement even amongst "experts". The most hotly debated is 147gr since it is known to not feed correctly in many pistols, and the risks may outweigh whatever dubious benefits might exist. I use 115gr and 124gr. Choose your own religion.
Primers are the little round thingies in the hole in the back of the cartridge, upon which the firing pin or striker hits. This is what ignites a center-fire cartridge.
Muzzle Velocity is how fast a bullet from a particular cartridge will come out of the barrel of a given gun. 9mm rounds from a 3-4" pistol are normally around 1000-1400 fps. The speed of sound is about 1150 fps. Anything that is over that speed is "supersonic" and below that is "subsonic". Usually 147gr 9mm rounds are subsonic. There is a sound pressure wave that goes along with a bullet as it goes through the air, and a supersonic round will be ahead of the sound pressure wave, while a subsonic round will be behind its sound pressure wave. At some point the supersonic bullet will slow down due to friction, to the point at which it drops below the speed of sound and its sound pressure wave will catch up with it and pass it by. This can cause turbulence or a disturbance to the bullet's path, which may throw it off of the straight line it is trying to travel, making a supersonic bullet less accurate to shoot after a certain distance. For handguns used for defensive purposes, this doesn't make a meaningful difference since the distance that this happens is far beyond the usual range for handgun fire.
A little more vocab to keep you from becoming a laughing stock:
To get onboard with the common vernacular, when you go to the gun shop or gun counter at Wal Mart, what you want to buy is "ammo". Otherwise properly called "ammunition". While we are buying ammunition, here's a quick run-down on some sizes and types.
If you took my advice and you have a 9mm semi-automatic, odds are you actually have a gun that is chambered for 9mm Luger, aka 9mm Parabellum, aka 9x19. These three terms all refer to the same ammunition. The term "chambered" means that is what the chamber of the gun is designed to hold. Sometimes the same gun may be available with different chamberings so it may not be enough to just know what model of gun you have.
There are some other types of 9mm which is why it gets confusing. Regular 9mm ammo is known by the three names above. Non-regular 9mm is known by a few other names:
9mm Short is more commonly known as .380ACP or just .380.
9mm Makarov is also commonly known as 9x18. This is ammo between the size of the .380ACP and a regular 9mm Luger.
9mm Largo is also known as 9x23 and is much less common.
These "other" 9mm rounds will not work in a regular 9x19 chambered gun.
Attempting to use the wrong size ammunition in your pistol may result in disaster! Be absolutely sure you know which one to get!
There are many other calibers as well. .38 Special is approximately the same size/weight bullet as 9mm, and .357 Magnum is also very similar in size and weight of bullet. But these are rimmed cartridges designed for use in revolvers. .357Sig is a semi-automatic round that is like a 9mm but with a larger casing allowing for more powder and therefore a more powerful loading. .40S&W is a slightly bigger cartridge than 9mm, and .380ACP is slightly smaller. There are dozens of other calibers, I am just hitting the highlights.
Some more terminology:
FMJ is "full metal jacket". This means the bullet has a layer or "jacket" of metal (usually copper) covering the lead on the bullet. FMJ ammo will be "ball" ammo, which means it is round nose and not hollow-point.
JHP is "jacketed hollow point". This is a hollow point bullet with a metal jacket around the bullet.
The "jacket" of copper serves as a barrier between the barrell and the lead, and reduces "lead fouling" when you shoot it from the gun. Instead you get "copper fouling". Lead fouling is worse to clean up. Regular lead cast bullets are common in some very cheap reloaded ammo and may void the warranty of your pistol if you shoot them.
+P, +P+ are "plus pressure" and "plus pressure plus". This basically means they are hotter loads than "standard pressure" ammunition. They will produce more muzzle velocity with the same bullet weight, and will produce noticeably more recoil. Also they are tougher on the gun since it has more impact happening in the gun. Some guns are rated to shoot +P or +P+ but recommended to not shoot them on a regular basis. Normally for practice you would use standard pressure, and maybe for self defense you might want +P. Most of us don't use +P+.
115gr, 124gr, 147gr these are common bullet weights, measured in "grains", for 9mm ammo. 115gr is standard. There are some lighter bullets for 9mm, but they are not very common. As physics would have it, the higher the bullet weight, the lower the velocity will be given the same powder load. There is a huge amount of debate about the merits of one or the other bullet weight and little agreement even amongst "experts". The most hotly debated is 147gr since it is known to not feed correctly in many pistols, and the risks may outweigh whatever dubious benefits might exist. I use 115gr and 124gr. Choose your own religion.
Primers are the little round thingies in the hole in the back of the cartridge, upon which the firing pin or striker hits. This is what ignites a center-fire cartridge.
Muzzle Velocity is how fast a bullet from a particular cartridge will come out of the barrel of a given gun. 9mm rounds from a 3-4" pistol are normally around 1000-1400 fps. The speed of sound is about 1150 fps. Anything that is over that speed is "supersonic" and below that is "subsonic". Usually 147gr 9mm rounds are subsonic. There is a sound pressure wave that goes along with a bullet as it goes through the air, and a supersonic round will be ahead of the sound pressure wave, while a subsonic round will be behind its sound pressure wave. At some point the supersonic bullet will slow down due to friction, to the point at which it drops below the speed of sound and its sound pressure wave will catch up with it and pass it by. This can cause turbulence or a disturbance to the bullet's path, which may throw it off of the straight line it is trying to travel, making a supersonic bullet less accurate to shoot after a certain distance. For handguns used for defensive purposes, this doesn't make a meaningful difference since the distance that this happens is far beyond the usual range for handgun fire.
A little more vocab to keep you from becoming a laughing stock:
This is not a "clip".
It is a "magazine".
It is a "magazine".Don't ever call that a "clip". I don't care what they say in the movies.
I enjoyed the first few entries on your blog. My journey into gun ownership has been similar to yours, and I can identify with some of your experiences. Keep up the writing and I look forward to reading your next post!
ReplyDeleteBTW-- Just FYI I found your blog through the link on TexasCHLForum.