Explosive bullets are used in military affairs and hunting. Despite the existing bans, they are used in our time, as well as made independently. They can have a different device, caliber and action, so you should familiarize yourself with them in more detail.
The history of explosive bullets
Explosive bullets include the most controversial information on the use of small arms during the Second World War. Official sources are silent about their use, but memoirs do not hide this. Similar cartridges were in service with both sides, but in limited quantities. Aviation was the main consumer of such complex and expensive products.
The types of ammunition used were not taken into account at the first stage of the war. Only in the summer of 1943, doctors discovered fragments of bullets in dubious wounds. The research results were brought to the army. Since information on the production of explosive cartridges is silent, we can conclude that they appeared along with firearms.
Bullets with a bursting charge were used to combat enemy aircraft in the 18th century and were made by remaking bullets with a spherical top. The defeat of balloons required the use of a more impact-sensitive structure with a capsule protruding at the top of the top, and to destroy durable equipment, its cap was sunk into the hole located on top of the product. In 1916, the explosive charge bullets entered service with the British Army.
Action of explosive bullets
There are many misconceptions associated with such cartridges. To understand what information is true, you should find out what the explosive bullet device is. They consist of a shell, capsule, striker, fuse and explosive.
The defeat of a bullet is achieved due to the fact that it scatters into a large number of fragments. If they enter the body, a person has a chance of survival. However, such ammunition was banned for use on the enemy’s manpower, but this does not apply to cases where there is a struggle with aircraft and armored vehicles.
An explosive cartridge carries an explosive charge, which detonates if it hits an obstacle. These ammunition are not costly for production, but have high efficiency. For causing significant losses, armored vehicles should not use bullets, because they can not carry enough charge for this. Although they are ideal for working on enemy air targets. Explosive bullets are diverse in design, but in most cases have the same principle of operation.
A variety of explosive bullets for hunting
It is incorrect to call explosive cartridges simple bullets with a void in the front, which, when hit in an obstacle, are broken into pieces. This is only due to bullet deformation due to the force of the impact. It is worth familiarizing yourself with their various types in order to understand this topic in more detail.
Bullet mida
The oldest can be called an explosive bullet, which was invented by Mead. It has an outer shell of lead and an inner spherical shell of brass. In front, it has a seed hole with an impact composition, and in the back - an eye for a rope tail. Thanks to its presence, the bullet hits the target with the seed. Products without a tail can be used for rifled trunks. Their prototype could be an artillery grenade, which is equipped with a wick, ignited by powder gases.
Round explosive bullets
Round bullets do not deserve attention for their ballistic properties. The void inside, intended for explosives, has a small volume and significantly facilitates the bullet. Such an ammunition has a different flight path, and also loses its speed much faster. The proper effect cannot be obtained with small quantities of explosive composition.
Oblong bullets
Oblong bullets are more perfect. They have a total length of 26 mm. Moreover, the total diameter is 14.9 mm, the diameter of the void is 5.5 mm, and its depth is 14 mm. 0.2 g of smoky powder is poured into a sheet of iron, which is inserted into a cylindrical channel. A capsule is inserted onto the front of the tube, penetrating into the bullet. To fix it in the pool and eliminate possible loss, lead is rolled onto the edge of the bullet. This product is used in rifled guns designed for hunting dangerous large animals. For them, it is advisable to use explosive bullets 12 gauge, so they can stop a large beast.
Explosive bullet Ushakova
The Ushakov explosive bullet has a pin instead of a tube. In addition, the capsule is installed at the bottom of the cylindrical channel. Friction holds the front of the pin in a lead plug. To reduce sensitivity, it is shortened or moved further from the capsule. To use these ammunition for a smooth-bore gun, it is necessary to ensure the flight of the bullet head forward. This can be done by attaching a tail made of wood.
