ballistics, ammunitionI’d like to know the differences in cavitation and penetration of these types of bullets:
Ballistic Tip
Soft Point
Hollow Point
FMJ
I can find ballistic info on each of these, but can’t find a good reference for the ballistic tip or soft point (I can for fmj and jhp)
FMJ: Full Metal Jacket, also known as 'ball'. This is a fully jacketed lead bullet (meaning it has a copper outer shell). Commonly used for practice. The military generally uses FMJ exclusively due to the Hague Convention of 1899's prohibition on expanding bullets.
Soft point: A bullet with an exposed lead tip designed to expand as it passes through the target. Generally seen on hunting ammo in rifle calibers.
Hollowpoint: Also known as a Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP). Bullets with an open hole in the tip designed to expand as they pass through the target. The expansion produces greater damage in the target, as well as making it less likely that the bullet will pass completely through the target and overpenetrate. Seen in both pistol and rifle calibers. Generally the best choice for self defense.
Ballistic tip: A bullet with a soft plastic tip. Ballistic tips are often applied to hollowpoints to make them more aerodynamic. However, not all ballistic tip bullets are designed to expand. Some match target bullets, like the Hornady A-MAX line, have ballistic tips for aerodynamic reasons even though they are not designed for expansion. Ballistic tips are also seen on some ammunition intended for use in tube fed lever action rifles, to avoid setting off the primer of the round in front of it.
Edited to Add: Regarding the elk hunting example, using an expanding bullet of some sort (hollowpoint or soft point) rather than FMJ, would provide additional terminal effect and be more likely to put the animal down quickly. On game the size of an elk, you would want to use a bullet designed for controlled expansion (such as a Barnes TSX, Nosler Partition, or Hornady SST), not something like a varmint bullet designed for very rapid expansion (such as the Barnes Varmint Grenade or Hornady V-MAX).
Within the controlled expansion category, the main difference between a soft point, hollowpoint, and a ballistic tipped hollowpoint is going to be their performance at longer range. Soft point bullets with lots of exposed lead are not particularly aerodynamic and are notoriously inconsistent at longer ranges because the exposed soft lead tip can be damaged or distorted during the loading process. This doesn't really matter if you're hunting in thick brush and will be taking the shot at close range, but in more open areas where a several hundred yard shot is a possibility, a softpoint may not be the best choice. Controlled expansion hollowpoints are generally more aerodynamic and accurate at longer ranges, and a ballistic tip can improve this even further (but remember that not all ballistic tipped bullets are designed for controlled expansion).
All content is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.