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Primer: Primer - Is An Igniter Used To Initiate The Burning of A Propellant. Small Arms Cartridges Are

Primer is an igniter used to initiate the burning of propellant in small arms cartridges. There are two main types of primers - boxer primers which have a brass cup containing explosive material and anvil, used in most American centerfire cartridges, and Berdan primers which have the anvil built into the case and two flash holes. Shot-shell primers are a variant of boxer primers used in shotgun shells. Primers come in different sizes and compositions depending on the type of ammunition, with large rifle and pistol primers being the largest in diameter. When fired, the firing pin strikes the primer cup, compressing the material and causing it to explode, sending a flame through the flash hole to ignite the propellant.

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398 views

Primer: Primer - Is An Igniter Used To Initiate The Burning of A Propellant. Small Arms Cartridges Are

Primer is an igniter used to initiate the burning of propellant in small arms cartridges. There are two main types of primers - boxer primers which have a brass cup containing explosive material and anvil, used in most American centerfire cartridges, and Berdan primers which have the anvil built into the case and two flash holes. Shot-shell primers are a variant of boxer primers used in shotgun shells. Primers come in different sizes and compositions depending on the type of ammunition, with large rifle and pistol primers being the largest in diameter. When fired, the firing pin strikes the primer cup, compressing the material and causing it to explode, sending a flame through the flash hole to ignite the propellant.

Uploaded by

Haimelien De Limos
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Primer

On forensic ballistics

Primer - is an igniter used to initiate the burning of a propellant. Small arms cartridges are
classified as centerfire or rimfire depending on the location of the primer. In centerfire
cartridges, the primer is located in the center of the base of the cartridge case. There are
two types of primers for metallic cartridges, Boxer and Berdan.American centerfire rifle and
pistol cartridges have boxer primers,(blazer ammunition is the exception)A boxer primer
consists of a brass or gilding-metal cup, a pellet containing a sensitive explosive, a paper
disk, and a brass anvil. These component parts are assembled to form a complete primer.
The boxer primer has a single large flash hole in the bottom of the case.

     European metallic cartridges traditionally are loaded with Berdan primers. The Berdan
primer differs from the American boxer primer in that it has no integral anvil. Instead, the
anvil is built into the cartridge case and forms a projection in the primer pocket. Berdan
primers have two flash holes in the primer pocket.

     Shot-shell primers are a variant of boxer primer used in metallic cartridges. The main
difference is that the shot-shell primer has its own supporting cup, the battery cup, which
encloses the anvil, the paper disk, the priming mixture, and the primer cup. This battery cup
primer is inserted in the base of the shotgun shell.

     Primers made for rifles and pistols differ in construction in that the cups of pistol primers
are made with thinner metal. The riffle primer also has a mixture that burns with a more
intense and sustained flame.

Primers come in five sizes. They are


1. Large rifle
2. Small rifle
3. Large pistol
4. Small pistol
5. Shotgun
 
The large primers measure .210 inches in diameter, the small is.175 inches and shotgun
primers are .243. Magnum primer (either rifle or pistol) produces a more intense and
sustained flame which is necessary for better ignition in magnum cartridges.

     When a weapon is fired, the firing pin strikes the center of the primer cup.compressing
the primer composition between the cup and anvil and causing the composition to explode.
The vents in the anvil allow the flame to pass through the flash hole into the cartridge case
and thereby igniting the propellant.

     Primer compounds originally were made of fulminate of mercury. On firing, free mercury
is released. This amalgamated with the brass of the cartridge case, making it brittle and
ruining it for reloading. In addition, storage of ammunition containing mercury primers for
long periods of time led to the deterioration of the brass because of the mercury. Mercury
compounds were then replaced with chlorate compounds. Unfortunately, on firing, these
break down to chloride salts, causing severe rusting of the barrels.
 
     All primers currently manufactured in the U.S. use chemical ingredients that are non-
mercuric and non-corrosive.The compounds that are used vary, lead styphnate, barium
nitrate, and antimony sulfide are most commonly used. Most centerfire primers of either
U.S. or foreign manufacturer contains all three compounds. The detection of these
compounds constitutes the basis for tests to determine whether an individual has fired a
firearm. Blound industries (CCI), Remington, Federal, and Winchester now manufacture
some centerfire pistol ammunition that does not contain lead in the primer.

     Rimfire ammunition does not contain a primer assembly. Instead, the primer composition
is spun into the rim of the cartridge case with the propellant in intimate contact with this
composition. On firing, the firing pin strikes the rim of the cartridge case compressing the
primer composition and initiating its detonation. The priming mixture used in .22 rimfire
ammunition manufactured by Winchester and CCI are compounds of lead and barium and
antimony. Remington rimfire ammunition used to contain only lead compounds but now
uses compounds of lead and barium. Some Mexican manufactured rimfire ammunition uses
only lead compounds in the primer

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