- 01: Introduction
- 02: History
- 03: Propellants, Firearms, and Ammunition Development
- 04: Modern Firearms Manufacture
- 05: Small Arms Ammunition
- 06: Evidence Handling Procedures
- 07: Equipment and Instrumentation
- 08: Examination of Firearms
- 09: Cartridge and Shotshell Examination
- 10: Characterization and Evaluation of Fired Projectiles
- 11: Bullet Comparison and Identification
- 12: Gunshot Residue and Distance Determination
- 13: Toolmark Identification
- 14: Communicating Results
- Resources
Early Metallic
Home > Propellants, Firearms, and Ammunition Development > Ammunition > Cartridge Cases > Early Metallic
Rimfire
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. Smith & Wesson made improvements to the basic Flobert concept, enhancing reliability and power. These improvements were introduced in 1857 with the 22 Short cartridges. Today’s 22 Short cartridges are practically indistinguishable in form from the original Smith & Wesson version.
A Flobert Cartridge
Another cartridge system once popular in Europe was pinfire ignition. A small pocket of fulminate was placed on the sidewall of a copper case. A brass pin was installed in the opposite side of the case; the internal tip of the pin rested on the fulminate. The hammer was unusual in that it fell on the side of the case, driving the pin into the fulminate. This system was not as robust as the rimfire system because the gun chamber must be slotted for the pins, and the ammunition manufacturing cost was greater.
Pinfire
Other early cartridges combined the required components, yet failed to meet the sealing requirement. 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 (i.e., not converted from muzzleloaders) in general military issue. Ultimately, other cartridges providing a better gas seal were developed.
The Volcanic cartridge/firearm system made by Robbins & Lawrence around 1854 provides an example of an early innovation from the United States. For all practical purposes, the cartridge was a Minié ball with its base cavity filled with propellant. A paper disc holding a fulminate pellet closed off the back. It was similar in concept to needle-fire but did not require the long and easily damaged firing pin. The cartridges were underpowered and the gas seal was inefficient, but the Volcanic repeating rifle could hold a large quantity of ammunition.
Volcanic
The legacy of the Volcanic ammunition is practically nonexistent, but the legacy of the Volcanic rifle action is significant in firearms technology. Oliver Winchester and B. Tyler Henry used it as the starting point for the famous Winchester line of lever-action repeating rifles.
