Ammunitions and Cartridges

Presented by:
Alex P. Sarmiento MS Crim
General Definition
A cartridge is a single unit of

ammunition consisting of the

cartridge case, primer, and
propellant with or without one
or more projectiles.
Technical Definition
refers to a complete unfired

unit consisting of bullet,

cartridge case, propellant
powder, and primer.
 Legal Definition
Under the National Internal revenue Code

the word “Ammunition” shall mean

loaded shell for rifles, muskets, carbines,
shotguns, revolvers and pistols from
which a ball, bullet, shot shell, or other
missiles may be fired by means of
gunpowder or other explosives.
Major Parts of an Ammunition
Bullet Parts
 Bullet

refers to the projectile propelled

from a firearm by means of the
expansive force of gas coming
from burning gunpowder.
Cartridge Case
refers to the tubular
metallic or non metallic
container for the
gunpowder. Sometimes
called Shell.
 Gunpowder
refers to the propellants 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 to the target.
 Primer
• 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 action is called “Percussion”
 CLASSIFICATION OF
CARTRIDGES

A. According to Types of

Firearms
B. According to Location of
Primers
C. According to Caliber
D. According to Purpose or
Design
According to
Types of
Firearms
 According to Types of
Firearms

Revolver Cartridge - has a

rimmed base which allows
the bullet to be clamped at
the cylinder.
 According to Types of
Firearms

Pistol cartridge - has an

extracting groove instead
of a rim, allowing easier
packing of rounds in the
magazine.
 According to Types of
Firearms

Rifle Cartridges - longer

than a hand weapon or a
carbine round and
generally bottled neck for
larger powder capacity and
increased power.
 According to Types of
Firearms
Shot Cartridge - has several
projectiles, spreading out to
create a cone fire. Case is
made generally of paper or
plastic, and a cap preventing
the contents from falling.
 According to Types of
Firearms

Case less cartridge - the

powder is the casing of the
projectile. A varnishing
protects it from moisture
and moderate shocks.
Case less cartridge
According to
Location of
Primers
 According to Location of
Primers

Pin Fire cartridge - the percussion

had a pin resting on its detonating
compound. The end protruding of
the pin is hit by a hammer coming
down vertically from the side of the
cartridge instead of penetrating
horizontally from its rear.
 PIN

PRIMER
 According to Location of
Primers

Center Fire Cartridge - one with

a centrally located primer
assembly, intended to be fired in
a rifle, pistol, revolver or
shotgun.
 According to Location of
Primers

Rim Fire Cartridge - derived from

the fact that this type can be
fired only if the cartridge is struck
by the hammer or firing pin on
the rim of the case.
 According to Location of
Primers

Ring Fire Cartridge - special type

of cartridge wherein the priming
mixture is placed in a circular
hollow ring about 1/3 of the base
of the cartridge.
According to
Caliber
 According to Caliber
Caliber is a term used to indicate the
diameter of a bullet in hundredths of an
inch. A bullet that is 30 hundredths of an
inch (.30) in diameter is called a 30 caliber
bullet. The term caliber is of English origin
and is used by ammunition and firearm
manufacturers in the United States.
Firearms and ammunition of European
origin use the metric system and would
refer to a 30 caliber bullet as a 7.62mm
bullet.
 HANDGUN CALIBERS
 Cal .22 rimfire- used in revolvers, pistols, rifles
 Cal .32 auto- used in revolvers,and automatic
pistols
 Cal .380 Auto- used pistols
 Cal .38 special- used in revolvers
 Cal .357 magnum- used in revolvers
 Cal .40 Auto- used in revolvers, pistols
 Cal .44 magnum- used in revolvers
 Cal .454 magnum-
 Cal .25- used in pistols, rifles
 Cal .50 - used in .50 machine guns
RIFLE CALIBERS
4.73mm Caseless
5.56mm Military (5.56 NATO,
5.56x45mm, .223 Remington)
.270 Rifle
.30-30 Rifle
7mm Magnum
7.62mm Military
.300 Magnum
.50 Military
SHOTGUN SHELL
3 types of Lead shots
a. drop/soft shot and chilled/hard shot
b. plated shot
c. steel shot
3 Categories of lead shots:
 Birdshots
 Buckshots
 Slugs
 BULLET OR SLUG
This refers to metallic or non metallic,
cylindrical projectile propelled from a firearm
by means of expansive force of gas coming
from burning gunpowder. Layman’s term for
bullet is slug.

