Why aren't handgun bullets...
Someone asked me a question last night and I was stumped. He asked why pistol or auto ammo is all snub or round nosed and not pointed like rifle rounds? What is the reason for this?
Thanks,
Shane
Thanks,
Shane
0
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I assume(do not know) that cartridge over all length has something to do with it. A shorter OAL is more suitable for the action of a semi-auto or revolver. The longer the bullet, the less bearing surface there is for the same weight bullet, thereby affecting accuracy.
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NRA Life Member0 -
I am guessing that it has to do with size, diameter of the case. In the past most handguns had been of reasonable cal. Now we do have some new and smaller sizes like the FN 5.7, and the .17 HMR and Mach 2 rounds which do use a pointed bullet. Now look at a .45 ACP and try and figure out how long the bullet would have to be to have a point and stil be stable. For example look at the .45 bullets for the .45-70 (not the new lever action flat point 3-400gr bullets) the 500gr bullets are "pointed" but much larger. Another point to look at is the range they were made to at, pistols were never ment to be "long" range. When shooting at short range a less pointed bullet will transfer energy better = better stoping power. Many handguns have fairly steep feed ramps compared to rifles and rounded bullets just feed better.
So just after posting this about diameter size I came to the conclusion that I am slightly retarded. The new S&W 460 uses about a 200gr pointed bullet so that throws my idea about caliber out.
Just remember there are no stupid questions, just stupid people asking questions.
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John0 -
To add to what Peabo said,I think the pointed bullet would be harder to stabilize in the short barrel.[:)] 0 -
Terminal performance and minimum overall length. At pistol velocities a blunt of flat head is more effective than a spitzer-type bullet
Neo-Jedi Council
MemberMWC '050 -
Not to mention feeding is easier on a semi auto with rounded nose bullets, but IIRC there was a high end 1911 type gun setup for shooting full wadcutter loads. And of course full wadcutters are for well... cutting wads of paper out of targets, with nice clean edges for easy scoring. 0 -
And twist rate problems too. It isn't just bullet weight but also length. OAL is probably the biggest thing though. 0 -
pointed bullets are designed to go reeeeal far. pistol bullets are designed to knock you down at short range. 0 -
A pointed bullet would be longer and necessitate deeper seating of the bullet, reducing case capacity and altering internal ballistics. In some cases that would make it impossible to crimp the bullet in place, something required in heavy handgun loads.In many cases you may reduce velocity and/or increase pressure. I have heard of people using pointed bullets in single shot handguns without problems. 0 -
Another reason may be that rifle bullets are pointed to improve ballistic coefficient as it needs to be in the air for longer distances and at much higher speeds.
Handguns can get by with more blunt bullets as they are intended for shorter ranges at slower speeds where "BC" is not such a big deal when compared to rifle performance. Bullet length in handguns is designed to keep the grip frames in semi-autos limited in size so more people can use them and in revolvers so the overall length is kept down for handling and marketability - IMHO.
Joe
"Never let school interfere with your education"0 -
Great info guys, as always thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Shane0
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