I'm looking for some kind of encyclopedic ammunition reference

[0rganism]

For some reason, I thought there might be people in this forum with some links or recommendations in that direction... :evilgrin:

I'd like something or some combination of references that goes over the development of firearm ammunition in a roughly historical manner, as well as the meaning of terminology like "full metal jacket", "jacketed hollow point", "parabellum", and so on. Bonus points if the reference discusses design decisions for using specific ammunitions with certain firearms, and the various standards that caused certain ammo types to be abandoned, e.g. the 1957 Czech compliance to the Soviet bloc standard that led to discarding 7.9mm in favor of 7.62mm. That sort of thing.

Thanks in advance for any help ye gun dungeoneers can offer.

[King Bush II]

1. OOH OOH I KNOW

www.world.guns.ru

greatest gun sight ever. EVER! hope this helps ;-)

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[WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot]

2. Specific to M193 and M855

This site only covers m193 and m855 ammunition used by the US Military and National Guard.

http://www.ammo-oracle.com/

Gives a good overview of the 5.56x45.

[BullDozer]

3. A few to get you started

You could always ask your local library if they can get any of these.


Cartridges of the World 9th edition. Edited by Frank Barnes and M. McPherson. Published by DBI Books

A History of Modern U.S. Small Arms Ammunition By F. Hackley, et. al. Published by Thomas Publications

Jane's Ammunition Handbook 2001-2002 Edited by Terry Gander and Charles Cutshaw. Published by Janes (Note this book runs around $400!!!! :wow:)

Russian Military Small Arms and Ammunition 1700 - 1986 Volume Sixteen By Frank Datig. Published by Handgun Press,

[jame]

4. I'm pretty well versed in firearms....

Could I be of any assistance?

"full metal jacket" is a lead bullet that fully encased in a copper "jacket", usually desireable for war (The Geneava Convention), and truly reliable operation of semi auto (and full auto in the case of military) weapons.
"Jacketed hollow point" is (generally speaking) the same as above, but the nose of the bullet is hollowed out to allow for more reliable expansion inside the intended target. Usually desireable in hunting and self defense.
"parabellum" is latin for "to war". (or something like that)
"magnum" referes to the larger bottles of champagne that were more commonly available in the post prohibition days when the first "magnum" was developed...the .357 Magnum. (a 38 special casing stretched by .1"

I'm a member on many gun boards, and if you're uncomfortable registering on them, I'll be glad to post your question if I dont know the answer.

[Man_in_the_Moon]

5. The Hague Conventions

not the Geneva Conventions deal with what are and are not 'legal' bullets.

[jame]

6. I humbly stand corrected.

Thank you, sir.

[Man_in_the_Moon]

9. No problem

It is a common mistake.

Hogan's Heroes ( :D ) ingrained 'geneva convention' into the minds of everybody, even the media, and people just assume that every 'rule of war' comes from them.

[Overkil]

14. A little more on jacketed vs non-jacketed rounds

To add a little more on what Jame said, the hollowpoint & non -jacketed will expand to almost double their original size once they expand and will often fragment inside the body once they encounter a hard surface like bone. That is why hunters use non-jacketed (but not hollowpoint)rounds when they hunt - for a faster, more humane kill. Jacketed rounds are prefered for war because they do not expand. International organizations like this becasue there is less likelyhood of the round killing a soldier and militaries like them because when an (enemy) soldier is shot by a jacketed round, it removes 3-5 soldiers from the immediate battle (the one shot and his 2-4 buddies to carry him back for medical treatment). If a soldier is killed by the shot, the other troops will continue to fight & recover his body after the battle is over.

[0rganism]

7. Thanks for all the replies so far

It's been quite educational. Oddly enough, this is entirely recreational reading, as I have no practical applications planned at this time. The ammo-oracle site I'm finding to be especially cool, as it explains things coherently in an illustrated FAQ format, at multiple levels of detail.

Extremely interesting material, though. I never knew the Russians had silent-load bullets!

(from http://www.world.guns.ru)

[jame]

8. Interesting as well....

is that a lot of the sound that is heard is the "pop" as the bulet exits the muzzle, similar to a champagne cork. Another sound heard is the "crack" of a bullet moving faster then the speed of sound, at 1150 fps (feet per second). It's actually a small sonic boom!