Nomenclature- bullet tips?

[fatelk]

Normally things like this don't bother me, things like the whole "Clip vs. Magazine" controversy. Woe unto the newbie who says something about the clip for his pistol, or something of that nature. He will be verbally abused by a dozen drill sergeants. Calling a magazine a clip can get you killed on the battlefield, soldier!:)

The one that bugs me for some reason is when a projectile is referred to as a "bullet tip". I'm not going to harass anyone about it, but it does seem to be a term used most often by inexperienced reloaders, and I don't recall seeing it used much at all on this site. Funny thing is, I've never seen anyone use "boolit tips" unless they are talking about the actual tip of a boolit.

I know, I'm being nit-picky, must have too much time on my hands. Is there some way that "bullet tip" is correct terminology and I'm just missing it?:-?

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

The only way I've heard it used . . . is the very front of the boolit . . .

[fatelk]

I was talking about folks who would sell boxes of "bullet tips" on ebay, or just in general always refer to bullets as "bullet tips". I guess it's really not an issue on this forum where we all know what a bullet is.

It's really not an issue anyhow; people can call them whatever they want: bullets, boolits, bullet tips, projectiles. I think that to those who grew up calling live ammo "bullets" perhaps it makes perfect sense to call the pointed thingy on the end the "bullet tip".

I was in a sporting goods store recently when a guy came in and asked for some bullet tips for reloading. The guy behind the counter knew exactly what he wanted so it must be common usage to some degree at least.

[frankenfab]

I have heard them called "heads", but I prefer to use "bullets", "boolits", or "projectiles".

[montana_charlie]

The use comes from the fact that the user thinks the loaded round is called 'a bullet'.

He uses 'bullet tip' to specify that part of 'the bullet' which flies out of the barrel and hits the target...because he knows the brass part of 'the bullet' remains in the chamber after firing.

Using the term 'bullet tip' shows that he is much more knowledgeable than the average TV watcher...

CM

[mtnman31]

I have never like the term "bullet tips" either, same goes for "spur plate" when referring to the sprue cutter. I just let it slide since I'm not the type to jump on a guy and embarrass him or make him feel like I am trying to insult him. Proper terms and good grammar are always best but not everyone has the same level of experience, background or education. To each his own, as long as I can figure out what they mean it doesn't matter what they say or how.

[Von Gruff]

I guess I have had the exposure to our passion for long enough (I know, the grumpy old man syndrome) that I like things to be called by thier proper name and while it may annoy me I dont get bent out of shape when someone else uses another name or word to identify something. I thing it is more agravating when the media gets it wrong although thier ignorance of all thing "gun related" is, well, ignorant. Sometimes I wonder if a regional difference may be the reason.
I think along with the ones mentioned that the use of shell casings instead of cartridge cases is one to grate on me.

Von Gruff.

[Bret4207]

Head and pill drive me nuts. I could see tip when describing the polymer tips in those bullets that have them.

[44man]

Since the military always says "Lock and load one round" and I tried it but it doesn't seem to work that way, they are not good with Engish either. :veryconfu

[Hickory]

A head is something you pee into, isn't it?

[fatelk]

Bullet heads- that's what it was. That's the one that irritates me more than bullet tips.

Silly stuff like this rarely bothers me. Sometimes I even deliberately call a magazine a clip, but I'll never call a bullet a "bullet head".

Speaking of shell casings; a friend of mine said he found a bunch on the ground up in the hills recently. I warned him to be very careful of UXO, and not to go digging around in the backstop if someone's been firing that kind of artillery out there.:)

[Wayne Smith]

My problem is that there already is such a thing as a "bullet tip" as explained above. As much as possible I prefer precision in language - this does not qualify.

[montana_charlie]

Since the military always says "Lock and load one round" and I tried it but it doesn't seem to work that way, they are not good with Engish either. :veryconfu
You can Google up all sorts of internet expertise on the subject, but this seems most believable to me...

