Percussion cap | firearm ignition device | Britannica (original) (raw)
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development of bullet
In bullet By the 1860s, percussion caps, which detonate upon being struck a sharp blow by the firing pin of a gun, had been incorporated into a metal cartridge case containing all the components for a complete round that could be used in breech-loading rifles. In the 1880s, the introduction… Read More
improvement of cartridge
In cartridge …of the cartridge, where a percussion cap was inserted. The cartridge with a percussion cap, or cup, centred on the base of the cartridge—centre-fire—predominated in all larger calibres, but rimfire cartridges remain popular in small-bore, low-powered ammunition, e.g., .22 calibre. Smokeless nitrocellulose powder replaced black powder as the propellant in… Read More
significance in small arms
In small arm: Percussion ignition By 1830, percussion caps (attributed to the Philadelphian Joshua Shaw in 1815) were becoming the accepted system for igniting firearm powder charges. A percussion cap was a truncated cone of metal (preferably copper) that contained a small amount of fulminate of mercury inside its crown, protected by… Read More
