One frequently hears of "rubber bullets" being used by police in riot-control scenarios. Such projectiles when used within reasonable limits are an effective means of riot control and to disperse protests. Rubber bullets are used in the defense industry and also used by civilians for self protection and at times as recreational use like hunting. There are various manufacturers who are continuously working to improve bullet performance so as to attract buyers, but importance should be given to various aspects like social and political considerations, health, safety, environmental issues etc.

What are Rubber Bullets?
Rubber bullets are rubber or rubber-coated projectiles fired from guns. They are "less than lethal devices" but can be dangerous enough to pierce skin. They are non-lethal, when fired at short range and can be used for short range target practice. These bullets are small enough to be fired from a pistol.

Materials used in Making Bullets
Bullets are made of a variety of materials like as follows:

Lead Lead Alloy Copper Aluminum Bronze Bismuth

Plastics Steel Tin Tungsten Rubber

Of all the materials mentioned above, rubber bullets are considered to be the non lethal and safest type of bullet by police and defense force. However, this is not always true. As per many study reports, rubber bullets used by police during riot controls can causes severe injuries to people. This is because most of these bullets, though are supposedly made of rubber are actually made of metal, bonded with rubber.
Thus when we talk about rubber bullets, the term refers to both bullets made completely of rubber and also bullets that are made of rubber on the outside and metal inside.

Rubber Bullets as a Recreational Use
Rubber bullets are often used for short-range indoor target practice or training, and used generally only with handguns. They are intended only for target shooting. Rubber bullets, can also be recovered undamaged after firing when used with a backstop. Such bullets can be re-used numerous times.