Bullet Points on Ammo Evolution

As potent as rocks could be when hurled from a sling (ask Goliath) and catapult or dropped from a castle battlement, they were limited in terms of range and accuracy. They would ultimately be rendered obsolete by a small metal projectile that has evolved greatly in over 1,000 years and rocked the world of ammunition.

It all started with a bang in 10th century China. Alchemists during the Tang Dynasty combined saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal to create fireworks. That soon led to military use, with bamboo tubes filled with gunpowder and attached to spears sending out a flame when a fuse was lit. These fire lances could also hold rocks or other projectiles, which became the first bullets.

The bullet’s evolution continued in 15th century Europe. Gunsmiths and ammunition manufacturers, responding to the development of armor and stone fortifications, shaped molten metal into sphere shapes, starting with iron and then moving to lead, the latter which was easier to produce. The lead balls were designed to be shot out of firearms and were among the first musket balls.

These remained the projectiles of choice until 1841, when French army officer Claude-Etienne Minie designed the eponymous ball that featured a conical shape and a hollow cavity in the back end. This allowed it to expand upon firing, grip the grooves, and spin out from the barrel, resulting in greater muzzle velocity, range and accuracy.

Reflecting the increasing speed of the bullets, its changes occurred more rapidly. In 1882, Swiss engineer Eduard Rubin encased a soft lead core with a copper alloy shell, introducing the first full metal jacket bullet. The result was a faster bullet that didn’t suffer deformation or lose too much metal while leaving the barrel. 

Seventeen years later, another French army officer turned inventor. Captain Georges Raymond Desaleux designed the Spitzer bullet. This elongated bullet featured a thin cylinder atop a thicker one and offered greater accuracy over longer distances. In 1901, the boat-tail base was added to the Spitzer bullet. When loaded into the first machine guns, it changed warfare. 

That brings us to modern bullets. They’re typically made of a lead core and frequently jacketed with a copper layer. Sometimes, steel or other alloy cores are used.

A modern bullet travels at an average speed of around 2,700 feet per second, compared to a musket ball going around 1,250 feet per second. Like Olympic sprinters, they’re getting faster as advances are made. One thing’s for certain: they’re considerably faster than a hurled rock. By a long shot.