There is a saying that a firearm is only as good as the ammo you put in it. While this has always been a dance for two, and ammo itself carries even less value than a firearm, this saying highlights the importance of ammunition quality. Just like a car can only go as fast as its engine will take it, a rifle can only shoot as accurately and powerfully as its ammunition allows. You might say that the comparison with the rifle’s action would have been more appropriate, but we only used it to bolster the importance of ammunition. A car can’t run without gas, but ammo is so much more than mere fuel. That’s why it’s important to choose your rifle ammo carefully, taking into account many different factors that influence its performance. In this article, we’ll explore the primary factors to consider when choosing rifle ammo so that all your buying decisions may be informed.
Table of Contents
What is Caliber and Why is It Important?
Cartridge Characteristics
Bullet Weight & Velocity
Powder Load
Bullet Design
Hunting or Target Shooting?
Conclusion
FAQs
What is Caliber and Why is It Important?
When choosing ammo, caliber is the first thing that should be taken into consideration. Caliber refers to the diameter of a bullet and its associated cartridge case, which measure the relative size of different types of ammunition. With very few examples, ammunition meant for one caliber won’t fit any other, so this is the first number you should pay attention to. The attempt to squeeze a round into an evidently not-big-enough chamber or letting rounds sit loosely in a chamber too spacious is bound to cause trouble. However big the discount, however tempting the deal – only purchase ammunition that fits your caliber.
Now about those few exceptions. Some rifle cartridges can be used interchangeably. Among rimfire calibers, the .22 LR is the most versatile, capable of shooting .22 Long, .22 Short, and .22 CB cartridges. Rimfire rifles are quite popular, with Ruger 10/22 being only one of the renowned representatives of this family. Though .22 LR ammo is considered the cheapest on the market, you can use the abovementioned ammunition without fear, should it find its way into your hands.
As for centerfire calibers, the options are as follows. A rifle chambered in .357 Magnum can fire .38 Special, but not vice versa. Seriously, that interchangeability thing is always a one-lane road, with some calibers being capable of shooting cartridges they were based on. In the same way, the 5.56mm NATO can shoot .223 Remington cartridges, the .44 Magnum rifles can utilize .44 Special rounds and the .308 Winchester rifles are compatible with 7.62mm NATO ammo. The opposite is not true for any of these calibers.
Cartridge Characteristics
Underestimating the influence a cartridge has on your accuracy is a common oversight. You might see the same rifle used by the same shooter in the same conditions showing different performance. The reason for this is the difference in ammo characteristics and those should be taken into consideration while choosing ammunition. Bullet weight and muzzle velocity are most worthy of your attention, as they affect the amount of energy delivered by a bullet and how it behaves once it leaves the barrel.
Bullet Weight & Velocity
Heavier bullets tend to be slower but better at retaining and imparting energy resulting in shots with more knock-down power. Lighter bullets, on the other hand, typically travel faster and at a steadier trajectory but lose their energy more quickly and hit with less force. To reach the degree of impact of the heavier bullets, they need more gunpowder.
The muzzle velocity is the speed of the bullet the moment it leaves the end of the barrel. It doesn’t necessarily affect the gun’s performance, but rather acts as a marker. Given that two cartridges feature the same muzzle velocity, the one with heavier bullets will inflict more damage.
Powder Load
Powder loads refer to the amount of gunpowder used in a cartridge. As you can guess, there are different types of powder available on the market. Slow-burning powders are designed to burn slowly over a longer period, allowing the bullet to travel further and faster, given the powder has enough time to burn completely. Fast-burning powders, on the other hand, are designed to burn quickly and produce higher pressures within the cartridge in the shortest amount of time. Rifles have one peculiarity that determines the type of powder used in rifle calibers: a long barrel. For rifles, slow-burning powders are preferable: long barrels give the powder enough time to complete burning and transmit all of its energy to the bullet. Fast-burning loads would give the bullet more initial acceleration that would fade more quickly.
Since all traditional rifle ammo features slow-burning powder, that knowledge might be of little value to you while choosing ammo. However, the value of this knowledge grows exponentially if you decide to reload your own ammunition.
Bullet Design
Finally, bullet design itself plays an important role in determining a cartridge’s effectiveness. The design of the bullet can improve its penetrating capabilities or increase the damage it inflicts upon contact. Hollow point rounds typically expand upon impact for maximum tissue damage; meanwhile, full metal jacketed rounds penetrate deeply with minimal expansion and fragmentation for greater accuracy over longer distances. Knowing your needs will help you choose the best type of bullet design for your particular situation.
Hunting or Target Shooting?
You now know about the factors that affect the cartridge’s performance, but how does that apply to real-world situations? Knowing those facts helps with choosing rifle ammo for different purposes like hunting and shooting. You might use the same rifle for different purposes or have several rifles equally fit for hunting and target shooting. How do you decide on the ammo to use? Here’s a brief explanation.
Hunters and target shooters pursue different goals with their shooting. Hunters need their ammo to expand well to ensure a quick and humane kill. Thus, they might benefit greatly from using cartridges with thinner jackets – they expand more effectively, creating a wider wound cavity. Soft Point and Hollow Point bullets are the most optimal choices for such tasks.
Target shooters might care more about more peculiar characteristics of a cartridge, such as bullets flight trajectory, weight, muzzle velocity and other features. Target shooting ammo is majorly Full Metal Jacket, meaning it possesses higher penetration capability than that of cartridges used for hunting and self-defense.
Conclusion
Choosing ammo that aligns with your goals is the best way to get an enjoyable and fruitful shooting experience. There are many varieties of ammo even within one caliber, and differentiating them is a skill worth acquiring. We hope we’ve managed to shed some light on the topic of choosing rifle ammo. There are not too many factors involved, given you’ve already chosen the caliber. Bullet design is probably the most important one. Keep in mind the difference between bullets with thicker and thinner jackets – and never again will this question haunt you.
FAQs
What are the Types of Rifle Ammo?
Many factors can be taken as the basis for classification. According to the primer type, there are two most common types of rifle ammunition:
Rimfire: This type of ammunition where the primer is located within a hollow rim protruding from the cartridge base. It includes popular calibers such as .22LR, .17HMR, and .22 Magnum.
Centerfire: Centerfire cartridges have a primer in the center of the base. Centerfire ammunition is more powerful than rimfire ammo. Popular calibers include .223 Remington, .308 Winchester, and 6.5 Creedmoor.
What factors should I consider when choosing the right rifle ammunition?
- Caliber: Different calibers of ammunition are designed for different types of firearms. It is essential to choose the correct caliber for your rifle, as using the wrong caliber ammo can cause significant damage to your firearm.
- Bullet Weight: Heavier bullets travel slower, but retain more energy and deliver more impactful hits. Lighter bullets travel faster and at a steadier trajectory, but lose more of their energy along the way and deliver less impactful hits.
- Bullet Design: Bullets with thicker jackets, such as FMJ, boast superior penetration capabilities. Bullets with thinner jackets, such as JHP and SP, are known for their expansion and the ability to create wider wound channels.
What is the most important factor in choosing rifle ammo?
Choosing from the factors we’ve enlisted in the previous question, bullet design takes the cake. Given you have no intention of inserting rimfire cartridges in the rifle chambered in centerfire caliber. In other cases, bullet design impacts the performance of a cartridge the most.
What is the difference between hunting and target shooting ammunition?
Hunting ammunition is typically designed for maximum expansion to deliver quick and humane game animals, while target shooting ammunition is designed to have superior penetration, as well as accuracy and consistency at long range.
