CHAPTER IV

CARTRIDGE CASES/SHELL/CASING

CARTRIDGE CASES/SHELL/CASING
A Cartridge case is like a cover that
 Contains components (projectile, primer, propellant) in a single unit for convenience of handling
and loading
 Resists the firing-pin blow during ignition
 Forms a gas seal (obturation)
 A tubular metallic or non-metallic container which holds together the bullet, gunpowder, and
primer
 The portion of the cartridge that is automatically ejected from the automatic firearm during firing,
and this remains at the scene of the crime. This is a firearm evidence can help trace a particular
firearm from which it was fired.

Functions:
1. It serves as means whereby the bullet, Gunpowder and primer are assembled into a unit.
2. It serves as a waterproof container for the gunpowder.
3. It prevents the escape of the gases to the rear as the sidewalls of the cartridge case are forced
against the walls of the chamber by the pressure. It serves as the gas seal at the breech end of the
barrel.

Composition: usually brass (70% copper, 30% zinc); also, plastic and paper in shotgun shell tubes.

Origin:
In the earliest days of small arms, cartridges began to evolve as an alternative
to the slower process of handling a powder flask for charging each shot. In a
rudimentary cartridge, a charge of black powder was measured into a thin paper or linen
tube that was slightly smaller than the bore. A ball was then placed on top of the
powder in the tube and secured with glue or a string.

Early breechloaders incorporated a sharpened cutter blade atop the

breechblock. A paper cartridge was loaded, but when properly seated, stood slightly out
of the barrel. When the shooter closed the action, the cutter sheared off the rear of the
cartridge, exposing propellant to the flash hole. This eliminated misfires caused by
excess paper blocking the flame from the percussion cap.

Paper
The Burnside rifle used an unusual brass cartridge that was largely powder
charge
supported by the breech rather than the barrel. A small, covered hole in the base of
the cartridge received the blast from the percussion cap; the seal burned through,
igniting the powder charge. The Burnside cartridge walls were stiff and did not
expand sufficiently to seal the bore.

The true modern cartridge is flexible enough to expand under pressure and
completely seal the rear of the barrel, yet strong enough to remain intact at peak
operating pressure. Its diameter must be slightly smaller than that of the chamber to
keep the cartridge case wall expansion to a minimum. The length dimensions must

Burnside
cartridge
match the chamber’s corresponding support surfaces so that the case can withstand the blow of the gun’s
firing pin.
https://projects.nfstc.org/firearms/module03/fir_m03_t06_02.htm

Early Metallic

The French gunmaker Louis Nicolas Auguste

Flobert developed target arms and low-powered
cartridges. The ball was loaded in a thin copper case with a
hollow rim folded into the base. Fulminate was smeared
into the hollow rim, providing all the power for the ball; no
additional propellant was used. The firing pin struck the rimfire
rim against the rear face of the barrel, igniting the
fulminate. This cartridge class is known as rimfire. Smith
& Wesson made improvements to the basic Flobert concept, enhancing reliability and power. These
improvements were introduced in 1857 with the 22 Short cartridges. Today’s 22 Short cartridges are
practically indistinguishable in form from the original Smith & Wesson version.

Another cartridge system once popular in Europe was pinfire ignition. A small
pocket of fulminate was placed on the sidewall of a copper case. A brass pin was
installed in the opposite side of the case; the internal tip of the pin rested on the
fulminate. The hammer was unusual in that it fell on the side of the case, driving the pin
into the fulminate. This system was not as robust as the rimfire system because the gun
chamber must be slotted for the pins, and the ammunition manufacturing cost was A Flobert
greater. Cartridge

Other early cartridges combined the required components yet

failed to meet the sealing requirement. Needle-fire systems placed the
primer in the base of the bullet. A long, sharp firing pin pierced the paper
or foil case to reach the primer. The French Chassepot and German Dreyse
service rifles were the first successful newly manufactured breechloaders
(i.e., not converted from muzzleloaders) in general military issue. Pinfire
Ultimately, other cartridges providing a better gas seal were developed.

The Volcanic cartridge/firearm system made by Robbins & Lawrence around

1854 provides an example of an early innovation from the United States. For all practical
purposes, the cartridge was a Minié ball with its base cavity filled with propellant. A
paper disc holding a fulminate pellet closed off the back. It was similar in concept to
needle-fire but did not require the long and easily damaged firing pin. The cartridges
were underpowered and the gas seal was inefficient, but the Volcanic repeating rifle
could hold a large quantity of ammunition.

