Ryan Timbal, PhD

 (alsocalled CAP) is the ignition system

of the cartridge used in a center fire
type, containing a highly sensitive
chemical compound that would easily
ignite or bursts into flame when struck
by the firing pin. It may either be
Berdan or Boxer type. It is also known
as the percussion cup.
qBerdan is a type of primer
construction, which was designed in
1860s by Colonel Hiram S. Berdan of
the U.S Army Ordinance Department.

q Boxer on the other hand, was

developed by Col. Edward M. Boxer of
the Royal Laboratory at Woolwich
Arsenal in the year 1866.
1. Primer Cup
= Is the brass
gilding metal
cup which
contains the
priming mixture,
the disc and the
anvil.
2. Priming Mixture
= Is the highly
sensitive chemical
compound which
ignites by the
mechanical blow of
the firing pin. Also
c a l l e d a s
percussion powder.
3. Anvil
= Is that portion of the primer which
provides solid support and absorbs
the blow of the firing pin causing
friction that would initiates ignition.
4. Disc

= Is a thin paper or foil which is

pressed over the priming mixture in
order to protect it from moisture
attack.
Gunpowder (also called as propellant
or Power Charge)

- is that mixture of chemicals of

various compositions designed to
propel the projectile by means of its
expansive force of gas when burned.
Two of the most popular individual whose
name is always attached to gunpowder
discovery were Roger Bacon and Berthold
Schwartz. Let’s take a short description of
how their names are always mentioned in
the history.
Roger Bacon, (1242 A.D.)
a Franciscan monk, who wrote the --
- “ D e M i r a b i l i Po t e s t a t e A r t i s e t
Naturae” (On the Marvelous Power of
Art and Nature), including an anagram.
Berthold Schwartz (whose real name was
Constantin Anklitzen), a mysterious
monk of Freiburg in Germany, who
according to legend that is supported by
an engraving dated 1643, while
experimenting on some powder in a cast
iron vessel, he ignited a charge and thus
blew off the lid, and from this deduced
the principle of containing a charge in a
tube and propelling a shot (Encyclopedia
of ammunition)
Black powder, the oldest known
explosive, was initially made from:

Potassium Nitrate (75%)

charcoal (15%)
sulfur (10%).
Smokeless powder, consist of
nitrocellulose 60 parts,
nitroglycerine 35 parts and Vaseline
5 parts.
 The problems in the use of black powder
was later remedied with the introduction of
the smokeless powder.
Captain E. Schultze of the Prussian Army,
made the 1st successful used of smokeless
powder in shotgun in the year 1864.
(Although historically nitroglycerine
compound was first discovered in 1846). The
basic ingredient used for smokeless powder
is a nitrocellulose that was first produced by
adding a nitric acid to cellulose fiber.
About 1911 – the examination and
detection of nitrates and nitrites from the
gun powder residue was first applied

1914 – Dr. Iturriuz was the first who used

paraffin wax to collect propellant residue
which led to test which become popular as
paraffin test.
Diphenylamine Test – a test used to
determine the presence of nitrates and
nitrites. The presence of blue color or blue
specks is an indication of positive reaction
of nitrates and nitrites.

Marshall and Tewari – the color test

used to determine the firearm’s distance
from which it was fired.
ØStyphnate (Pb)
ØBarium Nitrate (Ba)
ØAntimony Sulfide (Sb)
End of Topic....