Ammunition, Demystified

Book excerpt: Ammunition, Demystified is Hatcher’s Notebook for the twenty-first century. It’s a “soft” technical document intended for small caliber ammunition design and production engineers, as well as more advanced shooters and reloaders who want a more in-depth understanding of how guns and ammunition work and interact with one another. There is very little that is truly simple about small arms ammunition due to the enormous stresses to which the bullet and cartridge case structures are subjected during the firing process and the nonlinear material properties of these ammunition components. Ammunition Demystified untangles these interactions and will help put you on the path of increased understanding of a simple yet complex topic. This book encapsulates the technical knowledge acquired on bullets, cartridge cases, barrels, and ammunition testing over a career spanning four decades. It is a useful reference for shooters, reloaders, and “ammo guys” to assist them when they troubleshoot the mechanical and dispersion performance of their firearms and ammunition. Ammunition Demystified topics covered are • cartridge cases and case-chamber interaction • propellants and interior ballistics • projectile design, aerodynamics, and stability • trajectory, dispersion, accuracy • barrel: manufacture, fatigue life • ammunition: pressure and velocity testing, and load development www.bulletology.com