Many factors contribute to your proper use of a gun, but one of the most significant elements in your ammunition option. A gun without appropriate rounds can’t reach its finest efficiency.
Hence, before getting the professional state of shooting, you need to know how to choose the right ammunition for your gun.
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How To Choose The Right Ammunition For Your Gun?
In this post, we will divide the ammunition picking method depending on specific purposes. However, the decisive step for this task is determining the suitable bullet size and caliber. Let’s get into it first.
#1. Picking The Suitable Caliber And Bullet Size
As a term in the gun-making industry, caliber means the barrel’s diameter that the bullet must go through before flying outside of the gun. For this reason, if you can measure the caliber’s size, you can also find out the bullet’s size.
Whenever you buy a gun, especially the first purchase, the seller will give you a brief knowledge about bullets and caliber. There are some common sizes for specific guns:
- .22LR: If you are using pistols or rifles, this small round can be a great choice. A 22LR bullet can cause fatal consequences and fit self-defense nicely, but it is not superior to pellet guns. Besides, this ammunition is an appropriate sidekick for people first learning how to use a gun due to its affordable price, limited recoil, and kick.
- 9mm: Between the 9mm and 22LR round, you can find some other options. Yet, these alternatives are similar in size to the 9mm bullet, and the only difference is the amount of gunpowder in each size. For self-defense, you should take advantage of this ammunition size. 9mm bullets can puncture the attackers within close range while producing little recoil.
- .38 Special: Compared to these two sizes above, the .38 Special is bigger and has more power. When deciding to take this ammunition size, you have to be ready for more recoil, especially if you use a gun smaller than the recommended gun size for this bullet.
- .223 and .308: These bullets are suitable for assault rifles, and you can use them to have fun at the shooting range. Although both of these ammunition sizes will work well with self-defense purposes, they will require bigger guns, which leads to limited flexibility.
- 12 Gauge: You can find this shotgun ammunition size in any gun shop. Apart from 12 Gauge, there are also the bigger size of 10 Gauge, and the smaller size of 20 Gauge. This bullet size will bring the finest user experience for hunters.
Bear in mind that the foremost task you have to do before choosing the right ammunition for your gun is to determine its size. The bullet’s diameter will be similar to your gun’s barrel. Therefore, you can’t use ammunition normally if it doesn’t fit the barrel, not to mention mastering it excellently.
There should be enough preparation to get to the main point of this post, to opt for ammunition with specific shooting purposes.
#2. Ammunition For Practising Purpose
If you get a gun for training or practicing, using too powerful bullets may be extravagant. Since powerful bullets will have a great amount of gunpowder, that will cost you more money. We bet that you don’t want to waste a lot of money just for entertaining shooting.
FMJ or Full Metal Jacket ammunition is especially suitable for handguns and rifles. There is a soft lead in the middle of an FMJ bullet. While on the outside, the metal shell will cover the whole bullet. Making this type of ammunition is simple, so it won’t cost you much money and would be suitable for training shooting.
On the other hand, if your gun is a shotgun, lightweight ammunition can be a decent choice. The bullets for this purpose are usually less than 7.5 shots. Inside the shell, the pellets are lead, so the total weight of the rounds is much lighter.
Besides the ammunition’s cost, you should look at the recoil when finding bullets for your practicing. Since training will involve many shooting trials, you may get hand fatigue if recoils happen at a constant pace. To cope with this problem, you should apply ammunition that has a small-bore rim.
#3. Ammunition For Self-Defense Purpose
Finding a bullet for a self-defense gun will require you to pay more than expected. Moreover, the round you choose must be able to quickly terminate the threat. By that, we mean ammunition for self-defense guns should bring excellent reliability and powerful force.
Luckily, the hollow points round has both of these features. This type of bullet has an empty cavity tip, creating a large hole at its contacting point.
A large hole means a large wound. Plus, the hollow points round has a prominent penetration and sticks on the hitting spot so that it won’t cause further injury to people around.
What’s more, if your self-defense gun is a shotgun, you can rely on buckshot ammunition. This type of bullet can generate decent damage due to its large shape.
#4. Ammunition For Hunting Purpose
When seeking ammunition for hunting guns, you can count on the bullet’s features of a self-defense gun. The shot must tackle down the prey within a small amount of time.
The only difference between the bullets for hunting and self-defense is the penetration. For hunting, the ammunition has to create better penetration than the self-defense one. The reason is that animals have a layer of fur and thicker skins than humans.
Bottom Lines
Applying the appropriate bullets for your guns will assist you in executing powerful and precise shots. Therefore, you should know how to choose the right ammunition for your gun.
All of these four guides above are just references, and you should take on more trials and practices to know which kind of rounds will suit your guns best.
I am Jerry Gonzalez, and my heart beats for the great outdoors, especially in the breathtaking landscapes of Helena, Montana. Engaging with fellow enthusiasts online and at local hunting clubs has been a rewarding experience, and I find great joy in sharing knowledge and experiences with like-minded individuals. My goal is to empower my fellow hunters with well-informed choices, regardless of their experience level.