"Lock and Load"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AFAIK, the phrase was born in the early days of WWII, in connection with the M-1 Garand rifle. The M-1 has a safety located in the front of the trigger guard that controls only the trigger. When the operator pulls the safety back into the front of the trigger guard, the trigger is immobilized, rendering the gun "safe". The gun is loaded by pulling the cocking lever back, at which point the action is held open by the follower in the magazine. Then an 8-round clip (yes -- a clip -- this is the proper use of the word) is pushed down into the magazine with the thumb and the cocking lever is released, allowing the bolt to move forward into battery, preferably without mashing the operator's thumb in the process. The gun is now loaded and safety engaged. To fire the gun, the operator just pushes the safety forward, out of the trigger guard. The Garand was a very safe-to-handle gun, mostly because it was possible to load it with the safety engaged. The practise was to carry the gun unloaded with the bolt forward (and it was a real test of one's skill to push down on the follower in the empty magazine and let the bolt move forward into the closed position *without* getting one's thumb caught and mashed ("M-1 Thumb")
When a unit entered a combat situation the order was given to lock and load. AFAIK, these words were heard in a *bunch* of WWII movies, popularizing the phrase...FWIW

[Old Grump]

When a unit entered a combat situation the order was given to lock and load. AFAIK, these words were heard in a *bunch* of WWII movies, popularizing the phrase...FWIWBlame that line on John Wayne.

Yeah I really am a grumpy old man and will politely remind a man talking about clips for his 1911A1 or his Ruger 10/22 that he means magazines. I don't make a big deal out of it and I notice most will switch over to the correct terminology without any problem.

I to grew up where everybody used bullet for ammunition, every single cowboy movie I ever saw bullets was mentioned but never a word about reloading. I will ask for ('caliber'-ammunition) and not bullets. If I ask for bullets I mean bullets. My two main toy stores know me well enough by now they don't have to ask which one I mean.

[405]

Bullet tip- what the h? How about "bullet shell". Arghhh. It's almost like a basic dictionary is the rarest book on the planet. :shock:

[Char-Gar]

I have heard both bullet tips and bullet heads and both come from total ignorance of firearms nomenclature. It is added and abetted by folks who call loaded rounds bullets. None of this really bothers me, as it identifies the person as someone who is ignorant about firearms. Sometimes that is a handy thing to know.

Lock and load comes from the days of muzzle loaders when one loaded a round (ball) down the muzzle and then primed the lock with powder or a cap.

[LeadThrower]

If a cartridge is a bullet and a bullet is a bullet tip, what do these folks call the primer pocket? It strains reason to think what a punctured primer is called in their world...

[fatelk]

Speaking of clips and magazines; An old-timer once explained to me why so many guys get very particular about this one, curious if anyone knows if this is correct or not:

The story I was told is that prior to WWII it was considered perfectly correct and proper to refer to a detachable magazine for an autoloading pistol or rifle as a "clip" or "clip magazine".

With the development of the M1 Carbine and M1 Garand, drill sergeants pounded it into GIs, at the threat of bodily harm, that they were never, ever to refer to a magazine as a clip, or vice-versa. Requesting some "M1 clips" when you needed carbine ammo on the battlefield could cost lives.

His story went that since to millions of GIs this was life-and-death, it has been passed down through the generations.

I don't mean to offend anyone, just curious if there was any truth to that story.

[rhead]

I try not to let it bother me but I can't help letting their grasp of the vocabulary color my opinion of their statements. It is a strain to take someone seriously when they speak on a technical subject when they have not bothered to learn the vocabulary.

[Bret4207]

Here's one I see on TV all the time that just drives me nuts- The hero cop will be chasing the bad guys and will come to a corner and rack the slide on his bottom feeding steekin' peestol! I mean, come on! You never thought to load the gun until JUST BEFORE you think you might run into the bad guy?

[Uncle Grinch]

If you really want to upset us, let someone call them "boolit heads" or "boolit tips".

[44man]

Here's one I see on TV all the time that just drives me nuts- The hero cop will be chasing the bad guys and will come to a corner and rack the slide on his bottom feeding steekin' peestol! I mean, come on! You never thought to load the gun until JUST BEFORE you think you might run into the bad guy?
Shotguns have to be pumped 10 times too before they shoot and then never run out. :groner:

[rhead]

The phrase "Lock and load" is a holdover from muzzloader military drill. Pkacing the musket on half cock was refered to a locking the piece. It was then loaded. The term lock now refers to retracting the bolt loading is when the bolt is released to feed a round into the chamber in front of a cocked striker. Borrowing an outdated term can get confusing.. Going back to the originial definitions the phrase is on the surface meaningless.

[Cherokee]

Years ago I had a friend that had a gun shop - he called them bullet tips every time I ordered some from him. Haven't heard the term in a long time.

[David2011]

The geniuses at ebay prohibited the sale of "bullet tips" when they instituted their anti-gun policy a few years ago. That was after they discovered the Virginia State shooter looked at magazines on ebay.

