What the Heck Do All Those Letters Mean?

[Hawkeye]

For those who are sometimes confused as I am, here you go.

PART ONE

AJHP: Aluminum Jacketed Hollow Point.
AP: Armor Piercing.   Military bullets with steel or tungsten core that penetrates steel armor. Bullet's tip is usually painted black for easier identification.
API: Armor Piercing Incendiary.   Designed to penetrate armor and set target on fire. Tips are usually painted light blue.
BB: Bevel Base.
BBWC: Bevel Base Wad Cutter.   Pistol bullet that's flat on both ends; has beveled base to increase accuracy similar to a boat-tail bullet.
BC: Bonded Core.
BCHP: Bonded Core Hollow Point.
BCSP: Bonded Core Soft Point.
BEB: Brass Enclosed Base.   Pistol bullet with brass plug over exposed lead base to reduce lead exposure. Many indoor ranges now specify use of this bullet to decrease lead contamination.
BJHP: Brass Jacketed Hollow Point.   Defensive pistol bullet that controls mushrooming and energy release over longer distances.
BRPT: Bronze Point.   Bronze insert in tip improves trajectory, velocity and energy transfer at extreme ranges. Tip expands rapidly when driven back through bullet. Excellent design for hunting long-range medium-size game.
BST: Ballistic Silvertip.   Used with hunting rifles, this Winchester bullet has a soft metal tip that causes rapid expansion and penetration of bullet. Typically used for varminting and hunting light- and medium- size game.
BT: Boat Tail.   Rifle bullet with truncated conical shape at base of bullet. Streamlining stabilizes bullet and increases accuracy.
BTHP: Boat Tail Hollow Point.   Same as plain boat-tail but with a hollow point, which generates rapid expansion and penetration.
BTSP: Boat Tail Soft Point.   Like the plain boat-tail but with a soft point to increase penetration and expansion from exposed lead tip.
CC: Copper Coated.   Same as full-metal-jacket. Copper coating prevents bullet deformation in feed mechanism and barrel, reduces misfires and lowers risk of barrel damage.
CL: Core-Lokt.   Remington's premier bonded bullet. Retains up to 95% of original weight with maximum penetration and energy transfer. Progressively tapered jacket initiates and controls expansion nearly 2x. Unique design and bonded lead core delivers performance from 50 to 500 yards.
CP: Copper Plated.   Lead bullet dipped in copper; reduces lead fouling and is cheaper than copper coating.
DEWC: Double Ended Wad Cutter.
EFMJ: Expanding Full Metal Jacket.   Federal's answer to areas with restrictions on hollow points. A regular full-metal-jacket bullet with front rubber core covered by a copper jacket. When fired into target media, copper jacket collapses along serrations, produces petal-like expansion and delivers energy without over- penetration.
ENCAP or E: Encapsulated.   Totally plated on all sides to decrease environmental lead contamination. Many indoor ranges use this ammunition exclusively to reduce lead clean-up costs.
EP: Expanding Point.   Winchester-developed bullet for .25ACP for better stopping power for small calibers. Hollow point with round lead ball inserted into cavity ensures positive feed, increases expansion and transfers energy rapidly.
ERBT: Extended Range Boat Tail.   Remington bullet that produces long-range accuracy along with superior stopping power required for hunting.
FB: Flat Base.
FMC: Full Metal Case.   Lead core fully enclosed with copper, nickel, brass or steel.
FMHSWC: Full Metal Jacket Semi-Wad Cutter.   Designed primarily for target and competition shooting, this bullet exhibits superior accuracy. Its swagged lead core is enclosed by a metal jacket, eliminating barrel leading.
FMJ: Full Metal Jacket.   Military round specified by Geneva Convention. Lead core is enclosed by a strong metal jacket on this non-expanding, deep-penetrating, general-purpose bullet. Provides smooth, reliable feeding in all types of semi-auto handguns. Not recommended for hunting, the primary use of the FMJ is target shooting.
