Back in the days of paper cartridges in muzzle loading muskets, the military had two types of ammunition;
Ball (round ball) for fighting
Buck (small shot) for foraging
Later when self contained cartridges became the norm the term ball was kept for standard ammo.
Shot became the term for foraging ammo.
The US Military was issuing shot loads in 45-70 for the trap-door Springfield in the 1870s and even as late as WWII in .45acp.
In military terminology, "ball" ammo is the standard bullet, usually lead core and full metal jacketed; in other words, nothing special. Other kinds of ammo use special bullets, such as Armor Piercing, Tracer, Incendiary, Frangible and so on.
Incendiary ammo starts fires. When rifle calibre MG's were used in aircraft, it took a lot of ball ammo to shoot one down. Lighting the gas tank, and it was gasoline, on fire hastened the driver's exit from the aircraft. The standard MG belt was loaded with Ball, Trace, AP, Incendiary. Repeating for the length of the belt.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.