BACKGROUND & HISTORY OF
CARTRIDGE CASES
PAPER POWDER CHARGE
In the earliest days of small arms, cartridges began to
evolve as an alternative to the slower process of handling
a powder flask for charging each shot. In a rudimentary
cartridge, a charge of black powder was measured into a
thin paper or linen tube that was slightly smaller than the
bore. A ball was then placed on top of the powder in the
tube and secured with glue or a string.
BURNSIDE CARTRIDGE
The Burnside rifle used an unusual brass cartridge that
was largely supported by the breech rather than the barrel.
A small covered hole in the base of the cartridge received
the blast from the percussion cap; the seal burned
through, igniting the powder charge.
The Burnside cartridge walls were stiff and did not expand
sufficiently to seal the bore.
RIM-FIRE CARTRIDGE
The French gunmaker Louis Nicolas Auguste Flobert developed
target arms and low-powered cartridges. The ball was loaded in a
thin copper case with a hollow rim folded into the base. Fulminate
was smeared into the hollow rim, providing all of the power for the
ball; no additional propellant was used. The firing pin struck the rim
against the rear face of the barrel, igniting the fulminate. This
cartridge class is known as rimfire .
PIN-FIRE CARTRIDGE
Needle-fire systems placed the primer in the base of the bullet.
A long, sharp firing pin pierced the paper or foil case to reach the
primer. The French Chassepot and German Dreyse service rifles
were the first successful newly manufactured breechloaders in
general military issue. Ultimately, other cartridges providing a
better gas seal were developed.
CENTER FIRE CARTRIDE
Development focused on placing the pellet of fulminate so that it
was better retained. Most design work placed the pellet in the
center of the cartridge base. This cartridge class was known at the
time as centrallyprimed or centralfire; today known as centerfire .
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