FMJBT: Full Metal Jacket Boat Tail.   Like FMJ but has a boat-tail to reduce turbulence and increase accuracy.
FMJE: Full Metal Jacket Encapsulated.   Like FMJ but also has covered base and doesn't expose any lead.
FMJFP: Full Metal Jacket Flat Point.   Non-expanding and deep penetrating, this general purpose bullet is a good choice for target use because of its accuracy. Its lead core is enclosed by a metal jacket, which eliminates barrel leading. Provides smooth, reliable feeding in semi-sutomatic handguns.
FMJSWC: Full Metal Jacket Semi-Wad Cutter.FMJTC: Full Metal Jacket Truncated Cone.   The truncated cone shape of this bullet makes feeding smooth and reliable in semi-autos. Cannot lead barrels because its lead core is enclosed by a metal jacket. Excellent accuracy.
FN: Flat Nose.
FNSP: Flat Nose Soft Point.   Similar to the Soft Point in construction and performance, but with a flat lead point that allows this bullet to be safely used in tubular magazines. Designed primarily for use in the 30-30 carbine, it delivers reliable expansion at typical 30-30 velocities.
FP: Flat Point.
FPJ: Flat Point Jacketed.   FMJ with a flat point. Most .40 S&W and .30-30 Winchester rounds have this design. The .30-30 Winchester has a tubular magazine and uses a flat-point bullet to prevent accidental detonation during recoil, as front round's primer may come in contact with point of round following it.
FPNN: Flat Point Penetrator.
FRAN or FG: Frangible.   Prevents ricochet by breaking apart on contact. Can be made from empty cartridge cases filled with epoxy and compressed birdshot, metal dust or filings. Developed for air marshals to avoid over-penetration and ricochet aboard airplanes. All energy is transferred to the target, making it a devastating defensive bullet.
GC or GCK: Gas Check.   Metallic cup or disc is attached to bottom of lead-alloy bullet. Decreases gas blow-by, increases velocity and reduces lead fouling.
GDJHP: Gold Dot Jacketed Hollow Point.   Speer's hollow point bullet with jacket bonded to lead core to prevent separation and control expansion and penetration.
GS: Grand Slam.   Speer's design for hunting big game. Jacket is 45% bigger at base to prevent rollback and retain bullet's weight. Internal jacket flutes ensure proper expansion. Bullet's core is a ternary (three-part) alloy, which is poured into jacket at 900 degrees F to prevent jacket slippage.
HB: Hollow Base.
HBWC: Hollow Base Wad Cutter.   Preferred by some target shooters, this flat lead bullet with hollow base punches neat, round holes in paper targets and makes scoring easier. Creates better gas seal to prevent gas blow-by and increase velocity.
HC: Hard Cast.
HE: High Energy.   Made by Federal.
HM: Heavy Magnum.   Made by Hornady.
HP: Hollow Point.   Hollow cavity in bullet's nose allows expansion on impact.
HPBT: Hollow Point Boat Tail.   Extremely accurate hollow point bullet with pointed, aerodynamic design. Boat tail heel further reduces drag to improve downrange velocity. Precision balance and exceptional concentricity greatly increase bullet stability to assure superb accuracy.
HPE: Hollow Point Expanding.
HPL: Hollow Point Lead.
HSHK: Hydra-Shok®.   Federal's handgun defense bullet. Unique center-post design delivers controlled expansion. Notched jacket transfers energy efficiently and penetrates barriers while retaining stopping power.
HSP: Hollow Soft Point.   Exposed lead point and hollow cavity in nose permits expansion on impact.
HV: High Velocity.   Ammunition with velocity over 1,200 feet per second.
JFP: Jacketed Flat Point.   Flat lead point and full metal jacket. All .30-30 Winchesters have this bullet design. The .30-30 Winchester has a tubular magazine and uses a flat-point bullet to prevent accidental detonation during recoil, as front round's primer may come in contact with point of round following it.
