Definition of Spent Cartridge
In the United States, the Flobert cartridge inspired the .22 Short (another rimfire) in 1857, specially designed for the first American revolver with rimfire cartridges, the Smith & Wesson Model 1. A year earlier, in 1856, the LeMat revolver was the first Rear-loading American (French-designed) weapon, but it used Pinfire cartridges, not rimfires. Earlier, an employee of Colt`s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company, Rollin White, was the first in America to have the idea of having the turret cylinder drilled to accommodate metal cartridges (circa 1852), the first in the world to use drilled cylinders probably being Lefaucheux in 1845, who invented a pepperbox revolver loaded from behind with pierced cylinders. [42] Another possible plaintiff for the drilled cylinder is a Frenchman named Perrin, who is said to have made a pepperbox revolver with a cylinder drilled to order in 1839. Other potential plaintiffs include Devisme de France in 1834 or 1842, who claimed to have manufactured a rear-loading revolver during this period, although his claim was later judged by French courts as a lack of evidence, and Hertog & Devos and Malherbe & Rissack of Belgium, both of whom filed patents for rear loader turrets in 1853. [43] Samuel Colt, however, rejected this innovation. White left Colt, went to Smith & Wesson to rent a license for his patent, and that`s how the S&W Model 1 was born in 1857. The patent finally expired only in 1870, allowing Smith & Wesson`s competitors to develop and market their own rotary rear loaders with metal cartridges. Famous models of this period are the Colts Open Top (1871-1872) and single action army “Peacemaker” (1873). But for rifles, patents for lever mechanisms were not hindered by the infringement of Rollin White`s patent, as White only held a patent for drilled cylinders and rotating mechanisms. For example, larger rim cartridges were introduced shortly after 1857, when Smith & Wesson .22 Short ammunition was first introduced.
Some of these rifle cartridges were used during the American Civil War, including the .44 Henry and the 56-56 Spencer (both in 1860). However, the large rimfire cartridges were quickly replaced by centerfire cartridges that could safely withstand higher pressures. [44] [45] Most turret cartridges are framed at the bottom of the case, which sits at the edge of the cylinder chamber, to allow control of the headspace (to prevent the cartridge from moving too far forward in the chamber) and to facilitate extraction. Plastic casings are commonly used in shotgun shells, and some manufacturers have now started offering medium shotgun cartridges with polymer casings. During the American Civil War (1861-65), a rear-loading rifle, the Sharps, was introduced and produced in large quantities. It can be loaded with a bullet or a paper cartridge. After this war, many switched to the use of metal cartridges. The development of revolver handguns by Smith & Wesson (among many others) that used metal cartridges helped establish cartridge firearms as the standard in the United States in the late 1860s and early 1870s, although many continued to use percussion revolvers thereafter. [33] Subscribe to America`s largest dictionary and get thousands of additional definitions and advanced search – ad-free! These sample sentences are automatically selected from various online information sources to reflect the current use of the word “cartridge”.
The opinions expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us your feedback. The colored Mek-Porek is an inert cartridge base designed to prevent a live cartridge from being inadvertently placed in a chamber to reduce the likelihood of accidental discharge due to mechanical or operator failure. An L-shaped flag is visible from the outside, so that the shooter and other affected people immediately become aware of the situation of the weapon. The Mek porek is usually attached to his weapon by a short rope and can be quickly ejected to make way for a sharp round if the situation suddenly warrants it. This security arrangement is a standard problem in the Israeli armed forces. [58] Steel casings are used in some flashing ammunition as well as in some military munitions (mainly from the former Soviet Union and China). Steel is cheaper to make than brass, but it is much less resistant to corrosion and cannot be reused and refilled. The armed forces generally consider shell casings for small arms to be disposable devices. However, the mass of cartridges can affect the amount of ammunition a soldier can carry, so lighter steel casings have a logistical advantage.
[Citation needed] Conversely, steel is more susceptible to contamination and damage, so all of these cases are painted or sealed against the elements. A disadvantage caused by the increased strength of the steel in the neck of these cases (compared to the annealed neck of a brass case) is that the propellant gas can blow beyond the neck and escape into the chamber. The components of these gases condense on the wall of the chamber (relatively cold), and this solid blowing agent residue can complicate the extraction of cooked housings. This is less of a problem for the small arms of the former Warsaw Pact states, which were designed with much looser chamber tolerances than NATO weapons. [Citation needed] A snap cap is a device that has the shape of a standard cartridge, but does not contain primer, blowing agent or projectile. It is used to ensure that dry-fire firearms of certain constructions do not cause damage. A small number of central firearms and older rim shots should not be fired with an empty chamber, as this could lead to a weakening or rupture of the bullet and increased wear and tear on the other components of these firearms. In the case of a rimgun of primitive design, dry fire can also cause deformation of the edge of the chamber.
For this reason, some shooters use a cap to dampen the pistol`s firing pin as it moves forward. Some shots include a spring-cushioned artificial primer or a plastic primer or not at all; Springs or plastic absorb the force of the ignition pin, allowing the user to safely test the operation of the firearm`s action without damaging its components. However, this great leap forward came at a price: it introduced an additional component into each cartridge – the cartridge case – that had to be removed before the weapon could be reloaded. For example, while a flint lock is immediately ready to refill after cooking, the adoption of brass cartridge sleeves has led to extraction and ejection issues. The mechanism of a modern weapon must not only load and pull the part, but also provide a method for removing the used suitcase, which can require so many additional moving parts.