ASK THE GUN EDITOR
Letters containing questions for answering by Nick Harvey must be accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope. Mail your letters to: The Technical Editor, 3 Reef Street, Hill End, NSW 2850.
The Difference Between FMJ and Solid Bullets
Q In articles in the shooting press I often see the words "solid" and "full metal jacket" used in reference to certain types of rifle bullets. I have often wondered why writers don't use one term or the other to avoid confusion since there’s obviously no difference between these two types of bullets.
– Gerald Ford
A While solid and full metal jacketed (FMJ) are used to describe bullets of non-expanding design with no lead exposed at the noses, they are actually of different construction and intended fortotally different applications. The jacket thickness of the FMJ is usually about the same as the jacket on a soft-nose bullet. This type of bullet was initially developed for military use, but is available in a number of different makes for sporting use. Some examples of this type of bullet are the 55gn .224 calibre FMJs available from Speer and Hornady, but I've also used Sako and Norma FMJs. These bullets are intended for use on small fur bearing animals to