The use of explosive bullets for hunting
For hunting, the most important characteristics of the bullets used are the stopping effect and the accuracy of the shot. According to Josser's formula, the first indicator is equal to the product of the cross-sectional area of the product by its kinetic energy. This does not take into account the structure of ammunition.
Considering the design features of bullets for smooth-bore weapons for hunting, it is worth mentioning the explosive bullets "Jacan". They increase the stopping effect, but in the case of shooting in the bushes do not open well enough. Today they are very difficult to find.
Until recently, cartridges with a similar action were not offered to hunters. For this reason, a free "niche" was occupied by Duplex cartridges, which became a novelty for them in the domestic market. In Europe, they have been showing a good side for a long time.
Explosive bullets from the manufacturer "Duplex" will become indispensable when hunting in places with limited visibility and in the forest. If the beast appears in sight, you can immediately shoot if possible. An explosive bullet is able to immobilize an elk, bear or boar. The choice will remain with the hunter which of the cartridges is better to choose. Explosive bullets will be much more effective, but will cost more.
Explosive Pneumatic Bullets
Many fans of shooting from airguns are saddened by the lack of explosive explosives on sale. Their presence provides nothing but a spectacular shot. In addition, they can try to make explosive bullets with their own hands. Before trusting the proposed methods, which can often be found on the forums, it is worth thinking carefully. In the absence of experience and knowledge in the field of creating cartridges, you should not do this. When detonating manufactured bullets at home, their tail part very often comes off. At the same time, it will fly at an enormous speed into the arrow.
Most often, explosive bullets for pneumatics 4.5 are made, since this caliber is small. But it is worthwhile to understand that the prepared compositions for explosive pneumatic bullets contain harmful chemical compounds. They can poison everyone around. Before you make an explosive bullet with your own hands, you should think about the fact that the effect of a shot can cost disastrous consequences.
Explosive bullet "doom-doom"
This name was given to expansive bullets. They are special products that increase in diameter due to their design. This occurs when it enters the soft tissues of a person, after which its striking ability increases.
Expansiveness is the ability of a bullet to increase the diameter that it originally had. They act not only in the body, but also in any other soft environment. To date, explosive bullets "doom-doom" are prohibited for use in military weapons. Moreover, they are widely used in the process of hunting and self-defense. It is considered unacceptable to use bullets from the whole shell of a military model.
For a long time, soft bullets of lead without a shell with a large caliber were used for handguns. For example, it could be explosive bullets 12 gauge. If it enters a mild environment, they increase in diameter. Thus, they are capable of causing significant injuries to both the beast and man. Recently, the military began to switch to weapons with a small caliber.
These cartridges quite often could not cope with the pressure formed by smokeless powder in the barrel of the weapon. Given this circumstance, designers began to use products that had a shell on top of a lead core. It is made of metals such as copper, steel, brass and cupronickel. These cartridges go along the rifling of the barrel with reliability, without polluting it.
Explosive bullets "doom-doom" were banned for use by the Hague Convention in 1899. This declaration has been approved and signed by fifteen countries. Eleven states abstained from signing. One of the reasons for the adoption of the declaration was humanity. In addition, the ammunition did not have a high flight speed, which reduced their range. At the same time, the “doom-doom” bullet broke from the rifling inside the barrel, driving them with lead. Another drawback is the deformation of the cartridge at the time of its submission from the store. This leads to delays in shooting or to a complete failure of the weapon.
The use of explosive bullets in the 21st century
To date, these bullets have not lost their relevance, despite the current ban on military use. They are required for tasks, the determining factor of which is the increased stopping effect of ammunition. In this case, the firing range does not matter. This condition applies to pistols and hunting rifles. They are equally relevant both in military affairs and in hunting. Particularly popular are oblong explosive bullets for air.
In addition, they are used because they do not leave wounded animals among animals that will be doomed to death. A similar quality made them in demand for police operations. This is due to the high stopping effect, as well as the small probability of hitting the target right through, which excludes the possibility of hitting random passers-by.