‘Bullet’ Vocabulary

Some would argue that this blog contains trivial information, and I might agree with you. If you call a cartridge a bullet, no one dies, no one goes to jail, and life keeps on kicking. Of course, nobody dies if you use “your” when you mean “you’re,” either, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get attacked on the internet for incorrect usage. Just as misusing your in a well-formed social media argument will keep people from seeing your point, misusing firearm and shooting terminology does the same. So, I’ve put together a list of ammunition vocabulary,  often incorrectly classified as a bullet…

Disclaimer: Before I get too far into this particular blog, know that this was not written to call anyone out or make fun of anyone. This is simply a list of words associated with ammunition. If you choose to lose it in the comment section, it’s no skin off my back. This is simply an educational resource for those who genuinely want to know the difference between some of these terms. Also, this blog was purposefully titled incorrectly as “Bullet Vocabulary.”

Cartridge or Bullet

Since I so cleverly titled this blog as “bullet” vocabulary… okay, maybe not that clever. Still, I should probably explain that the title does have meaning. The word bullet is often misused. If you’ve ever seen those memes, “anatomy of a pew,” it uses funny names to describe ammunition (the whole package), broken down. But a question I’ve heard asked too often is, “what’s the anatomy of a bullet?” Most probably get what’s being asked, but it’s not the correct question. Why? Because the bullet refers to the tip of your round. It’s the part that actually hits the target, the projectile. Really, they should be saying, ammunition or cartridge; even round would work here.

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If you’ve ever been to Walmart, for example, to buy ammo, you’ll often hear, or maybe you’ve been guilty yourself of asking for a box of 9mm bullets. This, too, is incorrect. You could, or really should say, 9mm ammunition, cartridges, or rounds. And if the attendant isn’t a dick, knows what you’re talking about, and won’t try to make you feel less-than. Of course, there’s a chance he (or she) doesn’t see the error anyway or doesn’t even care.

As trivial as it may seem, these are the proper ways to use these words. Misusing them is like using “there” and “their” wrong; the only difference is bullet and cartridge don’t sound alike in spoken language. We all know what you mean, but that doesn’t mean it’s correct.

Cartridge

So, to review, a cartridge is the entire package. Within your cartridge, you have the case, bullet, and primer. A cartridge is what you’ve loaded into your magazine and what’s chambered into your firearm. A cartridge is chambered, a casing is extracted. Or, you can call it ammo or ammunition, another way of saying cartridge, as it refers to the entire package as well. 

Bullet

The bullet is the projectile. It’s called a projectile because it’s the part that’s projected out of the gun and onto or into the target. It’s the actual piece that leaves your barrel, unlike the case. Think of it this way. When you get a box of ammunition, it’s one solid unit. That ammo is placed into your magazine. When the ammo is chambered and the primer is hit, it sends the bullet through the barrel and out of the muzzle. What’s extracted from the chamber and ejected onto the ground, such as seen after firing an M4, is the case.

Case

The case is what’s left behind after you’ve fired and hopefully hit your target. It’s all those little brass (in some cases-see what I did there) pieces laying on the ground. The case is what enclosed the powder. Depending on whether you’ve purchased and shot rimfire or centerfire ammo will also depend if you can reuse those cases for reloading.

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Shell or Hull

A shell or shotshell is ammunition associated with shotguns. However, a shell is what you have when it’s loaded with all the components needed to shoot down that next meal. A hull, however, is the empty version. You might hear people refer to the hulls as “empties.”

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Bullet or Shell

Bullets and shells are also words people like to interchange. A Shell is associated with shotguns. Bullets are associated with pistols and rifles.

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