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Nose Construction

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Nose construction describes the many variations encountered on all types of ammunition, for example:

Soft point bullets provide for exposure of a portion of the core at the nose of a jacketed bullet.
Jacketed hollow point bullets have a cavity in the nose to facilitate expansion.
Semijacketed hollow point bullets have an exposed portion of the lead nose that contains a cavity.
Metal point bullets (capped bullets) consist of a standard lead bullet with a harder metal jacket over the nose to enhance bullet penetration.
Solid nose constructed of a single metal or alloy.

Click the images below for a larger version:

Soft point bullets
Courtesy of Ronnie Freels

Hollow point bullets
Courtesy of Ronnie Freels

Semijacketed
hollow point bullet
Courtesy of Ronnie Freels

Metal point bullet
Courtesy of Ronnie Freels

Full metal jacket
Courtesy of Ronnie Freels

Open point bullets (soft point, hollow point, and semijacketed bullets) offer opportunities to identity the manufacturer or source based on the construction of nose cavities. The details of the interface between jacket, core, and cavity are often proprietary in nature and readily observable.

Nose Cavity Details of Open Point Bullets
Details	Type
Serrations in the nose portion of the bullet jacket.	Silver tip
“Petals” of jacket material folded into the cavity to help retain the core within the jacket even after impact with a target.	Hollow point
Center-post design	Hydra-Shok

Click the images below for a larger version:

Serrations
Courtesy of Ronnie Freels

Folded hollow point
Courtesy of Ronnie Freels

Hydra-Shok
Courtesy of Ronnie Freels

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