2. Cartridge
⚫A cartridge is usually a
metallic case that packages
the bullet, propellant and
primer, precisely made to
fit within the firing
chamber of a firearm.
⚫ A cartridge without a bullet
is called a blank.
⚫ A cartridge that is
completely inert (contains
no primer and no propellant)
is called a dummy.
4. Parts of a
CartridgeI. Cartridge
Case
II. Propellant
III. Projectile
IV. Wads
(if
present)
5. 1.Cartridge case (with Percussion cap and
Primer)
⚫It is the outer shell that covers the Cartridge to
keep the contents in place.
I. In Shotgun
• The cartridge is cylindrical , 5-7cm long, base is of brass
and rest is of cardboard, plastic or metal.
• The base is rimmed so that it properly fits into the barrel.
II. In Rifled Bored Weapons
• The cartridge is tapering, whole of it is made from brass/steel.
• Size depends upon the type of weapon (rifle or
revolver/pistol).
• Base may be rimmed, rimless or grooved.
6. ….Continued)
⚫In all weapons, after firing, the cartridge case remains
in the barrel and it is to be taken out manually or is
ejected out automatically.
⚫Now-a-days Caseless Cartridges are being used, in
which the whole cartridge is combustible, hence no
cartridge case remains for identification.
Percussion Cap and Primer
• Percussion Cap at the base contains a small
amount of sensitive detonating composition known
as the Primer.
• The priming composition may contain- Lead
Peroxide, Antimony Sulphide, Barium Nitrate,
Mercury Fulminate, Potassium Chlorate, etc.
7. 2.Propellant (gun powder)
⚫It is so called as it projects the projectile forwards.
⚫It is present in between the Primer and the
Projectile.
1) The classical gun powder is known as Black
powder, it produces a lot of smoke and some
powder is partly burnt or not burnt at all, and it is
composed of-
⚫ Charcoal -15% (as fuel)
⚫ Sulphur- 10% (adds density)
⚫ Potassium nitrate- 75% (supplies oxygen)
8. 2) Smokeless gun powder, in addition to black
powder contents, it has nitrocellulose (single base),
or a mixture of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine
(double base) or adding nitoguanidine along with it.
(triple base).
It is more effective than black powder, it is
more efficiently burnt and less smoke is
produced.
Smokeless powder is used in all modern
cartridges. It produces less blackening and
tatooing of the injury when the weapon is fired from
close range.
3) Semismokeless powder, has 80% black powder
9. 3. Projectile
(Missile)
It is the object that is propelled out of the muzzle end of the
gun.
I. In Shotgun
⚫The projectile is known as pellets/shots; Hence
the name ‘Shot-gun’.
⚫Here the projectile is small, round , made of lead.
⚫The weight is around 1-1.5 ounce.
⚫Pellets may be Soft (Lead) or Hard (Lead
hardened with Antimony)(Chilled Shot).
⚫A rough idea of the number of pellets in a cartridge
can be had from the marking on the top wad.
10. ⚫The number of pellets may vary from one to a
few thousand, and accordingly they are
classified as-
1) If 1: Ball cartridge
2) If 6: LG (large game)
3) If 8: MG (medium
game)
4) If 10: SG (small game)
5) If 2-20: Buck Shot
6) If 200-400: Bird Shot
7) If 2000-3000: Dust
Shot
11. ⚫Here the Projectile is
single, known as bullet.
⚫The anterior part of the
bullet is
outside the cartridge case
and the bullet is kept tight in
the cartridge case bya
grooving called cannelure.
⚫The weight of the bullet
may range from 2-33
gms.
II. In Rifled Bored
Weapons
12. Mechanism
⚫When in a loaded, cocked firearm the trigger is
pulled, a firing pin is released that strikes the
percussion cap and detonates the sensitive
components in the primer.
⚫The detonation in the primer ignites the main
propellant charge and results in rapid formation
of expanding hot gases at a very high
pressure.
⚫The pressure of these gases build up to an
optimum level and forces the projectile out of
the barrel with substantial velocity.
⚫And then the fired cartridge case is manually
removed or ejected automatically.
13. ⚫Dum-dum bullet : These are bullets that are
designed to expand or fragment on impact.
⚫Tandem bullets- This phenomenon is observed
when 2 bullets are fired in one shot, there is
only one entry wound but 2 bullets are found in
the body.
⚫Souvenir bullet- These are bullets that are present
in the body for a long time without
causing any complications.
⚫Ricochet bullet- These are bullets that change
their normal path before hitting the target.
Bullets-
