Bullet Types Explained

Nosler's bonded polymer-tipped hunting bullet. Bonded core for near 100% weight retention. Polymer tip for high BC and consistent expansion.

Construction

Bonded lead-alloy core with copper jacket. White polymer tip. Bonding process ensures jacket-core integrity through barriers and bone. Controlled mushrooming to 2x original diameter.

Best use

Hunting

Penetration

22″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.55″

Hardened steel or tungsten core projectile designed to penetrate body armor and light vehicle armor. Heavily regulated and largely prohibited for civilian handgun use (GCA 1968).

Construction

Steel, tungsten carbide, or tungsten alloy penetrator core, sometimes with copper or aluminum jacket. The hard core concentrates force on a small area to defeat armor.

Best use

Military

Penetration

30″ (FBI gel)

Inceptor's polymer-copper composite bullet. No hollow point — instead, fluted channels in the nose redirect fluid and tissue outward on impact. Extremely light and fast. Lead-free, frangible, and safe for close-range training. The ARX design produces terminal performance from radial energy transfer rather than expansion.

Construction

Injection-molded polymer-copper matrix. No expansion — fluid dynamics redirect energy radially. Four fluted channels create hydraulic pressure. Lead-free design.

Best use

Self-Defense

Penetration

14.5″ (FBI gel)

Combines tangent and secant ogive sections for reduced sensitivity to seating depth variation while retaining high BC. Dominant in PRS competition.

Construction

Hybrid ogive design: tangent nose section at base of bullet transitions to secant ogive toward tip. Reduces seating depth sensitivity vs. pure VLD. Same thin J4 jacket.

Best use

CompetitionTarget/Training

Penetration

18″ (FBI gel)

Very Low Drag projectile from Berger Bullets. Extremely secant ogive (sharp nose) for minimum drag and maximum BC. Widely used in PRS and F-Class competition.

Construction

Thin J4 jacket drawn to near-zero tip. Secant ogive with extremely low form factor. High BC (Ballistic Coefficient) for flat trajectory at long range. VLD Hunting variant expands on game.

Best use

CompetitionHunting

Penetration

20″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.5″

Match-grade precision rifle bullet with a boat tail base and open tip. The open tip is a manufacturing artifact from drawing the jacket, not designed to expand (unlike defensive JHPs).

Construction

Gilding metal jacket drawn from the nose, leaving a small opening at the tip. Boat tail base reduces drag. Lead core. Open tip improves concentricity for accuracy.

Best use

Target/TrainingCompetitionMilitary

Penetration

18″ (FBI gel)

Hollow point where the lead core is chemically or mechanically bonded to the jacket. Prevents core-jacket separation at high velocity or through intermediate barriers.

Construction

Lead core is bonded to the copper jacket via electrochemical process or mechanical bonding, ensuring jacket and core expand together as a single unit. Retains near 100% weight.

Best use

Self-DefenseLaw EnforcementHunting

Penetration

14″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.7″

Lead bullet with thin copper electroplating and a hollow point cavity. Common in .22 LR and rimfire loads. The plating reduces bore fouling versus bare lead but is thinner than a true copper jacket — lower cost, suitable for small game and pest control.

Construction

Lead core with a thin electroplated copper coat. Hollow point cavity initiates expansion. Copper plating is thinner than drawn jacketing — may separate at high velocity.

Best use

Self-DefenseHunting

Penetration

12″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.55″

Hornady's civilian defensive hollow point. Flex Tip eXpanding technology uses a soft polymer tip to prevent clogging and ensure reliable expansion from short barrels.

Construction

Polymer-tipped hollow point. The red Flex Tip fills the hollow cavity to prevent clothing and debris clogging. On impact, tip is pushed in, initiating expansion.

Best use

Self-Defense

Penetration

13″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.62″

Hornady's law enforcement grade barrier-blind hollow point. Heavier than Critical Defense for superior barrier penetration while passing FBI protocol.

Construction

Interlock band mechanically locks the core to the jacket preventing separation through barriers. Polymer Flex Tip. Passes all FBI protocol barriers including auto glass and plywood.

