Bullet Base Styles (particularly jacket attachment type)

General Ammunition Discussion
#1

I do a fair amount of gunshot wound research and I post cases on LinkedIn (mainly for clinical and forensic audiences). In many of my research cases the bullets were either imaged by X-ray or were retrieved at surgery and I got to photograph them.

I’ve noticed a significant variation in the appearances of the bases of these bullets, especially when it comes to how the jacket meets the core at the base of the bullet. I would like to know if there is a standard way of describing these.

Here’s an example of four unfired 9mm bullets:

9mm_4

They have various jacket closing features, from flush, to recessed to plated. Number 2 is a sort of rolled jacket that sits proud of the core.

I have asked this question on other boards and got a variety of answers. The AFTE guys put me onto the CartWinPro team and I got a very helpful reply from Renee Jousma and Marinus Knap. They have an extensive list of descriptions of bullet bases, shapes and jacket closing types. I am not going to post that list here, but you can find it within the CartWinPro program.

So my question is: other than the CartWinPro list, have there been any other attempts to categorise bullet bases styles?

If so, I would like to know about those descriptions so I can use those to describe the bullets in my cases, rather than reinvent the wheel.

#2

Howdy OddJob
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen any sort of ‘standard’ that your looking for. I’d think most of us would say the jacket was was rolled / swaged or however / whatever to form the flat, dimpled, dished, jacketed or whatever base.

Sorry not to be of more help. Perhaps the guys at the DOJ-CCI in Rancho Cordove CA, could help? As they do teach.

#3

#4 is what is commonly called a “total metal jacket”/“TMJ”. These feature a closed base as opposed to “full metal jacket”/“FMJ” which has an open base with exposed core. Maybe that’s obvious and you knew it already, but there it is, FWIW…

Ole

#4

Thanks gents, it seems the best option so far is to go with the CartWinPro designations.

#5

I don’t have that as I think it’s for PC’s & I’m a MAC person & I don’t get into new cartridge design, or even much with ballistics to shoot, but it is a widely used program. I know it’s recommend at the Gun Smith school here in Prescott.