I am trying to understand your point...are you taking argument with the purchase because of this Berry thing which I profess sounds like some political thing I dont really have any knowledge of...or were you asking if bullets generally have steel in them?
I was simply responding to the simpler question.
What is political about MIL SPECS? What are you asking?
1. Federal Cartridge Co actually runs the Lake City MO Army Ammunition Plant (the only one we have), which produces most small arms ammo for the US military. Several other companies (winchester etc) bid on additional contract quantities to be produced in-house, to Mil-spec standards.
2. M855 5.56 NATO projectiles are full metal (copper alloy) jacketed tangent ogive boat-tails with a forward sub-core of hardened steel, followed with a slug of lead in the rear. They do not penetrate engine block, single building etc very well; nor do they do too badly on soft targets, but a 22 is a 22....
3. Many countries (US Included) use/have used mild steel as jacket material as well, especially during WW2 when copper was in short supply. Most all M1 30/06 ammo is steel jackets with a copper plating, and does not wear rifle barrels out any faster than copper or brass jackets.
4. The Geneva & Hague Conventions do not specify exactly how a small arm projectile must be made, only that ammunition designed to create excessive wounding/suffering is prohibited. The US SPEC-OPS community and snipers use OPE (open point-expanding) AKA boat-tail hollow point projectiles in both 5.56 and 7.62 NATO ammo and use it without violating either the letter or principles of the laws of land warfare. In fact, any weapon provided by our government may be used against individual enemy personnel, regardless of its caliber. Ideally, we use only enough weapon to eliminate the threat, but a 2000 lb laser guided bomb or 120mm tank cannon round may be used to take out a single individual, only it is not very cost effective to do so....
5.Concerning the cost of 556 762 ammo, etc, tell your representative or congressman to fund the military production programs to insure we do not have to buy rifle bullets from Taiwan, pistol ammo from Israel and explosives from Sweden.... We do need to be self-sufficient in these critical resources, thank your greenies for restricting these activities and creating conditions where DOD finds it easier to buy from neighbors, rather than fight the enviro-terrorists at home.
6. Pray for a Warrior in harms way today.
7. Have you done your part or do you just trust that someone else will join up?