Best use

Self-DefenseLaw Enforcement

Penetration

15″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.63″

Barnes all-copper solid hollow point for handgun calibers. Expands reliably at pistol velocities, retains approximately 100% weight, and produces no lead fragments. Popular for hunting and bear defense in handguns.

Construction

Solid copper hollow point (Barnes X-Bullet design). Lead-free. Four petals open reliably through barriers. Deep penetration due to solid copper weight retention.

Best use

HuntingSelf-DefenseLaw Enforcement

Penetration

16″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.62″

Nosler's lead-free all-copper hunting bullet. Polymer tip, relief grooves, and polymer tip for consistent expansion. Required in California and other lead-restricted areas.

Construction

Monolithic gilding metal (lead-free) bullet with a polymer tip. Dual-diameter relief grooves reduce fouling and barrel friction. Expands reliably across a wide velocity range.

Best use

Hunting

Penetration

20″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.55″

Hornady's Extremely Low Drag – Match bullet. Same Heat Shield polymer tip as the ELD-X, but optimized for competition accuracy rather than terminal expansion. Very high BC. Used in Hornady ELD Match factory loads for PRS and long-range competition.

Construction

Extremely Low Drag Match bullet. Heat Shield polymer tip (same material as ELD-X but non-expanding profile). AMP jacket for precision. Designed purely for long-range accuracy, not terminal performance.

Best use

CompetitionTarget/Training

Hornady's Extremely Low Drag eXpanding bullet. Heat Shield polymer tip resists aerodynamic heating that melts standard polymer tips at long range. Excellent BC.

Construction

Interlock mechanically locks jacket to core. Heat Shield tip is a new polymer formulation that maintains shape at supersonic velocities unlike standard ABS polymer tips. High BC for long-range hunting.

Best use

HuntingCompetition

Penetration

20″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.52″

Hornady's jacketed hollow point bullet used in their Custom and American Gunner lines. Designed for controlled, uniform expansion. Popular for handgun hunting.

Construction

Cannelured copper jacket with a serrated hollow point nose. Controlled expansion at various velocities. Weight retention typically 95%+.

Best use

Self-DefenseHunting

Penetration

14.5″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.58″

Federal's premier law enforcement and defensive hollow point. Skived jacket ensures consistent expansion across all test media including heavy clothing.

Construction

Copper jacket with pre-skived (cut) petals and a large hollow cavity. Expands reliably through 4 layers of denim. Near 100% weight retention. Standard FBI defensive test passer.

Best use

Self-DefenseLaw Enforcement

Penetration

14″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.72″

Bullet designed to disintegrate on contact with hard surfaces. Used for reduced-ricochet training, hostage rescue, and aircraft/ship protection where over-penetration is unacceptable.

Construction

Compressed metal powder (usually copper-tin or copper-bismuth) bonded under pressure. Shatters on steel backstops or hard surfaces but behaves normally against soft tissue. Lead-free.

Best use

Target/TrainingLaw EnforcementMilitary

Penetration

8″ (FBI gel)

Standard training and military projectile. A lead core fully enclosed in a harder copper or guilding metal jacket. Does not expand. Required by Geneva Convention for military use.

Construction

Lead core enclosed in a gilding metal (copper-zinc alloy) or copper jacket. Jacket covers the base and sides, exposing a flat or round lead tip.

Best use

Target/TrainingMilitary

Penetration

18″ (FBI gel)

Speer's flagship bonded defensive hollow point. Pioneered electrochemical bonding process. The most adopted defensive round in US law enforcement history.

Construction

Electrochemically bonded jacket and core. Uniform jacket thickness prevents "peeling" and core separation. Consistent expansion through barriers. Gold Dot G2 features a recessed dish-top for 9mm sub-compacts.

Best use

Self-DefenseLaw Enforcement

Penetration

13.5″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.68″

US military 5.56mm standard ball projectile (SS109 design). Steel penetrator tip over lead core with mild steel penetrator. Penetrates body armor at close range. Controversial ATF classification history.

