AMMUNITION

An often overlooked aspect of safe firearm operation is knowing about the ammunition you use. It is important for you to know which ammunition can be used safely in your firearm.

Ammunition Components

A firearm cartridge, commonly referred to as a “round,” is a single unit of ammunition made up of four parts: the case, the primer, the propellant and the bullet.

Components of a Cartridge case bullet

primer propellant

(inside of case)

The case is the metal cylinder that is closed at one end and contains the other three components. The primer is the impact-sensitive chemical compound used for ignition.
 The propellant is a fast-burning chemical compound. The bullet is the projectile fired from a firearm. It is usually made of lead, sometimes covered with a layer of copper or other metal and is located at the tip of the cartridge. People often mistakenly refer to the entire cartridge as a “bullet.” Actually the bullet is just one part of a cartridge.

 PHYSICS OF GUNFIRE

 To understand the power of a firearm, it is helpful to know some of the physics of gunfire. The fall of the hammer causes the primer to ignite the powder, which burns to produce gases. These rapidly-expanding gases push the bullet through the barrel and toward the target. The push of gases against the firearm results in what is called recoil. Some shooters are startled by recoil.
Firearms vary in how much recoil they generate. Anticipation of recoil may cause an inexperienced shooter to grasp the firearm too tightly or flinch.
Shooting a firearm properly minimizes the negative effects of recoil on the shooter.