RIFLE AMMUNITION 101

ANATOMY OF A RIFLE CARTRIDGE PARTS OF A BULLET PARTS OF A CASE

1
1 A centerfire case is made up of the following:
1. NOSE 1. Mouth 2
1 2 The open end of a cartridge case from which
The point or tip of a bullet. Available in soft point, round nose,
1 polymer tip, flat nose, hollow-point or non-hollow-point. 6
the projectile and gasses are expelled in
firing.
2. OGIVE 3 3
The curved portion of a bullet forward of the bearing surface. 2. Neck
2 The reduced diameter cylindrical portion of a
3. CANNELURE 5
cartridge case, extending from the shoulder to the case mouth.
A groove cut or impressed into a bullet or cartridge case.
4 3. Shoulder
3 4. BASE The portion of the case that tapers from the wider body to the
Modern bullets have a flat or boat-tail base. Boat-tail bullets are BOAT-TAIL narrow neck.
2 tapered at the bottom for less drag in flight.
5 4. Primer Pocket
5. JACKET 1
Area where primer is inserted. Exact tolerances in pocket depth
RIMFIRE The material encasing the lead core. and primer construction ensure reliable ignition.
6. CORE 2 5. Extractor Groove
3 The inner section of a jacketed bullet, usually lead.
6
A groove cut in the side wall of a cartridge 4
1. BULLET 3. POWDER 5. PRIMER 7. PRESSURE RELIEF GROOVES case to help get the cartridge out of chamber.
2. CASE 4. PRIMER MIX 7
Common design used to reduce chamber pressure and 6. Head
enhance accuracy. The end of the cartridge case in which the primer is
In centerfire cartridges, priming compound is held in a self-contained 5 inserted and the surface upon which the headstamp
4 primer positioned in the center of the case, where the firing pin hits. 4 identification is imprinted. 5
In a rimfire cartridge, the priming mixture is placed around the inside
6
CENTERFIRE of the case rim where the firing pin strikes. FLAT BASE

BULLET STYLES BONDED TIPPED OPEN TIP MATCH CUP AND CORE TIPPED (NON-BONDED)
• Precision polymer tip • Cup and core design
• Match-grade bullet
• Consistent expansion • Polymer tip
• Accurate and aerodynamic
• Increased ballistic coefficient for flatter • Flatter trajectories and rapid expansion
• Precision manufactured
Tactical Bonded Tip
® ® trajectories on impact at longer range
Although they started off as just simple lead balls, rifle projectiles Berger® Hybrid Tactical Tip MatchKing
have evolved dramatically over the centuries, growing into a large
and diverse array of purpose-built bullets. Each design’s profile,
materials and features allow it to perform a specific task—target CUP AND CORE (NON-BONDED) RAPIDLY EXPANDING TIPPED FRANGIBLE
shooting, defense, competition, and more.
• Fast, flat-shooting and versatile
• Proven cup and core construction • Breaks apart on impact with hard targets
• Wind-defying performance
• Uniform jacket and lead core • Minimizes splash-back
• Minimizes drag
• Reliable accuracy and fast expansion • Perfect for indoor close-range shooting
Hi-Shok® Soft Point Tactical Ballistic TIp
• Shallow penetration American Eagle® RHT

BONDED SOFT POINT BOAT-TAIL HOLLOW POINT SOLID FMJ

• Consistent copper jacket bonded to lead core • Match-grade bullet • Military-style bullet
• Used on world’s largest, most dangerous game
• Increased weight retention • Tapered at the back or end of shank for less • Does not expand
• Maximum penetration and weight retention
• Large expansion wind drag and flatter shooting • Jacket extends from the nose to the bottom
Trophy Bonded® • Flat nose minimizes deflection
Gold Dot® • Deep penetration Sierra MatchKing
® ® • Accurate and consistent Sledgehammer® Solid FMJ of the bullet

GOLD DOT DUTY RIFLE TACTICAL BONDED TIP DUTY RIFLE TACTICAL BONDED DUTY RIFLE
High-performance polymer Nickel-plated brass Robust bonding virtually eliminates
Bullet geometry optimized for tip and boat-tail design jacket/core separation
reliable feeding in AR increase ballistic
platforms with standard or Robust bonding virtually coefficient and improve
short barrels Federal primer
eliminates jacket/core downrange performance
separation
Jacket-to-core bonding
Specially formulated Solid shank aids in high
ensures impressive weight
propellant weight retention
retention through barriers as
tough as auto glass
Solid shank drives
deep penetration
Flash-suppressed
propellants and a muzzle
velocity of up to 3220 fps
Specially formulated TACTICAL TIP MATCHKING
propellant
Nickel-plated brass
Gold Medal
Nickel-plated case match primer

Low-flash Polymer tip and boat-tail design

Non-corrosive, Federal primer ®
propellant maximize ballistic coefficient and
non-mercuric primers
improve feeding

SIGHTING IN A RIFLE PROTOCOL PROVEN

Rifle precision and accuracy hinge on properly sighting in. Follow these quick, easy steps to get on target.

