CHAPTER III AMMUNITIONS/CARTRIDGES

1. AMMUNITIONS/CARTRIDGES

AMMUNITIONS/CARTRIDGES

Legal definition:

 Shall mean loaded shell for rifles, muskets, carbines, shotguns, revolvers, and pistols
which form a ball, bullet, shot, shell, or other missiles may be fired by means of gun
powder or other explosives.

Technical definition;

 A complete unfired unit consisting of bullet, cartridge case, propellant, powder, primer.
 A cartridge or round packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic
case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm.
 Ammunition, often referred to as ammo, is a generic term meaning (the assembly of)
a projectile and its propellant. It is derived through French from the Latin munire (to
provide)
 Modern ammunition includes not only shells for tube artillery and mortars, but
increasingly aircraft-delivered bombs, smart bombs, rockets and other explosive-bearing
projectiles.
 CARTRIDGE was discovered in the 16th CENTURY.  The earliest small arms cartridge
consisted of pre-measured charge or powder wrapped in paper.  Cartridge derived from
the Latin word “charta” means paper. The French word “cartouche” meaning a roll of
paper.

1. AMMUNITIONS/CARTRIDGES

1.1. Parts of Cased Ammunition

1.  BULLET- this refers to projectiles propelled from a firearm by means of the expansive force
of gases coming from burning gun powder.

2.  CARTRIDGE CASE- This refers to the tubular metallic container for the gun powder.
Sometimes called SHELL.
3.  GUNPOWDER- This refers to the propellant which when ignited by the primer flash is
converted to gas under high pressure and propels the bullet or shot charge through the barrel
and on the target.

4.  PRIMER- This refers to the metal cap containing the highly sensitive priming mixture of
chemical compound which when hit or struck by firing pin would ignite.

Such ignition is called “PERCUSSION.”

Note: the “grain” we always see in ammunition boxes are not referring to the grains of gun
powder of the ammo. The “grain” is an English unit of measurement that is being use for a very
light object. Grain refers to the weight of the bullet.

General types of Ammunition

1. Dummy (Fake) model

            A type of ammunition which merely resembles the genuine one. It is carefully made
replica of a cartridge, usually of tool steel and dimensioned, to be used be used by weapons
instructor, inspector and repairman when checking the functioning of the weapon.

2. Drill Ammunition (without gun powder)

            It is a type of an ammunition that is completely enter, without an explosive and are used
in military training to practice loading and manipulation of the gun.

3. Blank Ammunition (without bullet)

            An ammunition without a bullet, containing gunpowder that is designed to generate a

            It is the term applied for complete unit of unfired cartridge

5. Drill rounds 

             An inert versions of cartridges used for education and practice during military training.
Other than the lack of propellant and primer, these are the same size as normal cartridges and
will fit into the mechanism of a gun in the same way as a live cartridge does.

1.2. Classification of Cartridge

1. Revolver cartridge- it has rimmed base, which allows the bullet to be clamped in the
cylinder, and it is straight.

2.  Pistol cartridge- with a groove instead of a rim, allowing easier packing of the rounds in the
Magazine.

3.  Assault rifle or hunting rifle cartridge, longer than a hand weapon or a carbine round and
generally bottle-necked for larger powder capacity and increased powder.

4.  Shot Cartridge- the case is generally made of plastic, and a cap prevents the contents from
falling.

5.  Case less Cartridge- the powder is the casing of the projectile.  A varnishing protects it from
Moisture and moderate shocks.  There is a few matter left after the powder has exploded. The
cross section is generally square for a tighter packing in the magazine

According to the location of primer

1. Needle fire

            In the needle fire cartridge, a needle gun will be use. A needle gun is a firearm that has a
needle-like firing pin, which can pass through the paper cartridge case to strike a percussion
cap at the bullet base. A needle gun with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves
("rifling") cut into the barrel walls is also called needle rifle.
                                     

                                                                          Needle gun

2. Tit-fire

               It has a copper case nipple containing the cap protruded through the hole in the rear
of the breech block to be struck and detonated by the falling hammer.

3. Tail-fire

               The opening of the rifle for loading compressed the a spring that once the rifle had
been loaded and the breech closed, snapped up on operation of the trigger to crush against the
underside of the block, and to detonate a flat percussion tail projecting from the rear of the
cartridge.

4. Pin-fire
            A very early self-contained metallic ammunition design, the pinfire cartridge was
invented by Casimir Lefaucheux of France around 1828 and first patented in 1835.  Guns for
metallic cartridges are much easier to load and reload in a hurry then the muzzle loaders before
them.  Pinfires were fired by a short metal pin protruding at nearly a right angle from the case to
strike a priming charge inside the cartridge.

                                      N.B. the first four are obsolete already.

Pin fire revolver

5. Rim-fire

            It is called a rimfire because, instead of the firing pin striking the primer cap at the center
of the base of the cartridge to ignite it (as in a centerfire cartridge), the pin strikes the base's rim.
The rimfire cartridge is essentially an extended and widened percussion cap which contains not
only the priming compound, but also the propellant powder and the projectile (bullet). Once the
cartridge has been struck and discharged it cannot be reloaded, as the head is deformed by the
firing pin impact.                                 

6. Center-fire

            Generally, center-fire cartridges are more powerful than rim-fire cartridges.

The center-fire cartridge has a primer located in the center of the base.    

7. ring-fire cartridges

            a type of cartridge used only on the sabotage case. A special type of cartridge wherein
the priming mixture is placed in a circular hollow ring about 1/3 of the base of the cartridge.

2. SHOTGUN SHELL

SHOTGUN SHELL

 It is also called a shell and its body may be metal or plastic or paper with a metal head.

Parts of a Shotgun shell

a. tube or case
b. primer

c. powder

 d. crimp- the portion of the cartridge case that is bent inward to hold the shot in place

 e. wads-it helps contain the shot; seals of the shot payload from the ignition gases to prevent
deformation; protects the barrel from lead build-up

f.  lead shot

2.1. Three Categories

a. BIRD SHOT

 is very small shot designed to be used in hunting

birds. 

b. BUCKSHOT

 Buckshot is a type of shot which is designed to be used for large game

c. SLUGS

 A shotgun slug is a heavy lead projectile, usually with pre-cut rifling, intended for use in