Pellet- small spherical projectiles loaded in

shotshells and more often called as “shot”
 The etymology of the word bullet,
originated from the French word “Boulette”
meaning small ball.
 BULLET NOMENCLATURE
Shoulder

Cannelure Head height

Heel

Base
Meplat

Point

Ogive
Lead Core
Bearing Surface

Jacket
Bullet Terminology
Base- portion of the bullet that receives the
thrust and heat from the burning powder.
Bearing Surface- area of the bullet that
contacts the barrel rifling.
Cannelure- Ring depression around the
body of a bullet used to receive the case
crimp
Core- the bulk of the mass in a bullet
Head Height- length of the bullet from the
shoulder to the tip
Heel- The location on the bullet where the base
ends and the bearing surface begins
Jacket- material different from the core
material that covers some or the entire core.
commonly used materials include copper, brass,
steel, and aluminum
Meplat- The diameter of the flat or blunt end of
the nose of a bullet
Ogive- The radius of curve between the bearing
surface and the point usually stated with
respect to the caliber.
Point- The most forward point of the ogive
Shoulder- The place on the bullet where the
parallel sides end and ogive begins.
 Head Height

Cannelure
Heel Shoulder
Jacket Point

Base
Meplat

Ogive
Core
Bearing Surface
CLASSIFICATION OF
BULLETS
Lead Bullets- those which are made of
lead or alloys of thes metals(lead, antimony
and tin) which is slightly harder than pure
lead.

Jacketed bullet- those with a core of

lead covered by a jacket or harder material
such as gilding metal, a copper-alloy of
approximately 90%
LEAD BULLET JACKETED BULLET
Non-jacketed Bullets- The most common material used in
the manufacture of non-jacketed bullets is lead.  Lead bullets
are usually an alloy of lead and antimony which is added to
give the bullet some additional hardness.  Variations are the
norm when it comes to the materials used in bullets and it's
not uncommon to find lead bullets with a thin coating of
copper or brass plating.  Bullets having this thin coating is
sometimes referred to as a copper-washed or "Lubaloy"
bullet.  This thin coating can be easily scratched away from
the surface of the lead causing problems for firearm
examiners when these bullets are damaged.  Another
example of a coated bullet is the Federal "Nyclad" bullet that
is designed to reduce lead emissions.
 Plain Lead Copper-washed or "Lubaloy" Federal "Nyclad"
Round-nosed lead round-nosed bullet  nylon coated bullet
bullet  
Other solid bullets can be machined
out of a piece of copper, brass, or
similar material.  Newer manufacturing
techniques use pressure to compress
a material like tungsten into a bullet
referred to as a "frangible" bullet.
 Frangible tungsten
THV Solid brass compressed bullets
machined bullet

KTW Teflon coated

solid brass machined bullet
Jacketed bullets- Jacketed bullets are a laminate of material,
with the harder "jacket" covering a core typically made of
lead.  This jacket material differs from the thin copper plating
seen on the copper-washed bullets above.  The jacket
material cannot be easily removed.
The most common bullet jacket material is copper.  These
can sometimes be plated with nickel to give the bullet a silver
finish but the jacket can also be made of a number of other
materials such as aluminum or steel.  Steel jackets are widely
used in bullets that originate in the European and Chinese
markets.  Steel jacketed bullets are usually coated or plated
to help prevent rusting.

Jacketed bullets usually have an opening at the base or the

nose but some are have no opening in the jacket material. 
These bullets are called totally-metal-jacketed bullets (TMJ)
or encapsulated bullets.
 Copper jacketed
full-metal-case bullet Copper plated
and cross-section steel jacketed bullet

CCI totally-metal-jacketed bullet Winchester "Silver-tip"

nickel-plated copper jacket bullet
Shapes and Size
Bullet Shapes
Bullet Shapes
All bullets will generally fall into several distinct
shapes.  These shapes usually involve variances in
nose and base of the bullet.
The two most common bullets for the longest time
have been the round nosed lead bullet and the
full-metal-jacketed bullet.

These bullets have a solid nose and as a result

they remain fairly intact when they strike soft
targets.  In a lot of cases they will pass right
through a target when they don't encounter
something significant like bone. 
Jacketing

Full metal jacket

Partial jacketing
Semi-jacketed soft point
Semi-jacketed hollow
point
Silver Tip
According to Purpose or Design
According to Purpose or
Design
Hard Ball- This style of bullet is a
copper sheath, the jacket, over a core
of lead. It is the standard projectile
type, expanding very little, but giving
good penetration.
Armor Piercing Bullets- have
hardened steel cores and are fired
against vehicles and other armored
targets in general.
Tracer Bullet- contains a compound at
the base usually barium nitrates, which is
set on fire when the bullet is projected.
Incendiary bullet- contains a mixture
such a phosphorous or other material, that
can be set on fire by impact.
Fragmentation Bullet- similar to hard
ball ammo with stress lines manufactured
into the slug, that results to bullet splitting
into fragments when hitting soft tissue,
creating a bigger wound.
Wad cutter Bullet- a cylindrical bullet
design having a sharp shouldered nosed
intended to cut target paper clearly to
facilitate easy and accurate scoring.
Gas Check Bullet- to prevent melting the
base, lead bullets intended to be fired at
higher velocity have their gases protected
with a small copper cups. The bullet is cast
with a slightly tapering base, and the
copper gas check is then pressed lightly on
the bore; the cup remaining on the bullet
when it is fired.
Pointed Bullet- more effective
ballisticaly than round ball of the
same weight because there is less
surface presented to the air and
thus the speed of the bullet is less
retarded so quickly.
Dumdum bullet- an outmoded and
generally misused term. The dum-
dums were outlawed for use in wars.
Soft Point or “Mushroom” bullet-
bullet that will expand on striking an
object and therefore produce much
more serious shock and have
correspondingly greater stopping
power.
Hollow Point bullet- is a bullet with a
cavity in the nose designed to increase
the expansion when it hits the target.
Steel Jacketed bullet- bullet having
soft steal jacket, often clad or plated
with gilding metal to prevent rusting and
reduce frictional resistance in the bore
X-bullet- solid copper projectile, heat
treated for extra toughness with no
separate jacket and no lead core. A deep
forward cavity causes the nose to peel
back into four razor edge petals
Wax Bullet- a bullet made from paraffin
and other wax preparation usually used
for short range indoor target shooting.
 
