What’s Inside Ammo? A Cross-Section of Bullets

Dissecting Weapons
Photograph by Sabine Pearlman
Artist Sabine Pearlman headed to Switzerland in 2012 on a unique mission. She was there to photograph 900 cross-sections of ammunition in order to expose the "otherwise invisible architecture" of some of the most destructive weaponry ever created.
But in doing so, Pearlman made a conscious choice to not provide her audience with details about specifics: things like the names or purposes of the bullets themselves.
"I wanted to keep them out of context, in order to make it possible for people who look at the images to appreciate them for many different reasons," she said.
"There are some ammunition buffs who want to know all of the details about them, but there are other people out there who don't know much about this. They're looking at these bullets—and seeing and realizing everything that goes into making them."
(See "China's Last Gunslingers.")
—Melody Kramer
Published July 13, 2013
Inside a Private Collection
Photograph by Sabine Pearlman
The 900 rounds of specialized ammunition are part of a private collection. The cross-sections themselves are housed in a World War II bunker and were created by a munitions expert.
"He first had to disarm the rounds so they don't explode," said Pearlman. "It's a very intricate technique that no one should try at home."
After disarming the round, the expert cut the bullets themselves in half. But there's a secret to making these cross-sections: two of each type of bullet were used to make individual cross-sections.
That's because the slicing process often destroys the highly-intricate inner components of the ammo. By slicing two bullets, and then using a magnifying glass and a pair of tweezers to reconstruct the makeup of the bullet itself, the expert was able to create a complete "autopsy" of the bullet itself.
Published July 13, 2013
Specialized Weapons
Photograph by Sabine Pearlman
All of the bullets photographed by Pearlman have different purposes. Some are used for target practice or hunting; others are designed for war, to penetrate body armour, or for use in airplanes.
"There are certain rounds designed for air marshals," says Pearlman, "because they'll hurt a person but won't penetrate the side of an airplane."
(See "Captain Morgan's Cannons Found?")
Published July 13, 2013
How Bullets Work
Photograph by Sabine Pearlman
When you pull the trigger on a gun, the trigger releases what's called a hammer, which hits the back of a cartridge, which catapults a bullet out into the air.
In everyday language, people often call the whole package a "bullet," but what is pictured above is technically called ammunition or a cartridge. In technical jargon, the bullet refers to just the projectile part that flies out of the front of the gun. Normally that part does not contain any explosives.
The cartridges Pearlman photographed drastically change, depending on the bullets they're packed with: tiny ball-bearings, miniature arrows (which can penetrate body armour), or buckshot, to name a few. Below the projectile bullet is the propellant, commonly called powder because it is often gunpowder. Surrounding the ammo is the case.
At the bottom of each cartridge pictured is what's called a primer. When the hammer hits the cartridge the impact ignites the primer, when then lights the propellant. That energy forces out the bullet (projectile).
Published July 13, 2013
“Simplicity and Aesthetic Balance”
Photograph by Sabine Pearlman
Pearlman says she was fascinated by the bullets she saw. She grouped them together against stark white backgrounds to showcase their differences—and to allow for various interpretations.
"I didn't want them to be textbook items," she said. "But I wanted to show their simplicity and aesthetic balance."
Published July 13, 2013
"Defense or Warfare"
Photograph by Sabine Pearlman
Pearlman says that her photographs are meant to conjure up the tragedies that these objects have caused throughout human history.
"I think it touches on a very primal instinct," she says. "It's the topic or the theme of defense or warfare."
Some of the ammunition rounds she photographed have been banned by the Hague Convention, which forbids the use of certain kinds of ammunition for use by uniformed military personnel against other uniformed military personnel while in combat. The list includes bullets that can easily expand or flatten in the body.
Published July 13, 2013

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16 comments

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Nancy Smith

elementary my dear, this is merely appreciation for the art of what some call 'art'. the art of any craftsman is subjective and of one trades craft, ammo and the art of weaponry (inclusive). lets not get our britches up our crack over someone's use of sampled and tradecraft (looks more like an advertisement for some manufacturing group to me anyway). now let's see a half sawed through VanGogh and find out what he was up to when he slathered his trade all over his canvas. or take the David and MRI Scan it into pieces for fun.