Construction

62-grain FMJ with a mild steel penetrator tip over a lead core. Gilding metal jacket. Designed to penetrate Soviet steel helmets and body armor. Longer than M193, requires 1:9 or faster twist.

Best use

MilitaryTarget/Training

Penetration

24″ (FBI gel)

Lead alloyed with antimony and tin for significantly greater hardness than soft cast lead. Resists deformation and barrel leading at higher velocities. Standard for hunting and bear defense loads in revolvers and lever guns — the wide flat nose (WFN) variant maximizes wound channel diameter.

Construction

Lead alloy hardened with antimony (typically 2-8%) and sometimes tin. Does not expand. Maintains diameter through deep penetration. Preferred for dangerous game and bear defense.

Best use

HuntingSelf-Defense

Penetration

30″ (FBI gel)

Generic hollow point — an open cavity in the nose that causes the bullet to expand on impact. Covers unjacketed lead HP (.22 LR, revolver), lightly jacketed, and plated variants. For fully jacketed defensive loads, see JHP.

Construction

Lead or lead-alloy bullet with a hollow cavity in the nose. Hydraulic pressure on impact causes the cavity to expand, increasing diameter. Unjacketed HP expands at lower velocities.

Best use

Self-DefenseHunting

Penetration

12.5″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.55″

Defensive and hunting projectile with a hollow cavity in the nose that causes the bullet to expand upon impact. Increases diameter and transfers energy efficiently while reducing over-penetration.

Construction

Lead core with a copper jacket that has a hollow cavity at the nose. Upon impact with soft tissue, hydraulic pressure forces the jacket petals to peel back, dramatically increasing diameter.

Best use

Self-DefenseHunting

Penetration

13.5″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.65″

Similar to SP — a partially jacketed bullet with exposed lead at the nose. Common in revolver and pistol hunting loads as well as rifle hunting.

Construction

Lead core fully jacketed on the sides and base, with a partial jacket that stops short of the nose, leaving a soft lead point exposed.

Best use

HuntingSelf-Defense

Penetration

20″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.52″

Flat-nosed lead bullet for lever-action tubular magazines. Flat nose prevents recoil-initiated primer strikes in tubes. Also used for cowboy action.

Construction

Lead alloy with a flat or truncated cone nose profile. Designed for tubular magazines where pointed bullets could cause chain-fire if a recoil initiates primer contact.

Best use

Target/TrainingHunting

Penetration

20″ (FBI gel)

All-lead hollow point projectile. Expands at low velocity without a jacket. Used in .22 LR and low-velocity revolver loads.

Construction

Lead alloy bullet with a hollow cavity in the nose. Expands at lower velocities than jacketed bullets, making it suitable for rimfire and low-pressure revolver cartridges.

Best use

HuntingSelf-Defense

Penetration

10″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.45″

Traditional all-lead pistol bullet without a copper jacket. Used for cowboy action and low-velocity range shooting. Not recommended for polygonal-rifled barrels (Glock warning).

Construction

Uncoated or wax-lubricated lead alloy bullet. Soft, low-pressure applications. Round nose profile for reliable feeding in semi-autos.

Best use

Target/Training

Penetration

18″ (FBI gel)

Non-expanding solid copper bullet used for deep penetration, especially on thick-skinned dangerous game. Does not deform significantly on impact.

Construction

Solid copper (unalloyed) or copper-nickel projectile. Maintains its shape through thick hide and bone. Popular for Cape buffalo, elephant, and other thick-skinned African game.

Best use

Hunting

Penetration

30″ (FBI gel)

Original US military 5.56mm ball projectile. 55-grain FMJ lead core. Superseded by M855 in the 1980s but still widely used for training and civilian applications.

Construction

55-grain FMJ lead core with a gilding metal jacket. Optimized for 1:12 twist rate. Slightly shorter and lighter than M855. Lead core construction.

Best use

MilitaryTarget/Training

Penetration

24″ (FBI gel)

US Army replacement for M855. Solid copper rear slug with a steel penetrator. Lead-free. Improved barrier penetration, reduced muzzle flash, and environmentally friendly.

