Editing Terminal ballistics (section)

====Target shooting====
[[Image:Wadcuttercomp.jpg|thumb|right|[[.32 ACP]] [[Full metal jacket bullet|full metal jacket]], [[.32 S&W Long]] [[wadcutter]], [[.380 ACP]] jacketed [[hollow point]]]]

For short-range target shooting, typically on ranges up to 50 meters, or 55 yards, with low-powered ammunition like [[.22 long rifle]], [[aerodynamics]] is relatively unimportant, and velocities are low compared to velocities attained by full-powered ammunition.

As long as a bullet's mass is balanced, it will not tumble; its shape is thus unimportant for purposes of its [[aerodynamics]]. For shooting at paper targets, bullets that will punch a perfect hole through the target —called [[wadcutter]]s— are preferred. They have a very flat front, often with a relatively sharp edge along the perimeter, which punches out a hole equal to or almost equal to its diameter, thus enabling unambiguous scoring of the target. Since cutting the edge of a target ring will result in a higher score, accuracy to within fractions of an inch is desirable.

[[Magazine (firearms)|Magazine]]-fed pistols tend not to reliably feed wadcutters because of their angular shape. To address this, the [[semiwadcutter|semi-wadcutter]] is often used. The semi-wadcutter consists of a conical section that comes to a smaller flat point and a thin sharp shoulder at the base of the cone. The flat point punches a hole, and the shoulder opens it up cleanly. For steel targets, the concern is to provide enough force to knock over the target while minimizing the damage to the target. A soft lead bullet, or jacketed [[hollow-point bullet]], or [[soft-point bullet]] will flatten out on impact (if the velocity at impact is sufficient to make it deform), spreading the impact over a larger area of the target, allowing more total force to be applied without damaging the steel target.

There are also specialized bullets designed for use in long-range precision target shooting with high-powered rifles. The designs vary somewhat from manufacturer to manufacturer. Research in the 1950s by the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] discovered that bullets are more stable in flight for longer distances and more resistant to crosswinds if the center of gravity is biased to the rear of the center of pressure. The MatchKing bullet is an open-tip match design with a tiny aperture in the jacket at the point of the bullet and a hollow air space under the point of the bullet, whereas previous conventional bullets had a lead core that went all the way up to the point.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Issue |last2=V4N2 |last3=Volume 4 |title=Open Tip Match: When a "Hollow Point" is Not a Hollow Point – Small Arms Defense Journal |url=https://sadefensejournal.com/open-tip-match-when-a-hollow-point-is-not-a-hollow-point/ |access-date=2022-09-27 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The [[United States Armed Forces|U.S. military]] now{{when|date=May 2023}} issues ammunition to [[sniper]]s that use bullets of this type. M852 Match and M118LR ammunition are issued for the [[7.62×51mm NATO|7.62×51mm]] chamber: both use Sierra MatchKing bullets; for [[5.56×45mm NATO|5.56×45mm]] those [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] and [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine]] [[sniper]]s who use accurized [[M16 (rifle)|M16-type rifles]] are issued the [[5.56×45mm NATO#Mk 262|Mk 262 Mod 0]] cartridge developed jointly by [[Black Hills Ammunition]] and [[Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division|Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center]].

For ultra-long-range precision target shooting with high-powered rifles and military sniping, radically designed [[very-low-drag bullet|very-low-drag]] (VLD) bullets are available that are generally produced out of rods of mono-metal alloys on [[Numerical control|CNC]] [[lathe]]s. The driving force behind these projectiles is the wish to enhance the practical [[Sniper rifle#Maximum effective range|maximum effective range]] beyond normal standards. To achieve this, the bullets have to be very long and normal cartridge overall lengths often have to be exceeded. Common [[rifling]] [[twist rate]]s also often have to be tightened to stabilize very long projectiles. Such commercially nonexistent cartridges are termed "[[Wildcat cartridge|wildcats]]". The use of a wildcat-based (ultra) long-range cartridge demands the use of a custom or customized rifle with an appropriately cut chamber and a fast-twist bore.