Topic: Bullet materials: is there a general database?

[Brandon Bertolli]

Is there a way for me to find out what materials are being used to manufacture bullets? For example I know that the Winchester Silvertip is sometimes manufactured with aluminium (or aluminum for those in the US) jackets but also can be manufactured with plated copper jackets. The significance is that the aluminium jacket is invisible on X-ray whereas the copper one is not. Along the same lines, I am interested in finding out whether manufacturers may use ferromagnetic jackets on some styles and calibres and use non-ferromagnetic jackets on others. I am trying to make a database of projectiles as identified radiologically, for the purpose of identifying those retained bullets that may pose a hazard in magnetic resonance scanners in the hospital.
I have written to Winchester but received no reply (I gave them a few months). Perhaps someone here can give me a known contact for them or better still if a database of materials exists for commercially-produced ammunition, I would be very interested in purchasing it.

[Michael Haag]

As with most things Brandon, its never easy.
Winchester has stopped the Al jacket manufacturing for a year or two now, so the Al versions will slowly fade away.  I'm sure we will see them for some time, but they will decrease in number.
Most of the old Communist countries and many other European countries will have bullets with steel jackets... most will have a copper wash, but will still be steel/ferric.
Remington has the Golden Saber which is a brass jacket.  
Then you can get into frangible ammunition, which can have copper, tungsten, moly, tin, steel, and lots of other things.
Now think of shot and you can have bismuth and tungsten for starters.
Hope that helps.  I'd love to see your data when you are done.  I encourage you to submit your article to the AFTE Journal.
mgh

[Brandon Bertolli]

@ mgh308win

That's interesting about the Al jackets being ditched. Why did they do it, and have they done it on all the calibres involved?

[Michael Haag]

As far as orignially why they tried Al, dunno.  Velocity (according to a contact at Win) was the key factor in which ctgs got Al of Ni over Cu.  Fast stuff (357, 9mm Luger, etc) would spall or smear the Al.  Bad rifling grip.  Slow stuff (45ACP, 380 ACP, 38 Spl) would work fine.