CARTRIDGE CASES/SHELL/CASING
This Refers to the tubular metallic or non
metallic container which holds together
the bullet, gunpowder and primer.
 The cartridge case is the portion of the
cartridge that is automatically ejected
from the automatic firearm during firing
and this remains at the scene of the crime.
This is a firearm evidence that can help
trace a particular firearm from which it
was fired.
Cartridge was derived from the
Latin Word “charta” which
means paper and the French
word “cartouche” meaning a roll
of paper. Cartridge was
discovered in the 16th century
Threefold Function of
Cartridge Case:
1. Serves to hold together the
bullet, gunpowder and primer as
one unit.
2. Water and moist protection of
the gunpowder or propellant
3. Prevents the escape of burned
gas from burning gunpowder
during firing.
Parts
Rim- This serves the purpose of
limiting the forward travel of cartridge
into the chamber and also limits the
clearance between the head and the
breech block
Primer pocket- holds the primer
securely in central position, provides a
means to prevent the escape of gas to
the rear of cartridge and provides a
solid support of primer anvils, without
which the latter could not be fired.
Head and Body- This constitutes the
“cork” that plugs the breach of the
barrel against the escape of the gas
Neck- part of the cartridge that is
occupied by the bullet
Canelure- this are serrated grooves
that are sometimes found rolled into the
neck and bodies of the cases at the
location of the bullet bases to prevent
bullets from being pushed back or
loosened.
Crimp- Part of the mouth of a case that
is turned in upon the bullet
Base- bottom portion of the case which
contains, the primer, shellhead which
contains the headstamp, caliber and year
of manufacture
Shoulder- portion which supports the neck
Extracting Grooves- circular groove near
the base of the case or shell designed for
automatic withdrawal of the case after
each firing.
Vents or Flash holes- refers to the hole
in the web or bottom of the primer pocket
through which the primer flash imparts
ignition to the powder charge.
Classification of Cartridge
Case
According to Case Shape
Straight case- most revolver and
pistol cartridge use straight cases
Bottleneck- most modern center
fire rifle cartridges use it to provide
more power capacity
Tapered- already obsolete, very
rare but presently used in so called
magnum jet cartridge cal .22
STRAIGHT BOTTLED NECK TAPPERED
According to Head Forms
Rimmed- designed to be used in revolvers
Semi-rimmed- designed to be used in
semi-automatic weapons like pistols and
submachine guns
Rimless- cases wherein the diameter of the
body of the cartridge is the same as the
diameter of the cartridge case.
Rebated Rimless- designed to allow a
large diameter case while being able to use
a smaller, more standard sized bolt face.
Belted case- designed to provide positive
head spacing and allow magazine feeding
 GUN POWDER
refers to the propellants 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 to the target.
Any of various powder used as
propellant charge.
The inventor of gunpowder is Berthold
Schwartz, whose real name is
Constantin Anklitzen.
 Types of Gunpowder
BLACK POWDER- consist of jet black and
rather shiny grains, used in about six
centuries. It is composed of;
Potassium Nitrate - 75%
Charcoal - 15%
Sulphur - 10%

SMOKELESS POWDER- A mixture of

nitrocellulose 60 Parts, nitroglycerine 35
parts and vaseline 5 parts. These substances
are almost entirely smokeless in action.
Gun Powder Shapes
 PRIMER

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 action is called
“Percussion”
Parts of The Primer
 TYPES OF PRIMER
Berdan- an ignition
component consisting of a
cup, explosive mixture and
covering foil. The anvil is an
integral part of the cartridge
case head in the bottom of
the primer pocket. One or
more flash holes are drilled
or pierced through the
bottom of the primer pocket
into the propellant cavity of
the case.
Boxer- an ignition component consisting of a
cup, explosive mixture, anvil and covering foil
disc which together form the completed primer
ready for assembly into the primer pocket of a
cartridge case. A central flashhole is pirced
through the bottom of the primer pocket into
the propellant cavity of the case. Used in
modern commercial centerfire ammunition
made in Canada and United States.
Berdan Boxer
Cartridge/Ammunition

Types and Classification