| If you are going to use a reloading press of any kind then you will first need to know all the parts of a round of ammunition. This may be basic knowledge to some but, judging by the number of people who misuse the term ‘bullet’, maybe not!
We’ll start at the back of the round and work our way forward. Now, before we start, it’s important to know that there are of course different kinds of rounds. Pistol, rifle and shotgun rounds (or cartridges) all differ. However the basic components are much the same.
At the back end is the rim or case head which the case or shell sits in. This is the part the gun uses to extract the spent shell after firing. The shell or case itself can be made of various metals though brass is common (sometimes the case is simply called ‘the brass’). Shotgun cartridges have plastic shells.
If you turn the round upside down you’ll see the stamp on the head case containing information about the calibre. In the middle you will also see what is known as the primer (the hole in which this sits is sometimes called the primer pocket). This little device is what the firing pin of the gun hits. It ignites the next component in the round which is the powder.
In rifle and pistol rounds the final component is the bullet itself (shotgun cartridges have a ‘shot’ instead, which is made up of lead pellets). The bullet is the metal head which sits in the mouth (the top) of the shell. It is this that is fired out of the gun by the gunpowder, the case being expelled separately.
In addition, the shotgun cartridge has wadding which is simply a means to seal the gas between the powder and the shot for purposes of effective and safe functioning when fired.
All of these components are expended after firing the gun, except for the casing (and the base thereof) which is what is retrieved and used to make new rounds via the reloading process. |
March 13th, 2009
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