Primer (firearms)
In firearms and artillery, the primer (/ˈpraɪmər/) is the chemical and/or device responsible for initiating the propellant combustion that will propel the projectiles out of the gun barrel.
In early
Modern primers, by contrast, are more specialized and distinct from the main propellant they are designed to ignite. They are of two types, those using
Upon being struck with sufficient force generated by the firing pin, or electrically ignited, primers react chemically to produce heat, which gets transferred to the main propellant charge and ignites it, and this, in turn, propels the projectile. Due to their small size, these primers themselves lack the power to shoot the projectile, but still have enough energy to drive a bullet partway into the barrel — a dangerous condition called a squib load.
Priming methods
The first step to firing a firearm of any sort is igniting the propellant. The earliest firearms were
External priming
Matchlock
The first attempt to make the process of firing a small arm easier was the "matchlock". The matchlock incorporated a "lock" (so-called because of its resemblance to door locks of the day) that was actuated by a
was needed, and it would slowly burn, keeping a hot ember at the burning end. After the gun was loaded and the touchhole primed with powder, the burning tip of the match was positioned so that the lock would bring it into contact with the touchhole. To fire the gun, it was aimed and the trigger pulled. This brought the match down to the touchhole, igniting the powder. With careful attention, the slow-burning match could be kept burning for long periods of time, and the use of the lock mechanism made fairly accurate fire possible.Wheellock
The next revolution in ignition technology was the "wheel-lock". It used a spring-loaded,
Flintlock
The wheel-lock enjoyed only a brief period of popularity before being superseded by a simpler, more robust design. The "flintlock", like the wheel-lock, used a flashpan and a spark to ignite the powder. As the name implies, the flintlock used flint rather than iron pyrite. The flint was held in a spring-loaded arm, called the "cock" from the resemblance of its motion to a pecking chicken. The cock rotated through approximately a 90-degree arc and was held in the tensioned, or "cocked" position by a trigger. Usually, flintlocks could lock the cock in two positions. The "half-cock" position held the cock halfway back, and used a deep notch so that pulling the trigger would not release the cock. Half-cock was a safety position, used when loading, storing or carrying a loaded flintlock. The "full-cock" position held the cock all the way back and was the position from which the gun was fired. The L-shaped "frizzen" was the other half of the flintlock's ignition system. It served as both a flashpan cover and a steel striking surface for the flint. The frizzen was hinged and spring-loaded so that it would lock in the open or closed position. When closed, the striking surface was positioned so that the flint would strike at the proper angle to generate a spark. The striking flint would also open the frizzen, exposing the flashpan to the spark. The flintlock mechanism was simpler and stronger than the wheel-lock, and the flint and steel provided a good, reliable source of ignition. The flintlock remained in military service for over 200 years, and flintlocks are still made today for historical re-enactments and muzzle-loading target competition, and for hunters who enjoy the additional challenge that the flintlock provides.
Caplock
The next major leap in ignition technology was the invention of the chemical primer, or "cap", and the mechanism which used it, called the "caplock". Percussion ignition was invented by Scottish clergyman
Electric-fired
A small number of caseless cartridges use no primer at all, but the primary propellant is ignited using an externally provided electric charge, such as with the Voere VEC-91 and the O'Dwyer VLe. This is not to be confused with an electrically ignited internal primer (see below).
Internal priming
Chemical primers, advanced
This big leap forward came at a price. It introduced an extra component into each round – the cartridge case - which had to be removed before the gun could be reloaded. While a flintlock, for example, is immediately ready to be reloaded once it has been fired, adopting brass cartridge cases brought in the problems of extraction and ejection. The mechanism of a modern gun not only must load and fire the piece, but also must remove the spent case, which may require just as many moving parts. Many malfunctions involve this process, either through failure to extract a case properly from the chamber or by allowing it to jam the action. Nineteenth-century inventors were reluctant to accept this added complication and experimented with a variety of self-consuming cartridges before acknowledging that the advantages of brass cases far outweighed their one drawback.
The three systems of self-contained metallic cartridge ignition which have survived the test of time are the
Pinfire
A pinfire firearm cartridge is an obsolete type of brass cartridge in which the priming compound is ignited by striking a small pin which protrudes radially from just above the base of the cartridge. Invented by Casimir Lefaucheux in 1828, but not patented until 1835, it was one of the earliest practical designs of a metallic cartridge. However, the protruding pin was vulnerable to damage, displacement and accidental ignition. Moreover, the pin had to be positioned carefully in a small notch when loading, making the pinfire's use in repeating or self-loading weapons impossible. The pinfire survives today only in a few very small blank cartridges designed as noisemakers and in novelty guns.
