by Grandpa_Halfdime » 03 Apr 2015, 11:02 pm
It is a holdover from the times of round bullets.
The MiniBall is actually Minié ball, named after its co-developer Claude-Étienne Minié.
The ball part is a holdover from a time when there were ball, buck-and-ball, and buckshot loads. Buck-and-ball involved 4 rounds of .32-inch diameter buckshot loaded along with a single ball; it helped a lot because the muskets that used it were smooth bore firearms like the Brown Bess and notoriously inaccurate (probably why the British reported shooting in the water at the feet of the Colonial Militia). Yup, I have a smooth bore musket (replica of the 1814 Model from Harper's Ferry Armory used by the Mormon Battalion during the Mexican-American War) and I have all three types of pre-made paper rounds.
Anyway, the military has redefined Ball to mean any basic rifle bullet classified as FMJ or CMJ (Complete Metal Jacket over lead). Most countries restrict hunting with these rounds because of lower expansion / lower damage. The reason is bogus and is left over from a time people cut the tip off of military ammo and either drilled a small hole or put a cross on the tip. Someone decided that this caused more inhumane wounds than the FMJ versions because these rounds were believed to shatter on impact. Bullets cause the majority of their damage with the hydraulic effect and controlled expansion rounds provide a larger wound channel because of the physics involved, not because it shatters.
Retired Weapons Technician Chief Petty Officer, US Navy.
Retired Auxiliary Officer, Virginia Beach Police Department, Virginia Beach, Virginia, US.
Great Australian mate, Ian and Julie Warton.
Certified NRA Firearms Instructor.