The Blue Bullets (2024)

FAQs

What do blue tip FN bullets do? ›

As the name suggests, blue tip ammo has a distinct blue polymer tip that is, you guessed it, blue. The polymer offers several purported benefits. Including expanded bullet flight, improved ballistics, and smoother feeding, but more on that below.

Shortages are most noticeable for 9mm Luger, 40 S&W and 45 ACP, all common law enforcement and military cartridges. Accelerated production of ammo for military and law enforcement also causes shortages in the civilian market.

blue bullets. At first glance, they may look like powder-coated projectiles, but these lead bullets are coated with a tough, blue polymer material. I pulled some after some overly aggressive (for science!) crimping to see how the “jackets” held up, and they looked pristine — no exposed lead visible.

Military ammo with a red tip indicates tracer ammunition. Tracer bullets have a hollow base that is filled with magnesium. The flash from the propellant ignites this flammable metal which burns and becomes brightly visible in flight.

The SS190 FMJ, (5.7x28mm) is classified by the ATF as armor-piercing handgun ammunition and for sale to military and law enforcement only. SB193/SS197 Subonic. Identified by a white tip, is not classified as armor-piercing handgun ammunition but is restricted by FN policy to military and law enforcement.

A: Yes. Under federal law it is perfectly legal to make, sell and purchase “armor-piercing” ammunition as long as you have the proper licensing.

9mm gunshots to the head are fatal a non-surprising 90% of the time. Most of these fatalities occur right on the spot. On rare occasion, the other 10% cling to life enough to make it to the emergency room (ER).

What is the approximate effective range of a 9mm short pistol? The round, through a 5″ “full-length” pistol barrel, was designed to be lethal at any distance out to 50m. Most defense experts consider the round to be “effective” (as in it's not only lethal but can be easily kept on target) out to about 25m.

Bullet technology caught up, allowing the 9mm to perform as well as the . 40 S&W so it made sense to go to the 9mm which gave you more rounds in your duty gun, more rounds in your backup piece, lower recoil impulse which allowed getting back on target more quickly and cheaper ammo. Also guns lasted longer.

One of the primary purposes of “purple bullets” was to reduce the risk of exposure to lead during indoor shooting, or by frequent shooters.

What is black tip ammo used for? ›

Black tips often indicate armor-piercing rounds. These rounds are designed to penetrate armored targets effectively. Blue tips usually denote incendiary or practice rounds. Incendiary rounds are designed to ignite targets upon impact.

Green tip - or M855 is just a boat tail bullet with a steel tip. It still has a lead core and a copper jacket.

In some military forces, hollow points are banned because that country ratified the Hague Convention, which includes a ban on bullets designed to expand or flatten in the human body. The US government did not ratify that particular article and reserves the right to use hollow points.

Made famous by Winchester, the Ballistic Silver Tip bullet is considered to be one of the most devastating bullets for big game. Big game hunters praise this bullet for its proven precision and immediate knockdown power on the target. The tip of the bullet is not made of real silver, or even real metal for that matter.

Green tip ammo came about in the 1970s, and ten years later, it was adopted by the US military. During this time, they painted the tip green, which was meant to show that it could penetrate armor. To this day, it is sold and contains those green tips that make it stand out.

In the Russian, Israeli, and Chinese color systems, black tips often represent Armor-Piercing AND Incendiary ammo. Blue: Usually denotes Incendiary rounds, which ignite upon impact, or Practice rounds, which are inert and designed for training purposes.

Various nations have their unique color codes, but in the US it is typical that red tips are Tracers, black tips indicate Armor Piercing, blue tips mean Incendiary, silver tips are Armor Piercing Incendiary, yellow tips are exploding 'spotter' rounds, and green tips with a silver band would be frangible ball that ...

The full metal jacket flat nose (or FMJ-FN) is just as the name implies – a full metal jacketed bullet with a flat nose. This type of ammunition is popular among pistol shooters and is often sold on-site at shooting ranges, both indoor and outdoor.