Alternate Ammunition

Alternate ammunition allows a firearm or weapon system to serve different purposes depending on its load. Depending on the game, alternate ammo may be provided either through specializations or as weapon accessories.

Firearms
Alternate ammunition for firearms was introduced in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 as specializations. Battlefield 3 combined ammunition with other accessories in their own customization system.

Magnum ammunition
Compared to a standard cartridge, magnum cartridges contain more propellant (or a different formulation), providing higher power.
 * Magnum Ammunition

Shotgun shells

 * 12 Gauge Buckshot
 * Flechette Ammunition
 * 12 Gauge Frag
 * 12 Gauge Slugs

40mm Grenades

 * Fragmentation Grenade
 * Flechette
 * Buckshot
 * Smoke

60mm Mortar Shells

 * High Explosive
 * Smoke
 * Illumination round

Vehicles
Battlefield 3 introduced alternate ammo for vehicles as specializations for each vehicle type.

Tank shells

 * AP (Armor Piercing)
 * Canister Shells
 * Guided Shells
 * APFSDS-T Shells