Firearms and their Closest Friends – The Cartridges

Cartridges vary in length and diameter, being suitable for an incredible number of rifles, pistols and other kinds of firearms. There are many cartridges that have made it into the history books, being invented by famous personalities or taking part in important battles. From the rim-fire cartridges, as it was already mentioned one of the most important one is the .22 LR or long-rifle cartridge. A favorite of both hunters and target shooters, this cartridge has also been fitted for small handguns used for defense purposes. They are not as effective as center-fire cartridges but they have other advantages over the firearms that use these cartridges. The arms for which the rim-fire cartridges are fitted are usually small, can be easily concealed and they are also cheaper to manufacture.

The 9mm includes a wide variety of cartridges, used for both handguns and submachine guns. There are various law enforcement agencies, military forces and even civilians that carry guns for protection purposes who prefer the 9mm cartridges. The guns that fire that cartridge are perfect for self-defense, being less harmful for the attacker. As for cartridges that are especially used by the military, during special assault operations, there is the 5.56 x 45mm cartridge. Fitted for both standard assault rifles and also for smaller machine guns, this cartridge has been especially adapted after the .223 Remington.

Other famous cartridges include the 7.62 x 51mm cartridge, utilized for sniper rifles and various machine guns of medium size. The .30-06 (7.62 x 63mm) is the cartridge after which the one mentioned above was modeled. It is the standard cartridge used by the American army and today it is widely used by hunters as well. As for new rimless center-fire cartridges, the .338 Lapua (8.6 x 70mm) is more than representative, being particularly adjusted for sniper rifles. It offers long-range shooting and it is a favorite of many hunters and target shooting enthusiasts. And as the history of American firearm cartridges could not be complete without the presence of important organizations such as NATO, we should present some of the cartridges that are fitted for NATO’s rifles. The 7.62x51mm, the .30-06 and the .50 Browning for machine guns represent just three examples. The last cartridges are intended to be used in various military operations but they are also used by those who practice target shooting.

As for where blank cartridges stand, these do not contain projectiles and they are mainly used for training purposes. The most important thing that one must remember about blank ammunition is that they can still do harm if you stand too close to the shooting range. Blank cartridges have been also used for the launching of rifle grenades and other types of bombs, and even in the training of gun dogs.

There are many cartridges that have remained as famous inventions of the American firearm history. One of the many that fit that list is the .45 Colt cartridge, developed and perfected by the United States Army in 1872. Made after an already famous British cartridge, the .45 Colt cartridge was adapted for the single-action revolver and was used until in 1877 when newer technologies were implemented. The black powder cartridge was replaced in 1892 with the .38 Colt cartridge but it had its time of glory. It contained almost 40 grains of black powder and had a 255 grain lead bullet. Its velocity was 300 m/s and the cartridge offered an incredible energy. The .45 Colt cartridge was extensively used during those times especially since it was incredibly accurate. And history was going to reintroduce the cartridge, this time adapted for hunting guns and big game shooting. Today, it is still used for derringers and also for certain other guns.

Winchester cartridges have also played an important role in the American gun and cartridge making industry. From all the cartridges manufactured under that name, the .32-20 is one of the most popular produced especially for the lever-action firearms. Introduced in 1882 as a black powder cartridge, it was a favorite of passionate small game hunters. When Colt produced a single-action gun especially made for that cartridge, it became even more popular. The two main advantages of the .32-20 were its ease of use and affordable reload opportunity. The .30-30 Winchester cartridge was one of the first cartridges especially made for 1894 lever-action rifle. The innovation was represented by the smokeless powder used, opening a new era for the sporting rifle cartridges. Perfect for deer hunting, the .30-30 Winchester cartridge has a shooting rage of approximately 200 m and was incredibly effective. The bullets weighed between 150 and 170 grains and the cartridge was particularly popular for having easy recoil. Today, the .30-30 is one of the most famous center-fire rifle cartridges ever manufactured, being part of the modern cartridge production and industry.

Incredible as it seems, the first cartridges ever made date from the 16th century. They stand today as a testimony of how farther the history of ammunition has traveled, even though they primarily consisted of powder and bullets wrapped in a paper tube. During the ages, the cartridge has constantly evolved and improved. The production increased even more with the American Civil War and the introduction of the breech-loading rifle and other modern firearms. Central-fire cartridges became increasingly used for sporting rifles as well, being accurate and extremely powerful. And so long as the history of American firearms is written, so will be the one of cartridges and firearm ammunition!