Top 5 Facts: Bullets

Sling

Bullets outdate the invention of firearms, used as ammunition for slings and slingshots. Each bullet tended to be roughly spherical and made from stone, lead or bronze.

Gulliver

Ammo calibres vary in size, from the tiny .17-inch diameter rounds for pellet guns, up to the colossal .50-inch diameter rounds for heavy machine guns and sniper rifles.

Storm

The record for the weapon capable of firing most rounds per minute belongs to the metal storm variable lethality law enforcement pistol (three rounds ever 1/500sec).

Record

The world record for a long-distance bullet kill is held by British sniper Craig Harrison, who used his rifle to hit two Taliban machine gunners at a range of 1.54 miles (8,120ft).

Mini

French officer Claude-Etienne Minié (1804-1879) is credited with developing modern, plugged rounds – allowing bullets to expand when fired so they follow the rifle’s bore.