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Where did the term "BALL" ammo come from?

remingtongeo
We were coming back from the Indy gun show and the question of came up, Where did the term ball ammo come from?

We know it is the standard issue military ammo. But when and which country started using the term first?



NRA endowment member, instructor and coach.
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Comments

8 comments

Date Votes
  • nemesisenforcer
    I'm no expert and haven't found proof of it, but my theory is it came about after we adopted the 45 auto. In FMJ it's colloquially referred to as hardball. Since all military ammo has to be FMJ by law and treaty, it would be a short jump from hardball to ball and another hop from ball referring to just 45 to referring to all FMJ.

    Alternatively, it could refer to the type of powder used. There's ball and stick powder and the way I understand it, most mil ammo was/is loaded with ball powder, hence, ball ammo.

    "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you."
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  • JAK71454
    In early firearms, projectiles were round lead balls, and the usage has persisted.

    Jim Kammerer
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  • bperdue21
    if i am not mistaken, it refers to the type of powder used in the round.

    I'm not an expert, but i did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.
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  • rhmc24
    Jak71454 nailed it. Surprising how simple things get made complicated. I recall my Grandfather back in the 1930s calling a bullet a 'ball', one that was obviously not a ball because is was a lead bullet taken out of the leg of a friend. He grew up shooting round balls from his grandfather's Kentucky rifle.
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  • striderdog
    I'm certainly no expert but I think that JAK71454 is onto at least part of the trail. I live in a county not far from the Wisconsin River and there's Tower Hill State Park near its banks. The "Tower" in the name comes from the preserved/restored SHOT TOWER that you can visit there. Fascinating: this area was perhaps the largest lead mining area begining in the late 1820s--they'd take the ore and after some processing drop it in small amounts down a shaft of 100' or so (the shaft was part natural rock cliffside and part manmade timbers, etc.) The lead would "ball" up and cool on the way down. The result: lead shot. From there the ammo was loaded onto ships/barges in the Wisconsin River and then the Mississippi--or sometimes hauled overland--depending on which war was going on at the time.
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  • v35
    I believe it's military usage in small arms for single projectile as opposed to multiple shot, blank or grenade firing cartridges.
    At least dating back to the American Civil War, "Buck and Ball" cartridges were also used by the armies as well as single ball & Minie Balls. Buck and ball paper cartridges contained one large ball and four or so buckshot. They were extremely deadly at close range.
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  • RSLINTII
    Today's terminology refers to a projectial that has a "solid" & "rounded" point as different from a "hollow point" or "wad cutter" which has a flat head. Usually ball is the most basic construction bullet. Early reference was the Ball wraped in a Patch which was rammed down the smooth bore barrel after the powder. Best, Robert[;)]

    "Endurance"<P><br>
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  • drsck
    "As with so many terms dealing firearms, the word "bullet" is ultimately derived from French. It comes from boulet, literally a 'little ball'." http://civic.bev.net/shawnee/ammo.html
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