Bullet

A bullet is a projectile shot by a gun, usually made of a metal alloy. In contrast to a shell, a bullet does not contain explosives. The term bullet refers specifically to the metal slug that is propelled from a firearm. Although the term is occasionally used to refer to the combination of bullet, case, gunpowder, and primer, such an item is properly called a cartridge. A cartridge without a bullet is called a blank.

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Bullets are classically molded from a mixture of lead and tin. Typesetter's lead (used to mold Linotype), works very well. Lead is a popular choice because it is highly dense (providing a high amount of mass--and thus, kinetic energy--for a given volume) and is cheap to obtain and fabricate.

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However, a projectile in flight undergoes significant external forces which may dissipate its ability to provide maximum energy to the target. At speeds of greater than 300 m/s (1000 ft/s) (common in most handguns), lead begins to deform during flight due to its softness and low tensile strength. At speeds greater than 600 m/s (2000 ft/s) (such as high-powered rifles, which may have muzzle velocities exceeding 1000 m/s (3500 ft/s)), unjacketed lead bullets may experience structural failure and disintegrate in flight due to very high centrifugal force imparted by the spin used to stabilize its flight. Also, as velocities are increased, the bullet will begin to leave "leading" (very thick and heavy residues of lead) in the barrel that damages the bullet and destroys accuracy on subsequent shots. Alloying the lead with a small percentage of tin and/or antimony helps this situation somewhat, but is not completely effective as velocities are increased.

Projectile: A projectile is any object sent through the air by the application of some force....

Gun: A gun is a mechanical device that fires projectiles at high velocity, using a propellant such as gun powder or compressed air....

Alloy: An alloy is a combination, either in solution or compound, of two or more elements, which has a combination of at least two metals, and where the resultant material has metallic properties. An alloy with two components is called a binary alloy; one with three is a ternary alloy; one with four is a ...

Bullet related Images and Photos (experimental)

Bullet (DVD)	Silver Bullet	Bullet is Waiting, A (1954)	Silver Bullet Mints
One Bullet Away Book (Paperback)	Bullet For My Valentine	Bullet Storm Grayson Hunt Action Figure	Green Day: Bullet In A Bible
Green Day: Bullet In A Bible	Bullet For My Valentine - Fever	Bullet For My Valentine - Shooter	The Baltimore Bullet