On sectioning a bullet retrieved from a body, the core is found to be hard lead antimony alloy. The jacket is of copper-nickel alloy but does NOT completely cover the lead core — the nose is exposed. This bullet design is called:
- A Full metal jacket (FMJ)
- B Semi-jacketed (hollow point)
- C Wadcutter
- D Soft-point (semi-jacketed) ✓
Explanation
A soft-point (also called semi-jacketed or partial metal jacket) bullet has a full metal jacket except at the nose where the lead core is exposed. On impact, the soft lead nose deforms and mushrooms outward, increasing the cross-sectional area, causing greater tissue damage and more rapid energy transfer than a full metal jacket. This is the basis of expanding ammunition, which is prohibited in warfare under Hague Convention 1899 but permitted in hunting/law enforcement. A hollow-point has a cavity at the nose tip that promotes even more rapid expansion. A wadcutter is a flat-nosed cylinder with no jacket, used for paper-target shooting.
Reference: The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (Narayan Reddy), 34th ed.
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Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.