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December 29th, 2022

The World of Cartridges — Guide to Cartridge and Primer Types

pew pew tactical bullet cartridge photos rimfire primer illustration

The Pew Pew Tactical website has interesting article on rifle and pistol cartridges and bullet types. This contains a large selection of interesting photographs and illustrations. If you load and/or shoot for a wide variety of cartridge types, you’ll find that article well worth reading. It has nearly 50 photographs and more than a dozen short videos. READ FULL Article.

pew pew tactical bullet cartridge photos rimfire primer illustration

The article shows all types of pistol bullets, along with a variety of rifle projectiles. It even illustrates multiple types of shotshell cartridges.

The article also explains the basic components of modern cartridges –bullet, case, powder, and primer:

ammunitiontogo.com ammo case cutaway
Photo courtesy Ammunitiontogo.com which sells ammo from many leading brands.

pew pew tactical bullet cartridge photos rimfire primer illustrationPopular Cartridge Types Profiled
The article provides quick summaries of popular ammunition types including 9mm Luger (9x19mm), .357 Magnum, .40 SW, .45 ACP, .223 Rem, and .308 Winchester. The author’s favorite pistol round is the 9mm Luger: “9mm is my personal favorite and if there was a “Goldilocks” round, this would be it. The very first gun I bought was a 9mm. They’re fun at the range. They’re good for defense. It is the standard round for NATO countries and the majority of police forces around the world. It is mild shooting, can vary in weight from 115 to 147 grains, and has varying stopping power based on the type of bullet.”

This Pew-Pew Tactical guide to cartridge types also provides a quick explanation of cartridge ignition — both centerfire and rimfire: “The rimfire’s primer is built into the rim while the centerfire cartridge has the primer in the center. Pro tip — if you can see a circle in the middle…it’s a centerfire cartridge.”

There are two common types of centerfire primers — Boxer and Berdan. This helpful Wikipedia illustration shows how Boxer, Berdan, and rimfire primers ignite the powder in the cartridge:


Berdan boxer rimfire primer gif animation illustration


This centerfire and rimfire ignition animation is by BBODO – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license.

Permalink Bullets, Brass, Ammo, Reloading, Tech Tip No Comments »
January 14th, 2015

Sig Sauer Offers P220 Pistols in 10mm

Handgun owners have debated the comparative merits of the 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP cartridges for decades, ad nauseum. If one focuses on downrange energy, there IS an answer to the age-old 9mm/40SW/45ACP debate, namely “none of the above”. Bottom line, if you really want the most powerful, widely available semi-auto handgun cartridge, the 10mm Auto beats the other three contenders. Don’t just take our word for it — check out the ballistics comparisons on GunData.org:

9mm vs. .40 S&W Summary and Ballistics | .40 S&W vs. 10mm Auto Summary and Ballistics

The .40 S&W has more energy than the older 9mm Parabellum cartridge, but the .40 S&W is trumped by the larger 10mm Auto. In fact, the .40 S&W is actually just a “detuned”, shortened 10mm. The .40 S&W was developed when the original 10mm Auto proved a bit too snappy for FBI agents.

Sig Sauer 10mm ammunition ammo Elite P220

Fans of the original hard-hitting 10mm Auto, have reason to celebrate. Now one of the great semi-auto handguns, the Sig P220, is available in 10mm Auto. “A 10mm version of the legendary P220 is at the top of the list of ‘most requested products’ from fans of our products,” said Jeff Creamer, Executive Director and General Merchandise Manager for SIG SAUER, Inc. “We heard the demand, and created a P220 that will make full use of the cartridge’s potential.”

Four different 10mm P220 models will be offered, all with 5˝ barrels. There will be one DA/SA model and three single-action-only (SAO) models. The Match Elite Reverse Two-Tone P220 is the one DA/SA model. It features match sights, G-10 grips, an Elite Beavertail, and a stainless finish with front cocking serrations

The Stainless Elite P220 and Stainless Elite Nitron® P220 are single-action only pistols featuring the Elite Beavertail, Siglite night sights, and front cocking serrations. Last but not least, the SAO “Hunt Ready” P220 comes with Sig Sauer Romeo1 mini red-dot sight installed, black G-10 Piranha grips and a Kryptek® Highlander camo pattern finish.

Sig Sauer Introduces 10mm Auto Pistol Ammo
To feed its new 10mm P220s, Sig Sauer will offer two new types of 10mm pistol ammo: 1) 180gr Elite Performance Full Metal Jacket (FMJ) target load; and 2) 180gr Elite Performance V-Crown™ Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP) and for self-defense and hunting. “We are pleased to add this accurate, powerful round to our Elite Performance Ammunition line,” said Bud Fini, Sig Sauer Marketing VP.

Sig Sauer 10mm ammunition ammo Elite P220

Permalink Handguns, New Product 6 Comments »
December 31st, 2014

Patriotic Pistol-Caliber Carbine Give-Away

Are you feeling lucky on this last day of 2014? Well Cheaper Than Dirt is giving away a very unique (and very patriotic) rifle. The Just Right Carbine is a simple, blowback-action semi-auto rifle that can be configured to shoot three different pistol cartridges: 9mm, .40 SW, and .45 ACP. The Just Right Carbine bridges the power gap between long guns chambered for rimfire cartridges and those using full-power rifle rounds. With caliber conversion kits, this modular carbine can shoot the three most popular semi-auto pistol cartridges: 9mm, .40 SW, and .45 ACP. The give-away rifle is configured to shoot one caliber, the 9mm Luger (9mm parabellum).

