Anatomy Of a Cartridge

Ammunition, often called bullets, is a basic component of firearms. It is the object that is expelled from the barrel of a gun to cause damage to a target. Ammunition comes in many different shapes and sizes, but they all have common components:

• The Primer is a metal cup that holds a tiny amount of explosive. It ignites the propellant and starts the firing process. It is located around the rim of the case for rim-fire ammunition or in the center of the cartridge case for center-fire ammunition.

• The Cartridge Case is made of plastic, brass, or steel, and holds all the parts together. The primer sits in a small compartment, usually in the head of the case. The propellant is packed inside the case, and the bullet sits at the open end of the case.

• The Projectile is the bullet or other object that is fired from the weapon. The bullet is propelled by the propellant, and is the only part of the cartridge that will impact your target.

• The Flash Hole is the little hole in the back of the cartridge case where the fire of the primer reaches the powder in the casing and ignites it.

• The Propellant also called gunpowder is what propels the projectile out of the firearm. It is typically a powder, but can also be a compressed gas.

• Lead simply means the bullet is completely made of lead, and isn’t hollow or filled with another metal.

• The Metal Jacket encases the lead bullet in a separate harder metal, this is normally copper, but can sometimes be other materials and even hybrid composites. It preserves the bullet during firing and helps prevent lead from depositing itself in the barrel as it fires. 
• At conditionzerotactical.com we use only the best ammunition for training and target shooting.