Editing Centerfire ammunition (section)

{{Short description|Type of ammunition that is commonly found in small-, medium-, and large-caliber firearms}}
[[file:357 Magnum 01.jpg|thumb|Two rounds of [[.357 Magnum]], a centerfire cartridge; notice the circular primer in the center]]

A '''center-fire''' (or '''centerfire''') is a type of [[metallic cartridge]] used in [[firearm]]s, where the [[primer (firearms)|primer]] is located at the center of the base of its casing (i.e. "case head").  Unlike [[rimfire cartridge]]s, the centerfire primer is typically a separate component seated into a recessed cavity (known as the ''primer pocket'') in the case head and is replaceable by [[handloading|reloading]] the cartridge.

Centerfire cartridges have supplanted the rimfire cartridge, with the exception of a few small calibers. The majority of today's [[handgun]]s, [[rifle]]s, and [[shotgun]]s use centerfire ammunition, with the exception of some [[.17 Rimfire|.17 caliber]], [[5 mm caliber#Rimfire cartridges|.20 caliber]], and [[.22 caliber#Rimfire|.22 caliber]] [[Rimfire ammunition|rimfire]] [[handgun cartridge|handgun]] and [[rifle cartridge]]s, a few small-bore/gauge [[shotgun shell]]s (intended mainly for use in [[pest control]]), and a handful of antiquated [[Rimfire ammunition|rimfire]] and [[pinfire]] cartridges for various [[firearm action]]s.