Just Right Carbine

This special-release Stars and Strips Edition carbine is finished in an American Flag camouflage. American Rifleman magazine says this rifle is versatile and easy to operate:

“At first glance, the JR Carbine is just another AR variant. Though it shares numerous parts and an outward appearance with the ubiquitous AR platform, the JR is actually of a totally different design. Unlike the AR’s gas-operated action, the JR Carbine uses a simple blowback system similar to that of the Ruger 10/22. The bolt is held forward by spring pressure and is cycled by the energy of the fired round; there are no gas tubes or pistons involved. While it doesn’t use the AR’s operating system, the JR Carbine does share with the AR its modularity and some parts commonality, so many of the myriad of AR accessories can be used on the JR. The carbine uses a standard commercial diameter AR buffer tube so any buttstock compatible with a commercial AR can be fitted to the JR. Mil-spec and commercial AR parts are also interchangeable with the carbine’s AR-style trigger, grip, and safety[.]”

Just Right Carbine

How to Enter Contest: For a chance to win this rifle, visit the Cheaper Than Dirt Contest Registration Page and complete the online entry form. Limit one entry per person and e-mail address during the Sweepstakes Period.

Permalink New Product No Comments »
August 11th, 2011

Charter Arms Offers .40-Cal Rimless Revolver (No Moon Clips)

Charter Arms .40 SW revolverCharter Arms has apparently revived its 40 S&W Rimless Revolver, first announced in 2009. Charter Arms claims its 40 S&W Revolver is the “world’s first .40 caliber Rimless Revolver”.

Built on the same stainless steel frame as the .44 Special Pit Bull wheelgun, the new 5-shot .40 S&W Pit Bull Revolver weighs 20 ounces, and measures 6.75″ overall with a 2.3 inch barrel. The gun has a fixed frame rear sight and a ramped front sight with a standard hammer. A DAO hammer is available upon request. Rubber grips are standard.

Dual Coil Spring Extractor Design Eliminates Need for Moonclips
The Charter Arms .40 S&W Revolver features a rimless cartridge extractor assembly. A dual coil spring assembly is located in the extractor to allow the insertion and retention of a .40 caliber cartridge in each chamber of the revolvers’ cylinder. What sets the new Charter Arms apart from previous revolvers chambered for rimless cartridges is the built-in coil spring that grabs the cartridges’ extractor groove. This enables the gun to work without moon clips used in other revolver designs.

Charter Arms .40 SW revolver

.40 S&W Revolver Makes Sense as Back-Up for .40 S&W Duty Pistol
Why do we need a revolver that shoots .40 S&W when there are perfectly good options for .38 Special, .357 Magnum and other popular rimmed cartridges? According to Charter Arms President Nick Ecker, the firearms industry has had a “long felt need” for a revolver that fires .40 S&W rimless ammo. Ecker explains: “The Pit Bull is the ideal revolver for law enforcement officers to use as their back up, because they can now carry a revolver that utilizes the same ammo as their sidearm. It gives them the first revolver that shoots their [.40 S&W] ammo without utilizing moon clips.” It is not clear whether the new .40-Cal Pit Bull can shoot the hotter 10mm rimless ammo as well. We note that the barrel of the gun is marked “Pit Bull 40 S&W”.

COMMENT: We hope Charter Arms applies its rimless extractor design to a 9mm Parabellum version. A 9mm revolver that works reliably without moon clips should be very popular. In a lightweight wheelgun, the 9mm (with its lesser recoil) would be more controllable than the .40 S&W round. The .40 S&W has a stout kick even in a full-size, all-metal duty pistol. 9mm ammo is also much more affordable than 40 S&W ammunition. We note that when Charter Arms first announced its “Rimless Revolvers” two years ago, it claimed it would also release a .45 ACP version and “90-120 days after the .45 ACP will come the 9mm”. Charter Arms has not revealed whether it still plans to bring out either a .45 ACP or 9mm Rimless Revolver. In 2009, Charter Arms listed these prices: 9mm $399.00, .40 $449.00, .45 ACP $449.00.

Hindsight: Smith & Wesson 9mm Model 547
Historically, the new .40 Cal Pit Bull is not the first revolver from a major manufacturer to chamber rimless cartridges without moon clips. In the 1980s Smith & Wesson marketed a model 547 9mm revolver that used a spring-loaded detent in the cylinder for case retention. Basically a modified model 13 with 3″ barrel, the model 547 is no longer in production.

Charter Arms .40 SW revolver

Permalink New Product, News 1 Comment »
July 17th, 2011

Ammo Sale and $5.00 Shipping Promotion at Cabelas.com

Cabelas.com is currently running an Ammo Sale, with prices on some items are reduced up to 30%. In addition, now through July 19th, mechandise orders of $150.00 or more can be shipped for just $5.00. (Note, this does NOT apply to firearms sales,there may be additional charges for heavy items, and gift card purchases don’t qualify.) Some of the better deals are listed below:

  • Federal 7.62×51 (.308 Win) Gold Medal Match
    Loaded with 175gr Sierra Match Kings
    Item: IK-218116, $21.99 on Sale (20 rounds)
  • Federal 5.56 NATO Ammunition with Ammo Can
    Loaded (on stripper clips) with 62gr green-tip bullets
    Item: IK-218085, $150.99 on Sale (420 rounds)
  • Federal American Eagle .40 S&W with Ammo Can
    Loaded with 165gr FMJ bullets
    Item: IK-218023, $129.99 on Sale
  • Permalink Bullets, Brass, Ammo, Hot Deals No Comments »