David

[swheeler]

I don't see what difference it makes as long as one loads and shoots. Reading these forms I see, Remmy, Winney, Webby, Loopy,pill, tube, pipe and on and on. As long as we all cast, load and shoot boolits or bullets who cares, enjoy, don't worry-be happy.

[lwknight]

How many people have " Hot water heaters " in their homes?
I challenge anyone to find a box marked "Hot Water Heater" in any hardware store.
Why would anyone want to heat "Hot Water"?
They do sell water heaters though.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

How many people have " Hot water heaters " in their homes?
I challenge anyone to find a box marked "Hot Water Heater" in any hardware store.
Why would anyone want to heat "Hot Water"?
They do sell water heaters though.

Yeah, but . . . they do heat hot water . . . to maintain the temp . . . always use to play with people though when I worked for the gas co . . .

[AZ-Stew]

I've mentioned this before, and I'll mention it again. This is not a private forum. Anyone can look at it. Those who are less knowledgeable about firearms often take what's written here as Gospel. Same goes for those with an opposing view toward firearms. Therefore, posters here should take it upon themselves to be as accurate as possible when discussing topics in which we're all interested. Same goes for spelling, punctuation, capitalization, using the correct word in context (there, their, they're, etc.). Like it or not, people judge us by the way we express ourselves. The better we perform in that regard, the more highly we will be regarded.

Regards,

Stew

[1Shirt]

Well, just to stur the pot a bit, I have always called the pointy end the "NOSE" of the blt. But then, what's in a name?
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[Bret4207]

Ah, but what else would you use to describe the "nose" profile? "Point" kind of implies the very "tip" of the boolit/bullet? It's okay as long as we are on the same basic page, it's when people don't have a grasp of the basic nomenclature that we run into issues.

It's rather like back when I had the saw shop. Guys would come in and ask for a chainsaw "blade". What they wanted was a "bar". In the cop world people whose house was broken into would report a "robbery" when they should have said "burglary". It's just simple words that often mean a big difference. No harm in trying to at least get everyone edjaumacated.

[Rocky Raab]

I am so often ridiculed for being a "grammar cop" that I almost didn't read this thread.

Yes, lousy nomenclature drives me nuts, also. I used to get regularly cussed in the gun store when some yahoo asked for "a box of seven emm emm bullets." They'd call me stupid when I handed them exactly that. I suppose I was supposed to be a mind reader and discern that they wanted ammunition for a Remington 7mm Magnum rifle, huh?

[montana_charlie]

Those who use 'heads' to mean bullets do live among us...
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?p=1000707#post1000707
Post #5...

CM

[a.squibload]

Drive on the parkway, park in the driveway...

Bullet tips: the advice we read on Castboolits so we can make better boolits.

Bullet head: someone who logs on to Castboolits a little too much.:grin:


Cheap movies especially have the "ca-chick" noise about every time someone with a firearm
turns a corner, takes a step, etc.
Bugs me as much as the "bzzzz" noise when they rotate a revolver cylinder.

[azcruiser]

I got the SHIP VS Boat from one of my kids back in the day.Dad a SUB is a boat I'm on a SUB
so I'm in a boat not a ship ok. So now I know a carrier is a ship a ship can carry a boat but a boat can't carry a ship. My view was if you spend almost 6 month under water it ain't much of a boat

[AZ-Stew]

My view was if you spend almost 6 month under water it ain't much of a boat

Exactly! I told them I'd never serve aboard a "boat" that had a head start on sinking.

Regards,

Stew

[lwknight]

It drives scuba divers nuts when someone calls their fins " flippers "
I do it just for the fun of watching them cringe.

[Von Gruff]

[QUOTE=AZ-Stew;1001573]Exactly! I told them I'd never serve aboard a "boat" that had a head start on sinking./QUOTE]

:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

Von Gruff.

[RayinNH]

A term that is used here constantly is "hollow point". After a boolit is "hollow pointed" it's no longer pointy, in fact most were never pointed before given the process. If it were indeed a hollow point, wouldn't it just be a bullet jacket :razz:...Ray

[a.squibload]

Good point..:groner:

Same with "jacketed hollow cavity" (JHC), uh, if it was full it wouldn't be a cavity.
I guess...

[roarindan]

'em thands what comes out the barrel of yer gun is called "points", get 'em at the gun store.