The legacy of the Volcanic ammunition is practically nonexistent, but the

legacy of the Volcanic rifle action is significant in firearms technology. Oliver
Volcanic
Winchester and B. Tyler Henry used it as the starting point for the famous Winchester
line of lever-action repeating rifles.
https://projects.nfstc.org/firearms/module03/fir_m03_t06_02_a.htm

Anatomy of a Cartridge Case:

 Figure 1: Casing

Parts of the Casing:

1. Rim – this serves the purpose of limiting the forward
travel of cartridge into their chambers and this also limit
the clearance, if any, between the heads and the
supporting surface of the bolt or breech lock.
2. Primer Pocket – performs triple functions.
a. It holds the primer securely in central position.
b. It provides a means to prevent the escape of gas
to the rear of the cartridge.
c. It provides a solid support of primer anvils, without which the latter could not be fired.
3. Vents or Flash Holes – this refers to the hole in the web or bottom of the primer pocket through
which the primer “flash” imparts ignition to the powder charge.
4. The head and body – this constitutes the “cork” that plugs the breach of the barrel against the
escape of gas.
5. Neck – this is the part of the cartridge case that is occupied by the bullet.
6. Cannelure – these are the serrated grooves that are sometimes found rolled into the neck and
bodies of the cases at the location of the bullet bases to prevent the bullets from being pushed
back or loosened.
 A groove indentation of a cartridge case that holds the end of the bullet.
7. Crimp - this is that part of mouth of a case that in turned in upon the bullet.
Functions:
a. it aids in holding the bullet in place.
b. resists the movement of the bullet out of the neck which affects the burning of the
gunpowder.

Types:
a. roll crimp – are primarily used on cartridges that headspace on the rim or case shoulder.
Roll crimping is best used on the revolver cartridges.
b. taper crimp – is used primarily with cartridge that headspace on the case mouth with
lead bullets. Taper crimping is the way to go for semi-automatic pistol cartridges.
https://gundigest.com/more/how-to/crimp-styles-uses

1. Base – the bottom portion of the case which contains.

a. the primer which contains the priming mixture.
b. the shell head which contains the priming mixture
 c. the shell head which contains the headstamp, caliber
and the year of manufacture.

Headstamp – where the manufacturers identification is

imprinted, it also gives the caliber and the name of the
cartridge.

2. Shoulder – that portion which support the neck.

3. Extracting groove – the circular groove near the base of the case or shell
designed for automatic withdrawal of the case after firing.

Classification According to Case Shape and Base Form

I. According to Case Shape:
a. Straight case – where the case diameter is approximately the
same along its length.

b. Bottleneck case – where a wide-bodied case is, just before the

case mouth, reduced in diameter to that of the bullet. This allows
much larger volume of propellant to be used, and consequently
higher velocities is obtained, than in straight-sided cases.

c. Tapered case – where a wide-based cartridge case is gradually

reduced in diameter along its length.

II. According to the configuration of its Base.

a. Rimmed - These have a flange at the base which is larger than the
diameter of the body of the cartridge case. This flange is to enable
the cartridge to be extracted from the weapon in which it is used.
When describing rifle ammunition and the metric method of
designating the ammunition is used, these are often identified by an
‘R’ after the case length measurement.

b. Semi-rimmed - These have a flange which is slightly larger than the

diameter of the cartridge case and a groove around the case body just
in front of the flange. When describing rifle ammunition and the
metric system is used, these are identified by ‘SR’ in the cartridge
designation.

c. Rimless – In these, the flange diameter is the same as the case body
and there is, for extraction purposes, a groove around the case body
just in front of the flange. There is generally no letter system to
designate this cartridge base type. Self-loading pistols are designed
for use with semi-rimmed or rimless ammunition.
d. Rebated – This has an extractor flange which is less than the diameter of the cartridge
case. The designation used in the metric system is ‘RB’. This type of cartridge case
configuration tends to be reserved for high-powered cannon ammunition.

e. Belted case – These have a pronounced raised belt encircling the base of the cartridge.
This belt is for additional strength in high pressure cartridges. The metric designation is
‘B’. This type of cartridge case is generally only found in very high-powered rifle
cartridges or military cannon ammunition.
https://forensicsdigest.com/types-of-cartridge-case/

Styles for Cartridges:

There are three common styles for rifle cartridges. Look at the base of the
cartridge case to see if the case is rimless, rimmed, or belted magnum. Care must be
taken when loading rimmed cases into magazines to prevent feeding problems.

Figure 2. Common Styles