Construction

Reverse-drawn copper alloy rear slug with a hardened steel penetrator and a small lead plug. No lead in the projectile body. Consistent performance against soft targets and barriers.

Best use

Military

Penetration

26″ (FBI gel)

Projectile machined or formed from a single piece of metal (typically copper, bronze, or copper alloy). No core-jacket separation possible. Used for deep penetration on dangerous game.

Construction

Single material construction — usually C10100 copper, gilding metal, or copper-nickel alloy. Lathe-turned or swaged. Heat-treated in some designs. Relief grooves to reduce fouling.

Best use

Hunting

Penetration

30″ (FBI gel)

Catch-all term for precision match bullets where the jacket is drawn from the nose end, leaving a small open tip. Accurate due to uniform jacket thickness. Common in military sniper use.

Construction

Jacket drawn from the nose to ensure uniform wall thickness and concentricity. Boat tail base. Not intended to expand — the open tip is an artifact of manufacture.

Best use

CompetitionMilitaryTarget/Training

Penetration

18″ (FBI gel)

Nosler's iconic dual-core hunting bullet invented in 1946. A partition in the jacket separates two lead cores. Front core expands; rear core retains for deep penetration.

Construction

Two lead cores separated by a copper partition (wall). Front core is exposed and expands on impact. Rear core is fully enclosed and drives deep penetration after front expansion.

Best use

Hunting

Penetration

22″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.58″

Hunting rifle bullet with a plastic tip that improves BC, initiates expansion, and protects the hollow cavity from deformation in magazines.

Construction

Hollow point jacketed bullet with a plastic tip inserted into the hollow cavity. The tip streamlines the nose for improved BC. Upon impact, the tip is driven into the hollow point to initiate expansion.

Best use

Hunting

Penetration

20″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.52″

G2 Research copper projectile machined with trocar-shaped petals designed to separate and create multiple wound channels while a base slug continues for penetration.

Construction

Single piece machined copper. Upon impact, eight pre-cut trocar petals separate and penetrate radially while the base plug continues forward. Creates multiple simultaneous wound cavities.

Best use

Self-Defense

Penetration

9″ (FBI gel)

Variant of the boat tail design where the boat tail diameter is reduced below the projectile body. Used in some long-range precision designs.

Construction

Lead core with a copper jacket featuring a boat tail base where the tail diameter is smaller than the body. Reduces drag while maintaining bullet stability.

Best use

CompetitionTarget/Training

Penetration

18″ (FBI gel)

Tungsten sub-caliber penetrator in a plastic sabot. Fired from standard rifle, the sabot falls away revealing a smaller, denser penetrator. Dramatically higher velocity and penetration.

Construction

Sub-caliber tungsten carbide penetrator enclosed in a plastic sabot that provides a bore-diameter fit. Sabot discards at the muzzle. Penetrator achieves much higher velocity due to lower mass.

Best use

Military

Penetration

36″ (FBI gel)

Partial copper jacket with a lead hollow point cavity exposed at the nose. An older design — the jacket does not extend to the tip, so expansion is less controlled than modern JHP. Still effective and common in revolver and older pistol loads.

Construction

Partial copper jacket covering the base and sides, leaving the hollow-point nose exposed. Jacket controls expansion and retains the core longer than unjacketed bullets.

Best use

Self-DefenseHunting

Penetration

13″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.6″

Compromise between round-nose (for feeding) and wadcutter (for target cutting). Truncated cone profile punches cleaner holes than RN without wadcutter feeding issues.

Construction

Lead bullet with a forward truncated-cone shoulder and flat nose. Can be used in semi-automatic pistols unlike pure wadcutters. Cleaner target holes than round-nose bullets.

Best use

Target/TrainingCompetition

Penetration

10″ (FBI gel)

Sierra Bullets' flagship match projectile. BTHP design with extremely tight quality control. Used in world record long-range accuracy achievements and military sniper programs.

Construction

Exceptionally uniform jacket thickness and bullet diameter. Boat tail base. Open tip from the nose-first draw process. Available in a wide range of calibers and weights.

