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Rifle Ammo Information

If you go into any gun shop or shooting section at a sporting goods store, you'll likely see boxes and boxes of different rifle ammunition. There are a few basic things to know about rifle ammunition.

Propulsion
- Cartridge ammunition is either rimfire or centerfire. Rimfire bullets are the smallest rifle bullets, and fire when the rifle's firing pin strikes a point on the edge of the cartridge: the rim. Only .22 and .17 caliber bullets are rimfire. Centerfire cartridges fire when the firing pin strikes the primer in the center of the back of the cartridge. Lastly, muzzleloader rifle bullets are simply solid pieces of metal that fire when the separately loaded powder ignites behind them. They do not contain their own gunpowder as rim and centerfire cartridges do.
Size
- Manufacturers list different rifle bullets in sizes either imperial (inches) or metric (milimeters). The bigger the number, the larger the bullet. For example, a 7-mm bullet is smaller than a 9-mm bullet, and a .225-inch bullet is smaller than a .275-inch bullet.
Tips
- Rifle ammunition has different types of tips depending on the bullet's purpose. Some are pointed and others are round. Tips may be hollow to promote expansion on impact, or solid to promote deeper penetration.

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