Thread: Bullets

Can anyone explain the kiwi obsession with calling bullets 'projectiles' exclusively? You never see bullets for sale in NZ it's always marketed as 'projectiles'.

Sure, bullets are projectiles but so are artillery shells and cannon balls. More losely defined a projectile is any object hurtled through the atmosphere. A bullet can only be one thing and that's a bullet. The non shooting public call cartridges 'bullets' because they don't know any better. That's to be expected.

I've never seen or bought a box of bullets with 'projectile' written on it.

It's 3:30 a.m. and I can't get to sleep and I've been trying to figure this out.