# What is ball ammo?



## Wildman Mick (Dec 31, 2011)

Lots of confusing articles on the Internet about this. I hear the word ball ammo all the time. To me, its not a ball per se, but more like a cone. Why the term ball?


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## acidlittle (Jan 24, 2012)

Generic rounds, back when the first firearms were created, used lead balls. Basically they weren't anything special so when they say ball ammo they are usually referring to target ammo. At least that is my understanding of the subject.


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## BandOfBroz (Dec 31, 2011)

acidlittle said:


> Generic rounds, back when the first firearms were created, used lead balls. Basically they weren't anything special so when they say ball ammo they are usually referring to target ammo. At least that is my understanding of the subject.


What he said.


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## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

Might be referring to the Miniball, was like a plain lead shot ball but with more conical shape and it would spin in a rifled barrel. It revolutionized ammo.


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## solardon (Mar 2, 2012)

I believe it refers to the shape of the powder granules , not the projectile.


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## fedorthedog (Feb 28, 2012)

Ball ammo refers to round nose non hollow point or fragmenting bullets. FMJ means full metal jacket bullets (mil spec) for the rules of war per the Geneva convention. 

All ammo in early rifles was a ball of lead it was all they had. The MInni Ball was an improvement making a conical round that when fired the base expanded to the land and groves eliminating the need for a patch.


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

Gotta call it something and during the black powder days, the ammo that used, was made in the shape of a ball.

I suppose that term came forward as ammo progressed, and now FMJ is referred to as ball. Or plain Jane.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

This thread is 9 years old.
This new software is recommending things from ages ago, lol.


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## Trihonda (Aug 24, 2020)

MisterMills357 said:


> I suppose that term came forward as ammo progressed, and now FMJ is referred to as ball. Or plain Jane.


but is this correct, or just misinterpreted lingo by uneducated people? Like clip vs magazine? 
I really don’t know the answer... but ball ammo has always meant to me, lead ball, unjacketed. There is FMJ, JHP, Ball, etc. all means different things to me. But I admit I’ve heard people refer to FMJ practice ammo as “ball”, and though I personally don’t feel it’s correct, I don’t think it’s risen to the level of “clip vs mag“ to rate a correction on the verbiage.


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

Kauboy said:


> This thread is 9 years old.
> This new software is recommending things from ages ago, lol.


Yeah baby!!! I am having a zombie fest.


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

Trihonda said:


> but is this correct, or just misinterpreted lingo by uneducated people? Like clip vs magazine?
> I really don’t know the answer... but ball ammo has always meant to me, lead ball, unjacketed. There is FMJ, JHP, Ball, etc. all means different things to me. But I admit I’ve heard people refer to FMJ practice ammo as “ball”, and though I personally don’t feel it’s correct, I don’t think it’s risen to the level of “clip vs mag“ to rate a correction on the verbiage.


A lot of gun lingo is subjective , for me ball ammo was the Army issue, or called FMJ.
And it didn’t matter if it was M-16 ammo, aka 5.56 MM NATO , or whether it was M-60 MG, aka 7.62 MM NATO, or 9mm NATO.

Glossary: 
AR= Armalite Rifle, from the company that originally produced the AR 15.(Nick caught my mistake.)
Commonly referred to as Automatic Rifle, that is just a term (and you will be understood if you use it that way). Importantly, it doesn’t mean the gun is full auto, it is usually a semi-auto. 

Ball= FMJ in the Army, but we ain’t in the Army, call it either one. You are right either way.

Ball= In black powder it means a lead ball. Black powder has a lingo all its own, which is for the enthusiasts .

FMJ = Full Metal Jacket. Very, very common type of round. It is clad in metal, except in the rear of the bullet.

TMJ= Total Metal Jacket, the bulleted projectile is completely clad in a metal jacket , usually copper.

NATO= North Atlantic Treaty Organization. (That is an alliance of countries that have signed a mutual assistance treaty. To attack one, is tantamount to attacking all of them.)