Ray Gauthier

Getting shot with any modern bullet (forbidden or illegal) is more humane and civilized then getting hacked up with a sword or axe, or bludgeoned with a stone or club as was the norm before firearms where invented. It wasn't Hitler's bullets that decimated the Jewish population in Europe but the diabolical minds of the human species.I say minds,plural, because Hitler was not alone in the atrocities that took place. War and violence are as natural to the human species as mating,reproducing and eating. Bullets are a more civilizes means then many other weapons created by the human species. So if you want to really "conjure up the tragedies" of the brutal death and violence created by the individuals and/or governments of so called civilized humanity, I think your time would be better spent else where.

Tom Mengel

The explanation of how a gun works was inaccurate in several areas and was a gross simplification about a complex subject (i.e. very few of today's guns use "Gunpowder" for example). This probably would have best been handled by a link reference to writings that would have been more in depth or the how it works dialog simply left out. If this was for Art's sake, let it stand as such and forgo the explanations.

Anne Jane

This article was not meant to be enjoyable.

This article was not meant to gush over the beauty of bullets

This article was not meant to be informative about firearms.

You have missed the point of this article.

Thomas Macy

How come they do not have descriptions and specs of each cartridge, that would make this so much more enjoyable. Not to mention a juxtaposition of the undisected cartridge and a frame of reference, would really add to this piece, would probably increase traffic National Geographic.

Terence Clark

"When you pull the trigger on a gun, the trigger releases what's called a hammer, which hits the back of a cartridge, which catapults a bullet out into the air..." etc. etc.

This is another embarrassing example of a "journalist" reporting on something they know nothing about. This is a sophomoric explanation of how a firearm works, at best.

Most of the information is simply wrong. While some antique sidearms (late 1800's) did have firing pins integrated into the hammer of the firearm, this is not something you will find in the majority of firearms made in the last 100 years. Most modern long guns don't have hammers at all.

This would be like someone badly botching a description of how a steam engine works, and then making the representation that automobiles run on steam engines.

There were certainly examples of steam driven automobiles over the years, (I believe Jay Leno owns a few) but these were the exception not the rule.

A call to almost any gunsmith in the world could have improved this article immensely. Instead its an embarrassment.

The sad part of this is that the ammunition depicted in the photos is very specialized and unique. This is not standard ammo by any means. It would have been nice to hear a bit about the history of each piece. But sadly, that would have required some research and knowledge of firearms and ammunition.

I don't buy the "art" explanation for the lack of facts.

Marc Myers

"Pearlman says that her photographs are meant to conjure up the tragedies that these objects have caused throughout human history."

-----------------------------------------------

Inanimate objects don't "cause" tragedies. Human beings cause tragedies and did so quite enthusiastically for millennia before the invention of self-contained cartridges. I, for one, would have found this article far more interesting with detailed explanations of why the internal structure of these cartridges vary so much.

Asok Smith

These are cross sections of cartridges. Not "bullets". I guess correct language no longer matters at NG, at least when it comes to guns and bullets and stuff.

Mark Fergerson

I'm familiar with many types of ammo and had no trouble identifying those photographed, but that wasn't the point of the piece. I also appreciate them as they were intended to be by the photographer, as a sort of "accidental art"; consider their intrinsic mechanical symmetry, the often surprising juxtapositions of color and texture of the various components, and the weirdly overall organic appearance of some of the rounds. There is usually some "art" in all "artifice".

Steve Doughty

Your childish description of the various ammunition configurations only add to the profound lack of understanding of guns and ammunition by the general public. Hire someone with basic knowledge in the subject to add you text.

Darren Loo

Left to Right: AP, APFDS, HESH

:P Did I get em' correct?

Christian Duerig

There I live in Switzerland and I have no idea, where this bunker can be visited. We have so many of them. It doesn't matter, because it's history. I still think the USA is doing better with submarines of the Virginia class. Enjoy your freedom. How long do we have to wait 'til a Virginia will be dissected ? History in the future ??? That will be exiting. What a huge bunker that will be. Colorado ?