Why are bullets jacketed / coated with copper and not with another metal (say, steel)?

Question

Why are bullets jacketed / coated with copper and not with another metal (say, steel)?

Thanks a lot!

Kramsor

Answer 1

Steel is allot more corrosive than copper making it more likely to jam in the barrel.  Steel and copper are both heavy metals, so I doubt weight has anything to do with the design.

Answer 2

wieght i guess

think about it

if you had a steel casing

the trajectory of the bullet

would drop making the bullet dive downward when fired

Answer 3

Actually bullets are coated with many different materials. Simple lead bullets alone could not stand up to the pressures produced by the modern rifle and handgun charges, thus requiring the "jacketing".  Steel and brass jacketed bullets are also known as "armor piercing" rounds. Bullets generally use softer jacketing metals as they are designed to "mushroom" on impact which offers a more lethal impact, and reduces the chance of the bullet passing through its target and inflicting damage to a non-target. Adding a hollow point design to this even makes the effect more dramatic.

There are laws governing what types of bullets may be purchased by the general public, and most specialized rounds are for military or law-enforcement only.

Answer 4

Basically copper has self lubricating properties and is more ductile than steel which prevents is from ruining the rifling in the barrel of the gun.

Steel clad bullets would ruin the rifling after a couple hundred rounds or less.

Steel also rusts, whereas copper does not.