Rifle CartridgesEarly rifle cartridges came in a wide array of designs, all with the intention of speeding the loading process. Paper cartridges were a way to keep ball and powder together for transport but had to be separated to stuff them down the muzzle. In 1848 Walter Hunt introduced a cartridge design for his Volition rifle called the Rocket Ball. The Rocket Ball was a conical bullet with gun powder packed into a cavity at the rear. Powder capacity was very limited.
Although his early breech loading repeater was largely unsuccessful, it lead to the development of the famous Henry rifle which fired a .44 caliber rimfire cartridge. The Spencer rifle, introduced about the same time, used a .52 caliber rimfire. The early cases were made of copper, but eventually brass became the standard.
Most of the large caliber rimfires became obsolete by the late 1800's as gun manufacturers developed centerfire ammunition that was far superior. The centerfire has some advantages in that it allows the case to be thicker and stronger, allowing higher ignition pressure. The rim no longer needs to be thin enough for the firing pin to 'crush'. The primer, now being at the center, makes for more uniform ignition.
The introduction of clean burning smokeless powder in the 1890's has lead to a huge variety of high performance cartridges. Its burn rate can be controlled by granule shape, size and composition, allowing fine tuning to specific purposes. Modern powder, firearms, and bullets are capable of extreme velocities, great accuracy and lethal terminal performance. We have a great variety for every purpose.
Rifle Cartridge Library:250 Savage, 250-3000 30-40 Krag 32-20 Winchester 32-40 Winchester, Ballard, Marlin 44-40 Winchester 7-30 Waters |