Best use

CompetitionMilitaryTarget/Training

Penetration

18″ (FBI gel)

Hunting bullet with lead core exposed at the tip. Lower cost than jacketed hollow points. Reliable expansion at hunting velocities. Classic deer and general hunting bullet.

Construction

Lead core with a copper jacket that leaves the tip of the lead core exposed. Exposed soft lead tip initiates expansion upon impact with tissue.

Best use

Hunting

Penetration

20″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.5″

Projectile or load loaded to remain below the speed of sound (~1,125 fps). Eliminates the ballistic crack (sonic boom) for quieter operation when used with a suppressor.

Construction

Can be any bullet construction (FMJ, HP, solid) loaded to remain subsonic. Typically heavier-for-caliber projectiles. Most effective when paired with a suppressor.

Best use

Self-DefenseHuntingMilitary

Penetration

14″ (FBI gel)

Hornady polymer-tipped hunting bullet. Polymer tip initiates reliable expansion at a wide range of velocities. High BC for flat trajectory. Excellent deer hunting bullet.

Construction

Lead core with copper jacket. Polymer tip (same polymer as the V-MAX) fills the hollow point to initiate reliable expansion and streamline the ogive for high BC.

Best use

Hunting

Penetration

20″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.52″

Federal's flagship long-range hunting bullet. Slipstream polymer tip, bonded lead core, AccuChannel groove. Designed to expand reliably from point-blank to extreme range.

Construction

Bonded lead core with a nickel-plated jacket. Slipstream polymer tip. AccuChannel groove for reduced fouling. High BC design for long-range hunting applications.

Best use

Hunting

Penetration

22″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.55″

Barnes TSX with a polymer tip for improved BC and more reliable expansion at lower impact velocities. The most common Barnes hunting bullet.

Construction

Same solid copper construction as TSX. Addition of polymer tip to streamline the ogive, improve BC, and ensure expansion initiation at low velocity impacts (250+ fps minimum).

Best use

Hunting

Penetration

20″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.6″

Lead core completely enclosed in copper including the base — unlike FMJ, which leaves the lead base exposed. Eliminates airborne lead at indoor ranges. Does not expand. Speer's Lawman line is the most common example.

Construction

Lead core fully enclosed by a copper jacket including the base — unlike FMJ which leaves the base exposed. Eliminates lead vaporization at the base, reducing airborne lead in indoor ranges.

Best use

Target/Training

Penetration

18″ (FBI gel)

Military-spec projectile with a pyrotechnic compound in the base that burns during flight, leaving a visible trace. Used for fire adjustment and communication in military use. Civilian use restricted.

Construction

Standard FMJ or armor-piercing body with a hollow base filled with a pyrotechnic compound (strontium salt mixture). Burns at 1600°F+ for several hundred meters. NFA regulated in some forms.

Best use

Military

Penetration

18″ (FBI gel)

Barnes all-copper solid with four relief grooves. Designed to expand reliably at both high and low velocities. Lead-free. Near 100% weight retention.

Construction

Solid copper (C23000 gilding metal) projectile with relief grooves to reduce pressure and fouling. Hollow point opens into four uniform petals on impact. Lead-free for restricted areas.

Best use

HuntingMilitaryLaw Enforcement

Penetration

20″ (FBI gel)

Expansion

0.62″

Hornady's polymer-tipped varmint bullet. Designed for explosive fragmentation at high velocity — fast kills with minimal ricochets on coyotes, prairie dogs, and other small pests. Not suitable for larger game.

Construction

Thin copper jacket with a polymer tip. Designed for rapid fragmentation on varmints — creates explosive terminal performance. Not suitable for self-defense (over-penetration/under-penetration risk).

Best use

Varmint HuntingTarget/Training

Flat-faced lead bullet designed to punch clean holes in paper targets for easy scoring. Used in competitive target shooting at low velocity.

Construction

Cylindrical lead bullet with a completely flat nose. The sharp corner cuts a clean round hole in paper. Low velocity, used in .38 Special and other target calibers.

Best use

CompetitionTarget/Training

Penetration

8″ (FBI gel)