Separate Primed Cartridges
- These are cartridges that are made up of bullet and powder only. They need an outside (separate) source of ignition. Separate primed small arms cartridges of non-combustible materials (rubber, foil, brass) all have a hole in the base to admit the percussion cap flame.
|
Smoothbore Arms
- Smoothbore arms are those in which the inner surface of the barrel (bore) is entirely smooth. These arms fired a round lead ball which was cast slightly smaller than the diameter of the bore. This allowed the ball to be rammed down the barrel in preparation for firing. The ball would rest on the gunpowder charge which, when ignited, forced the ball out of the barrel. Smoothbore arms were used by the U. S. Army from the Revolution until the late 1850s. The greatly increased accuracy of arms with rifled bores made smoothbore arms obsolete.
|
Solid Shot
- A solid projectile that has no bursting charge. See also “bolt.”
|
Swaged
- A sizing process used on cast bullets. A bullet was placed in a metal cylinder of the desired shape and diameter. A punch the shape of the cavity followed and was struck with a hammer. This action swaged the bullet to proper diameter and shape. The bullet was dislodged by hitting a punch at the nose of the bullet.
|
*
definitions from "Military Dictionary", Col. H.L. Scott, 1861
|
