Bullets That Shatter

Hollow Point

• Hollow-point bullets are a type of ammunition that expands after hitting its target. They are also called "expanding point" or "dum dum" bullets. The bullet has a hollow pit in the front that is usually filled with lead and sometimes covered by a thin layer of steel or copper. The bullet will penetrate its target, then it will flatten out, or "mushroom." Some hollow-point bullets are designed to fragment as well. Because it flattens or fragments upon impact, the bullet typically will not exit its target and hit unintended bystanders, which some gun advocates believe make it a safer round. However, the expansion of the bullet can cause a great deal of tissue damage if fired into a person or animal.

Frangible

• Frangible rounds are constructed to break up and disintegrate after hitting hard objects like a wall. This ammunition is ideal for military combat in close quarters and security situations where there are large crowds of people because the bullet is less likely to ricochet or travel through a soft-tissue target. Unlike most bullets, it is not made of lead. Frangible rounds are made up of hybrid materials and glued together. The Glaser Safety Slug is a well-known frangible bullet with a polymer cap and filled with small, round pieces of shot. It was developed in 1974 for air marshals to use on airplanes.

Incendiary

• Incendiary ammunition has been used in several wars since World War I. These types of bullets have explosives in the shell with an incendiary charge. The bullet penetrates the target, then it explodes, causing more damage. The first incendiary bullets used phosphorous as an explosive. One modern type of incendiary bullet has a barium-aluminum compound in the front that detonates with a temperature of about 3,000 degrees. Armor-piercing bullets are also a type of incendiary ammunition.

Legality

• Most U.S. states have differing laws on the legality of a private citizen using bullets that shatter. Incendiary rounds have many restrictions and are illegal in most states, although the military uses them in training exercises and in combat. Frangible rounds have gained in popularity at gun ranges for safety as well as for their nontoxic materials. Hollow-point bullets are popular with police officers in several countries and private citizens for both safety and hunting purposes. The Hague Convention of 1889 outlaws hollow-point bullets in warfare, and they are used only for hunting by private citizens in the United Kingdom.