JHC: Jacketed Hollow Cavity.   Jacketed bullet with hole in tip to promote expansion on impact.
JHP: Jacketed Hollow Point.   The exposed lead at the tip of the PMC jacketed hollow point rapidly initiates uniform, controlled expansion that progresses to the depth of the hollow point cavity. Penetration is also controlled for maximum energy transfer to the target, assuring its suitability as a hunting bullet. Excellent accuracy and bullet integrity.
JPP: Jacketed Protected Point.
JSP: Jacketed Soft Point.   Exposed lead soft point initiates reliable expansion, provides deeper penetration than hollow point bullets. Precisely engineered copper jacket and swaged lead core provides the necessary concentricity and balance required for top-level accuracy.
L: Lead.   An all lead bullet.
LF: Lead Free (non-toxic).
LM: Light Magnum.   Made by Hornady.
LRN: Lead Round Nose.   Solid lead, lubricated bullet with rounded ogive for down-range accuracy. Hard-hitting, economical, general purpose bullet for all revolvers.
LSW/LSWC: Lead Semi-Wad Cutter.   Solid lead, lubricated bullet with semi-pointed nose. Formed by swaging process with sharp shoulder for clean hole punching in paper targets. Good choice for target or general purpose shooting.
LSWCHP: Lead Semi-Wad Cutter Hollow Point.   Lubricated solid lead bullet with hollow point. Swaged to form sharp shoulder to produce clean holes in paper targets. Good choice for target practice or general shooting.
LWC: Lead Wad Cutter.   The full wadcutter profile of this solid lead, lubricated bullet cuts clean signature in paper targets for precise scoring. Consistent accuracy results from formation by swaging process, which eliminates balance-destroying voids often found in cast bullets. Excellent choice for competitive shooters.
M or MCH: Match.   Bullets with most accurate design, weight, materials and consistencies. Used by snipers and target shooters.
MB: Multi Ball.   More than one ball or bullet in cartridge to increase hit ratio.
MC: Metal Case.   Same as metal-jacketed bullet.
MCOPE: Metal Case Open Point Expanding.
MCWC: Metal Cased Wad Cutter.
MK: aka Sierra MatchKing.   Delivers record-breaking accuracy at long ranges. Pictured is a boat tail variant.
MOLY: Moly Coated.   Bullet is coated with molybdenum disulfide to reduce friction and increase velocity.
MON: Monolithic Solid.
MP: Metal Point.
MRX: Maximum Range X bullet.  Made by Barnes.

[Hawkeye]

PART TWO

NBT: Nosler Ballistic Tip.   Nosler developed this bullet with a polycarbonate tip that protects the bullet from damage in the magazine resulting from recoil. The tip also stabilizes the bullet for long-range shooting and insures reliable expansion when the bullet hits its target.
NP: Nosler Partition.   Has two lead cores separated by bullet jacket. Top part of jacket is thin and promotes expansion of bullet. Bottom part of bullet has thicker jacket that retains bullet’s weight, stops fragmentation and increases penetration.
NTF: Non-Toxic Frangible.   Formed from a composite of fine copper and polymer particles by injection molding, the PMC Green frangible bullet is lead free and completely non-toxic. Designed to shatter into dust-sized particles upon impact with materials harder than itself, it is much less likely to ricochet or over-penetrate. Its homogeneous construction means there is no jacket or plating to impede disintegration. Feeding is smooth and accuracy is excellent.
OPE: Open Point Expanding.
PB: Pow'rball.   Made by Cor-Bon.   Polymer ball capped round with high velocity and reduced recoil.
PEP: Positive Expanding Point.   Specially designed by Winchester for extreme accuracy and maximum impact on varmints and medium-size game.
PG: Partition Gold.   Winchester's proprietary design delivers expansion and penetration on medium- and large-size game at wide range of impact velocities. Rear core is hard lead alloy, locked in place with a heel crimp to prevent core slippage and maximize penetration. Patented steel cup reinforces prevents core distortion at high-impact velocities.
