copper jacket
Projectile metal sleeve
A copper jacket is the thin copper or copper-alloy casing that surrounds a bullet's lead core.
The jacket reduces lead fouling in the barrel, allows higher velocities, and controls how the bullet expands on impact.
Full metal jacket rounds are completely encased; hollow-point rounds leave the tip exposed.
The term appears in ballistics, ammunition descriptions, and crime scene analysis.
- bulletFired metal projectile
- casingEnclosing cover or frame
- ammunitionWeapon projectiles and charges
- armor piercingDefeats protective plating
- brassCopper-zinc metal mixture
metal · projectile · shell · round · firearm · gun range · caliber · lead · rifle · cartridge · slug · barrel · sheathing · plating · wire · electrical · conductor · insulation