Rimfire
Rimfire cartridges use a thin brass case with a hollow bulge, or rim, around the back end. This rim is filled during manufacture with an impact-sensitive primer. In the wet state, the primer is stable; a pellet of wet primer is placed in the shell and simply spun around to cover the full extremes of the rim. (For more on the exact process and one set of chemical compounds that have been used successfully, see U.S. patent 1,880,235, a 1932 Remington Arms patent by James E. Burns.) In the dry state, the primer within the rim becomes impact-sensitive. When the rim is then crushed by the hammer or firing pin, the primer detonates and ignites the powder charge. Rimfire cartridges are usually single-use and normally cannot be reloaded. Also, since the rim must be thin enough to be easily crushed, the peak pressure possible in the case is limited by the strength of this thin rim. Rimfire cartridges originally were available in calibers up to 1 in (25 mm) caliber, however, all but the .22 in (5.6 mm) calibers and smaller eventually became obsolete. The .22 Long Rifle, also fired in pistols, is the most popular recreational caliber today because it is inexpensive, relatively quiet, and has very low recoil.
While the rimfire priming method is limited due to the thin cases required, it has enjoyed a few resurgences recently. First, it was Winchester's .22 Magnum Rimfire, or
Centerfire
The identifying feature of centerfire ammunition is the metal cup containing the primer inserted into a recess in the center of the base of the cartridge. The firearm
Electric-primed
Some
Electric priming was also used in the EtronX system developed and sold by Remington for some of its sporting rifles. It was sold as a firearm with a much faster lock time. It never became a popular sporting arms system and was discontinued by Remington as a result.
Primer actuated blowback
Primer actuated firearms use the energy of
A similar system is used in the spotting rifles on the
Primer actuated cartridges
Primer actuated cartridges/Piston primer cartridges use a primer in the form of a blank to contain the propellant within the cartridge, or as a piston to unlock the bolt and cycle the weapons operation. Examples are the 9x51mm SMAW, MBA Javette and the M48A2.
See also
References
- ^ John B. Snow, "Ammo Review: New .17 Winchester Super Magnum, World's Fastest Rimfire Round", Outdoor Life
- Davis, William C., Jr.Handloading (1981) National Rifle Association p.65
- Davis, William C., Jr.Handloading (1981) National Rifle Association p.21
- ^ "WORLD WAR 2 FIGHTER GUN EFFECTIVENESS". www.quarryhs.co.uk.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8117-0795-4. Archivedfrom the original on 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
- ^ "Experimental semi-automatic rifles by John Garand, 1919-1936". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-12-28.
the primer actuated device was doomed to failure as the .30 caliber cartridge did not lend itself to this type of operation
- ^ Flirting With Flechettes: The US Army's Search for the Ideal Rifle Projectile Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Cruffler.com May 2000 article
- ^ "Clarke carbine". 27 October 2010. Archived from the original on 2017-01-07. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
- ^ "9 x 51mm SMAW - International Ammunition Association". Archived from the original on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
External links
- Siekman, Mark W.; Anderson, David A.; Boyce, Allan S. (September–October 2010), "Small-Arms Ammunition Production and Acquisition: Too Many Eggs in One Basket?", Professional Bulletin of United States Army Sustainment, 42 (5), U.S. Army, PB 700-10-05. Thirteen chemicals used in U.S. Army small arms cartridges; 7 chemicals are not available within the U.S.
- U.S. Army (September 1984), Military Explosives, Technical Manual, Department of the Army, TM 9-1300-214, p. 2-3 stating "1602–1604. Fulminating gold, later used as a priming explosive, was invented by Johann Tholden, a Dutch chemist in the employ of the British Navy." Later, on same page, "1628. Gold fulminate priming explosives for torpedoes were invented by J. Thollen for the British Navy."
- Urbański, Tadeusz; Jurecki, Marian (translator) (1967), Laverton, Sylvia (ed.), Chemistry and Technology of Explosives, vol. III (First English ed.), Pergammon, Basilius Valentinus described "explosive gold" in first half of 17th century. In 1630, Van Drebbel (Cornelis Drebbel?) investigated fulminate of mercury and "explosive gold". In 1690, Johann von Löwenstern-Kunckel's book Laboratorium Chymicum described how to make fulminate of mercury. In 1805, Alexander John Forsythused potassium chlorate to make pellets, but these were not safe. "The first ignition caps were invented in the early nineteenth century. In these caps the ignitable composition was enclosed in a casing of brass or copper. This invention cannot be traced with any certainty to any individual. The literature on the subject names several chemists including Bellot and Egg in 1815 [5]. The first application of mercury fulminate in ignition caps is attributed to Wright[6] in 1823."