PL: Power-Lokt.   Remington's revolutionary varmint and small-game bullet produces bench rest-level accuracy. Copper jacket is electrolyticly bonded to lead core, producing near-perfect concentricity and gyroscopic balance, once available only in custom-made match bullets. Exceptional sub-minute-of- angle accuracy for small game at extreme ranges.
PP: Power Point.   Jacketed soft nose from Winchester delivers maximum energy on impact. Notches around jacket's mouth improve upset and ensure uniform, rapid expansion.
PP: Protected Point.
PRP: Protected Round Point.
PSP & PTDSP: Pointed Soft Point.   Popular, time-tested bullet featuring a soft lead point extending beyond the copper jacket that initiates bullet expansion upon impact. Pointed design reduces aerodynamic drag, improves ballistic coefficient rating and helps this bullet retain its velocity down range.
PTHP: Platinum Tipped Hollow Point.   A Winchester design for handgun hunters. Immediately transfers bullet's energy into target. Delivers penetration, expansion and accuracy.
PT: Polymer Tip.
PWC: Pointed Wad Cutter.   Lubricated solid lead with pointed nose. Formed by swaging process with sharp shoulder for clean hole-punching in paper targets. Good choice for target practice or general shooting.
RB: Round Ball.
RN: Round Nose.   Round nose promotes positive, reliable feeding.
RNFP: Round Nose Flat Point.
RNL: Round Nose Lead.
RNPN: Round Nose Penetrator.
S: Solid Lead.
SBK: Sierra BlitzKing.   Used for varmint hunting; has plastic tip inserted into bullet cavity, which expands on impact and delivers high ballistic coefficient.
SFS: Supreme Fail Safe.   Hollow point bullet with lead core and steel insert. Delivers controlled expansion, deeper penetration and bullet weight retention.
SGK: Sierra GameKing.   Long range round for varmints to big game animals. Boat-tail design provides extremely flat trajectories. Design also give it a higher downrange velocity for more energy at point of impact.
SJ: Short Jacket.
SJHP: Semi Jacketed Hollow Point.   Exposed lead tip expands more rapidly than jacketed hollow point design. Controlled penetration provides maximum energy transfer, making it suitable for hunting.
SJSP: Semi Jacketed Soft Point.   Exposed lead soft point with reliable expansion and deeper penetration than hollow point bullets. Copper jacket and swaged lead core improve concentricity, balance and accuracy.
SJWC: Semi-Jacketed Wad Cutter.
SLD: Solid.   Usually made from copper, bronze or brass alloy - but no lead. Designed for deep penetration in thick-skinned animals.
SMP: Semi-Pointed.   Same penetration as a round nose with better trajectory, higher velocity and energy transfer, better expansion control and deeper penetration than a hollow point. At close range, usually offers better penetration and more controlled expansion. Excellent accuracy potential and often used for short-to medium-range hunting.
SOL: Solid.
SP: Soft Point.   Exposed lead tip on this bullet and broader point diameter provides rapid, controlled expansion at somewhat lower velocities than the PSP. Broad wound channel results from expansion up to 200% of original bullet diameter.
SPBT: Soft Point Boat Tail.   This bullet combines the aerodynamic pointed nose with a boat tail heel for improved flight characteristics and retained velocity downrange. Typical of Sierra construction, it embodies near-perfect balance and concentricity. Exposed lead tip for controlled expansion.
SPCE: Soft Point Cutting Edge.   Semi-jacketed with cut-through jacket edge to partially lock in lead core. Deforms less in light game than heavy game. Used for clawed game hunting.
SPCL: Soft Point Core-Lokt.   Locks progressively heavier jacketed mid-section to lead core, preventing separation but allowing maximum energy transfer. Stays together on impact, expands in a controlled manner and mushrooms uniformly to nearly twice the original diameter.
SPFN: Soft Point Flat Nose.   Expands reliably and penetrates deep on light to medium game.
