# Ball ammunition



## Mdnitedrftr (Aug 10, 2006)

Can someone explain the pros/cons of ball ammuntion and also why one might carry ball ammo instead of JHP?


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## OMSBH44 (Jul 7, 2006)

*Ball Ammo?*

I can't think of any good reason to use Ball Ammo, except in the case of a
semi-auto firearm that for some reason won't fire anything else reliably. In 
which case, the gun needs to be repaired!


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

A 1911 in 45ACP might be the only gun worth carry FMJ - some 1911s don't like hollow points.

And, in 32ACP - it is worth carrying FMJ - hollow points don't expand well in that caliber. I carry FMJ in my Keltec P32.


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## Mdnitedrftr (Aug 10, 2006)

So ball ammuntion is the same as FMJ?


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## madmag (Jan 29, 2007)

Mdnitedrftr said:


> So ball ammunition is the same as FMJ?


Yes.

Sorry to jump in the middle but I was just reading this post. Ball ammunition was the preferred term for FMJ when I was in the Army...long time ago. Maybe this comes from old military rifles that did shoot ball ammo...not sure? (No, I am not old enough to have been in when they had muzzle loaders!)

I do think there is a place for FMJ for SD. Sometimes you might want more penetration. Although I agree with others and the only handgun I use FMJ in are my .45's. In my 9mm I use HP.


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## Mdnitedrftr (Aug 10, 2006)

Ohhhhh, I thought ball and FMJ were different. Thanks for clearing that up.


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## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

I'm comfortable with ball ammo in 1911 .45s. Some 1911s won't work with anything else. If a 1911 doesn't work with HPs, ball is the only choice. It's been putting bad guys down for a century and will do so today. I would not want ball in any smaller caliber, but most 9mm/.357/.40 pistols are modern and work with HPs, unlike many 1911s.

I actually don't care for ball in subcalibers like .32 or .380. The probable need for head shots is pretty high with weak calibers like this, and round nose ammo is much more likely to deflect off the hard, rounded skull than a hollowpoint that will grab and dig in.


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## Bob Wright (May 10, 2006)

The term "Ball" was coined by the military to indicate a single bullet cartridge, whether jacketed or lead. The old M1909 .45 rounds were "Ball" cartridges. Later, the term defined a lead cored jacketed bullet, as opposed to AP.

The old .30 caliber ball cartridges were issued only in the Continental United States for traing and guard duty. Outside the U.S. the standard issue was the AP round for the M1 rifle era. Not sure about current Army issue.

But "ball", "hardball", and FMC or FMJ are usually pretty much interchangable terms. FMC stood for "Full metal cased."

During the muzzle loading era, there was a cartridge issued known as "Buck and Ball", a paper cartridge loaded with one round ball bullet and several buckshot balls. I don't recall if this were a combustible cartridge or not. The skin and foil cartridges were not, of course.


Bob Wright


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## Bob Wright (May 10, 2006)

*Bullet choice for combat...*

I just remembered that Col. Charles Askins' favorite round for combat/defense was the .45 ACP with 185 gr. jacketed wadcutter target ammo.

And, he had had experience with everything from the .357 Magnum to the .44 Magnum.

Bob Wright


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## OMSBH44 (Jul 7, 2006)

All "Ball" ammo is Full Metal Jacket, but not all Full Metal Jacket is "Ball" ammo.


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