eli5 Why does the shell of a bullet come out of a gun but can shoot people?

Question

eli5 Why does the shell of a bullet come out of a gun but can shoot people?

In: 0

Answer 1

A bullet’s shooty bit is the tip.

It is held in place by a shell and inside the shell is gun powder.

So what happens is the gun hits the back of the shell and makes a spark. Which makes the powered inside explode. That explosion sends the bullet out of the barrel. But the shell is still there and is either thrown out in a semi automatic or automatic weapon. Or you manually cycle the mechanism if it’s bolt action

Or some weapons you physically have to pull the shell out. This is how the classic double barrel shotgun in movies and video games work.