1. Before firing a shot, check sight screws or scope mounts. Also bore-sight sights, you can move this point of impact to your desired target. Move open
with a collimator to estimate the point of impact and speed the sight in rear sights in the same direction you want the group to move. Adjust scopes
process. following directions on the dials. Continue this process until the group is To ensure they perform when the stakes are high, duty rifle loads go
2.Shoot from a solid rest, such as a benchrest or sand bags. Start at close where you want it. through the grueling FBI protocol. This series of tests evaluate ballistic
range to make initial sight adjustments before verifying at longer ranges. 4. Note that different ammunition might change the point of impact and performance benchmarks including a bullet’s penetration, expansion and
3. From the rest, carefully squeeze off three aimed shots. The center of the necessitate re-sighting. If your rifle gets bumped or dropped, be sure to weight retention after passing through common barriers like clothing,
resulting group of holes is the rifle’s point of impact. By adjusting your verify your point of impact. wallboard and auto glass. The higher the score, the more equipped a
given round is to stop the threat and minimize collateral risks. Federal
and Speer duty rifle loads are some of the highest-scoring available.

308 WIN. 168 GR. TACTICAL BONDED TIP

PART NO. BARE HEAVY
LE308TT2 GELATIN CLOTHING WALLBOARD GLASS
VELOCITY 2700 2700 2700 2700
PENETRATION 21.25” 22.50” 23.00” 19.00”
Note: Illustration not to scale; trajectory is that of Gold Dot 223 Rem. 62-grain (24445SP) zeroed at 100 yards. EXPANSION 0.73” DIA. 0.65” DIA. .075” DIA. 0.58” DIA.
RETAINED WT. 165 GRS. 165.6 GRS. 166.4 GRS. 112 GRS.

Understanding Trajectory
Trajectory is the arc a bullet follows as it leaves the firearm’s Velocity and bullet design determine the steepness of the arc. 223 REM. 62 GR. GOLD DOT SP
muzzle. Bullets appear to rise because the barrel is angled Low-velocity loads with round-nose bullets, if sighted for long PART NO. BARE HEAVY
ranges, will have a very high mid-range trajectory—possibly 24445SP GELATIN CLOTHING WALLBOARD GLASS
up. The bullet’s path crosses the line of sight twice—going
up near the muzzle and down through the downrange zero high enough to cause a miss on close-range targets. VELOCITY 2284 2284 2284 2284
(the distance at which the rifle is sighted in). About halfway PENETRATION 14.75” 15.00” 14.00” 12.75”
between the muzzle and the zero, the bullet hits the highest EXPANSION 0.50” DIA. 0.52” DIA. 0.51” DIA. 0.35” DIA.
point of its arc, then begins to drop. RETAINED WT. 60.1 GRS. 55 GRS. 42.4 GRS. 15.2 GRS.

WORLD’S MOST POPULAR CALIBERS

No other category of ammunition includes more unique cartridges or spans a larger array in physical size than rifle ammunition.
From tiny rimfires like the 17 HMR to the massive centerfires like the 500 Nitro Express, each option offers specific advantages that fill a certain niche for an individual shooter or situation.
7MM WIN. SHORT MAGNUM
300 WIN. SHORT MAGNUM

7MM REM. MAGNUM

375 H & H MAGNUM
500 NITRO EXPRESS

470 NITRO EXPRESS

338 WIN. MAGNUM

458 WIN. MAGNUM

300 WIN. MAGNUM

22 WIN. MAGNUM
6.5 CREEDMOOR
7MM MAUSER

22 LONG RIFLE
30-06 SPRING.

224 VALKYRIE
338 FEDERAL

22-250 REM.
25-06 REM.
30-30 WIN.
416 RIGBY

370 SAKO

280 REM.

223 REM.
308 WIN.

270 WIN.

243 WIN.
300 BLK.

17 HMR