December 8, 2012, 08:10 PM | #1 |
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Heeled bullet?
Shooters:
What is a "heeled" bullet? Live well, be safe Prof Young |
December 8, 2012, 08:17 PM | #2 |
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the reduced diameter base is the heel. It allows the bullet diameter to be the same as the case it is loaded in. 22LR bullets are heeled bullets.
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December 8, 2012, 08:20 PM | #3 |
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Good question and good answer.
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December 9, 2012, 07:06 PM | #4 |
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Okay.
Question asked at 7:10. Question answered at 7:17. And answered with a picture and a brief explanation that clearly and completely answers the question. I like this place. |
December 9, 2012, 09:28 PM | #5 |
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Ok, so now we know what it is. What is the benefit of a heeled bullet?
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December 9, 2012, 10:33 PM | #6 |
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A left over from black powder days when the chamber size dictated the case size and they wanted the bullet to be the same diameter. Heeled bullets in modern ammo is very rare now because the improved powders obviates the need for the larger diameter bullet.
Negative to the heeled bullet is accuracy with higher velocity bullets, it's easier with a bullet that has one diameter for its entire body length.
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December 9, 2012, 11:08 PM | #7 |
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It's easy to drill a straight through chamber, and most early cartridges were rimmed. So a chamber was simply a hole the size of the cartridge. It's easy to cast lead into any reasonable shape, so by making the bullets fit both the inside of the case (where the heeled portion is) and the chamber (the portion with the band in the picture), which was the same diameter as the outside of the case, the manufacture of the chamber was much simplified.
When velocities jumped with the advent of smokeless powder, jacketed bullets started becoming more common and heeled bullets began to fall out of use for several reasons. One reason is that it's a pain to make a jacketed bullet with a heel, so the bullet was made to fit inside the case, and the chamber was tapered down in front of the case mouth to fit the bullet diameter. In addition, in rimless cartridges, the chamber had to provide a means to headspace the cartridge, so more complicated chamber shapes became commonplace. So it was no longer an issue to make a chamber that wasn't a straight through hole, and the higher velocities and other issues made heeled bullets less attractive. The change away from heeled bullets also helps explain the apparent disconnect between some caliber designations and the actual bullet diameters commonly associated with them. For example, the .38 special uses a .357" diameter bullet. The reason is that originally, .38 revolvers used heeled bullets, with a nominal bullet diameter identical to the OUTSIDE case diameter. Later, when heeled bullets fell out of common use, .38 revolvers transitioned to non-heeled bullets with a nominal bullet diameter identical to the INSIDE case diameter which was about .357". Same deal with .44 revolvers which typically use .429" bullets.
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December 10, 2012, 12:12 AM | #8 |
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Okay, so another question?
Shooters:
If 22LR are heeled, are 22 magnum heeled as well. If they are, then why can't they (the magnums) be shot out of any 22? (I'm not planning to try it.) Live well, Be safe Prof Young |
December 10, 2012, 01:01 AM | #9 |
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.22WMR bullets are not heeled. .22WMR rounds can't be shot in .22LR guns because the cartridges won't chamber (they're too long and larger in diameter).
In addition, .22WMR bullets are slightly larger than .22LR bullets and are jacketed which makes them a less than ideal fit for a .22LR bore even if one were to modify a .22LR chamber to accommodate the .22WMR cartridges. Finally, the .22WMR cartridge is considerably more powerful than the .22LR which would make it unsafe in semi-auto actions designed for the .22LR and possibly in other actions as well--again, even if one were to modify the chamber so the rounds would chamber.
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December 10, 2012, 06:50 AM | #10 | |
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Quote:
The BP designation of .44 caliber was based on the bore, while the .45 Colt designation was based on the groove diameter. Confused enough now? |
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December 10, 2012, 03:15 PM | #11 |
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Gets even more interesting when you try to explain why a ,410 shotgun is a bore size and not a caliber and why gauges are smaller numbers as the bore gets larger. Takes a lot of wading through the swamp to get it all straight in your head and nobody can get all of it.
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December 10, 2012, 04:24 PM | #12 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
However, unlike using .22LR in a "convertible" revolver, there's usually little or no practical cost savings from using .22WRF; it's also generally hard to find because it's obsolescent. Demand is low enough that IIRC it was briefly dropped from commercial production a few years ago before being reintroduced by CCI and Winchester.
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December 10, 2012, 11:24 PM | #13 |
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Thanks
Hey, thanks for all the info. So much to learn. Gotta love it.
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December 12, 2012, 03:09 PM | #14 | |
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As always, lots of info from our knowledgeable members.
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How the heck did that happen? Bart Noir
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December 12, 2012, 04:05 PM | #15 | |
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Quote:
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