MG= Machine Gun

7.62 mmNATO= A .30 caliber, you can fire it out of a .308 Winchester hunting rifle. I have. The 7.62/308 Winchester is an exceptionally popular rifle round. It is a high power type which means that it kicks.

7.62 Kalashnikov= the ComBloc .30 caliber, it is fired from an AK-47, an SKS, and I don’t how many others.
ComBloc means Communist Block, from the old Warsaw Pact Treaty.

30.06 Springfield=that is a .30 caliber rifle round, and it may be the most popular high power deer round.
It was named after the caliber and year of intro, the .30 caliber of 1906. A diminutive woman would get knocked backwards by it the first time out, but she could learn to handle it. I don’t advise that, but it’s doable.

.30 Caliber Carbine=that is the round that fits the gun, known as .30 Carbine. That gun is very suitable for women, with a mild kick plus it is a light in weight rifle. It would be exemplary as a house gun.

Clip vs Magazine= a tempest In a tea pot, call it either one. Tell em to get their panties out of a knot , if they 
don’t like it. 

MM= millimeter , most commonly a 9mm, which is equal to .355 inch or caliber. Ruger has a single action .357 mag called the Blackhawk, and it comes with an interchangeable cylinder. So that you can fire 9mm.
Caliber= One inch, or measured in inches, which is why there is a period with the caliber,eg, .45, .38,etc.
Is there anything else that I didn’t cover, that you want to know?

Now you know enough to have a beginning & a basic knowledge of of the glossary of guns. Don’t let people bull you around, just get by yourself and study.


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Holee Retro Post


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

AquaHull said:


> Holee Retro Post


Zombies need love too.


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## Nick (Nov 21, 2020)

MisterMills357 said:


> A lot of gun lingo is subjective , for me ball ammo was the Army issue, or call it FMJ.
> And it didn’t matter if it was M-16 ammo, aka 5.56 MM NATO , or whether it was M-60 MG, aka 7.62 MM NATO.
> 
> Glossary:
> ...


You missed "AR". Especially if we're talking about misinterpretation.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

It's not 'mini' ball. It's minié.


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

Nick said:


> You missed "AR". Especially if we're talking about misinterpretation.


AR= Automatic Rifle. Or ArmaLite Rifle. Which is commonly & falsely portrayed to mean a full auto. 
An AR is usually a semi auto in the civilian world.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

What Mr Mills said.
In military lingo, hard ball, or just plain ball, is either a lead or full metal metal jacket projectile for small arms. 
And since veterans bring over many military terms into civilian life, that is how it came to be.


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## Nick (Nov 21, 2020)

MisterMills357 said:


> AR= Automatic Rifle.
> Which is commonly & falsely portrayed to mean a full auto.
> An AR is usually a semi auto in the civilian world.


It actually means "ArmaLite Rifle".

AR in military terms can also mean "Army reserves".


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Nick said:


> It actually means "ArmaLite Rifle".
> 
> AR in military terms can also mean "Army reserves".


Exactly correct.
Armalite originally manufactured Eugene Stoner's design. Like the 1911 it has subsequently been copied by countless manufacturers.


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

Nick said:


> It actually means "ArmaLite Rifle".
> 
> AR in military terms can also mean "Army reserves".


You’re right, let me change it.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

Yikes, the guys are just teasing you!

Ball ammunition is the simply the rounds you carry to a formal dinner requiring a nice suit.

This ammunition differs from "jeans ammunition" due simply to its dinged profile and greasy condition. Oh, it kills--it's just sooty...


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## KUSA (Apr 21, 2016)

I think a CCI Stinger would be good ball ammo. It would fragment quickly destroying the entire ball and possibly the sack too.


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## kl0an (Mar 10, 2021)

I love military acronyms.. When I was in the Air Force, I was in the 819th RED HORSE Squadron..

RED HORSE was an acronym for Rapid Engineering Deployable Heavy Repair Squadron Engineers

We wore Red ball caps with a squadron patch on it. 

The Air Force Reserve and Guard have Red Horse Squadrons as well.


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