SPP: Spire Point.
SPRN: Soft Point Round Nose.   Features an exposed tip, good weight retention and tapered jacket that provide controlled expansion for deep penetration. Bullet of choice for deer and bear in heavy cover.
SPT: Spitzer.   Pointed bullet normally used in modern military rifles.
SS: Semi Spitzer.
SST: Super Shock Tipped.   Hornady's design incorporates a pointed polymer tip that improves ballistic coefficient and increases velocity, accuracy and downrange power. Specially designed jacket grips and controls expanding core, allowing maximum expansion while retaining mass and momentum.
ST: Silvertip.   Winchester's design has special aluminum-alloy nose cap to protect lead core; delivers deep penetration and has controlled expansion in small- and medium-size game.
STHP: Silvertip Hollow Point.   Winchester's handgun bullet designed for rapid, controlled expansion to penetrate thin skin, light muscle and bone of small- to medium-size game.
SUB: Sub Sonic.
SW or SWC: Semi-Wad Cutter.   Lubricated solid lead bullet with semi-pointed nose. Formed by swaging process, resulting in a sharp shoulder for clean hole-punching in paper targets. Good choice for target practice or general shooting.
SWCHP: Semi-Wad Cutter Hollow Point.   The tapered base allows for quick loading with high accuracy, consistency and quick expansion.
SWCL: Semi-Wad Cutter Lead.
SXT: Supreme Expansion Technology.   Winchester's personal protection bullet. Designed with reverse tapered jacket, has uniform expansion, greater accuracy and reliable firearm functioning.
TAP: Tactical Application Police.   Designed by Hornady specifically for law enforcement. Heavier bullet weight and polymer tip provide rapid expansion and excellent barrier penetration (without over-penetration).
TBBC: Trophy Bonded Bear Claw.   Ideal for medium or large dangerous game. 100% fusion bonding for reliable expansion at any range. Claims 95% weight retention.
TBS: Trophy Bonded Solid.
TBSS: Trophy Bonded Sledgehammer Solid.   Used for the largest and most dangerous game in the world. Maximizes stopping power and your confidence. It's a bonded bronze solid with a flat nose that minimizes deflection off bone and muscle for a deep, straight wound channel.
TC: Truncated Cone.   Similar to an inverted cone, but with the top chopped off. Used in defense applications where penetration through materials might be necessary. Ensures extremely reliable feeding.
TCHP: Truncated Cone Hollow Point.   Same as truncated cone but with a hole in top to promote expansion in target.
TCSB: Truncated Cone Solid Bullet.   Designed for penetration. Inverted cone aids in feeding, while pointed solid bullet drives deep into target.
TCSP: Truncated Cone Soft Point.   An excellent choice for hunting and general shooting, the soft point of this bullet initiates uniform, controlled expansion. Characterized by very reliable functioning in semi-autos and excellent accuracy.
THP: Tubular Hollow Point.
TL: Tumble Lube.
TMJ: Total Metal Jacket.   Same as full metal jacket, except base is also jacketed.
TMWC: Target Master Wad Cutter.   Wadcutter bullets made to highest tolerances to achieve best accuracy possible.
TRI: Triad Group.
V-Max: Varmint Express Ballistic Tip.   Hornady’s ballistic-tip varmint bullet has a polymer insert that aids in rapid expansion once bullet hits target.
WLY: Woodleigh.
X-B: X bullet.   Made by Barnes.   Solid copper bullet with pre-stressed hollow point mushroom consistently over a wide range of velocities, and drives deeper than lead-core bullets. Cannot shed its jacket on impact, because there is no jacket. Holds together like a solid, retaining virtually 100% of its weight.
XPB: X pistol bullet.   Made by Barnes.
XTP: Extreme Terminal Performance.   Hornady bullet designed for controlled expansion at wide range of handgun velocities. Bullet's jacket and core expansion rates are the same, reducing separation and increasing trauma in target.