Editing Centerfire ammunition

{{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.

==History==
An early form of centerfire ammunition, without a percussion cap, was invented between 1808 and 1812 by [[Jean Samuel Pauly]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/2410/SSHT-0011_Lo_res.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y |website=DSpace Repository - Smithsonian Institution |title=Small Arms Ammunition at the International Exposition Philadelphia, 1876 |access-date=2015-10-19 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151229231059/https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/2410/SSHT-0011_Lo_res.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y |archive-date=2015-12-29 }}.</ref> This was also the first fully integrated cartridge and used a form of [[obturation]] employing the cartridge itself. Another form of centerfire ammunition was invented by the Frenchman Clement Pottet in 1829;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://firearmshistory.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/cartridges-centrefire-cartridge.html|title=Cartridges: Centerfire cartridge|website=firearmshistory.blogspot.co.uk|access-date=4 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020000205/http://firearmshistory.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/cartridges-centrefire-cartridge.html|archive-date=20 October 2017}}</ref><ref name=Westwood>{{cite book|last=Westwood|first=David|title=Rifles: An Illustrated History of Their Impact|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hLBTkNZ8U44C&pg=PA29|year=2005|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-85109-401-1|page=29}}</ref> however, Pottet would not perfect his design until 1855. [[Stephen Vincent Benét (general)|U.S. General Stephen Vincent Benét]] developed an internally primed center-fire cartridge that was adopted by the U.S. Army Ordnance Department starting in 1868, ultimately being phased out in the mid 1880s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Clark |first1=Maj. Jerome |title=The Invention of the Central-Fire Primer |journal=The American Rifleman |date=May 1931 |pages=49}}</ref>

The centerfire cartridge was improved by Béatus Beringer, Benjamin Houllier, Gastinne Renette, Smith & Wesson, [[Charles William Lancaster|Charles Lancaster]], Jules-Félix Gévelot, George Morse, Francois Schneider, [[Hiram Berdan]] and [[Edward Mounier Boxer]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://forum.cartridgecollectors.org/t/want-to-buy-beatus-beringer-cartridges/52476|title=The International Ammunition Association Journal, issue 504|year=2015|page=14}}</ref><ref name=Westwood/><ref>{{cite book|title=Decisions of the Commissioner of Patents and of the United States Courts in Patent and Trade-mark and Copyright Cases|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uPBCAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA83|year=1875|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|page=83}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r5xbAAAAcAAJ&q=%22fusils+%C3%A0+bascule%22+Cartouche&pg=PA24|title = Description des machines et procedes specifies dans les brevets d'invention, de perfectionnement et d'importation, dont la duree est expirée|year = 1847}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0lIBAAAAQAAJ&q=Beringer+Cartridge&pg=PA176|title=Deanes' Manual of the History and Science of Fire-arms|last1=Deane|first1=John|year=1858}}</ref>

==Advantages==
[[File:Centerfire & rimfire ignition.gif|thumb|Comparison of centerfire and rimfire ignition]]

Centerfire cartridges are more reliable for military purposes because the thicker metal cartridge cases can withstand rougher handling without damage, and is safer to handle because explosive priming compound in a protruding rim is more likely to be triggered by impact if a rimfire cartridge is dropped or pinched. The stronger base of a centerfire cartridge is able to withstand higher chamber pressures which in turn gives bullets greater velocity and energy. While centerfire cartridge cases require a complex and expensive manufacturing process, explosive handling is simplified by avoiding the spinning process required to uniformly distribute priming explosive into the rim because of uncertainty about which angular segment of a rimfire cartridge rim will be struck by the firing pin. Larger caliber rimfire cartridges require greater volumes of priming explosive than centerfire cartridges, and the required volume may cause undesirably higher pressure spikes during the ignition process. Reducing the amount of priming explosive will greatly diminish the ignition reliability of rimfire cartridges, and increase the probability of a [[Firearm malfunction|malfunction]] such as a [[Dud|misfire]] or [[hang fire]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Treadwell |first=T.J. |title =Metallic Cartridges, (Regulation and Experimental,) as Manufactured and Tested at the Frankford Arsenal, Philadelphia, PA |publisher =United States Government Printing Office |date =1873 |location =Washington, DC |page =9 }}</ref>

[[Economies of scale]] are achieved through interchangeable primers for a wide variety of centerfire cartridge calibers. The expensive individual [[brass]] cases can be reused after replacing the primer, gunpowder and projectile. [[Handloading]] reuse is an advantage for rifles using obsolete or hard-to-find centerfire cartridges such as the [[6.5×54mm Mannlicher–Schönauer]], or larger calibers such as the  [[.458 Lott]], for which ammunition can be expensive. The forward portion of some empty cases can be reformed for use as obsolete or [[wildcat cartridge]]s with similar base configuration. Modern cartridges larger than [[.22 caliber]] are mainly centerfire.  Actions suitable for larger caliber rimfire cartridges declined in popularity until the demand for them no longer exceeded manufacturing costs, and they became obsolete.

==Primers==
[[Image:45 ACP - FMJ - SB - 3.jpg|thumb|The primer of this unfired cartridge has been sealed with red [[lacquer]] to prevent oil or moisture from reaching the powder charge and priming explosive.]]
[[File:Berdan vs boxer2.jpg|thumb|Berdan (left) and Boxer (right) primed rifle cartridges]]

The identifying feature of centerfire ammunition is the [[Primer (firearm)|primer]] which is a metal cup containing a [[primary explosive]] inserted into a recess in the center of the base of the cartridge. The firearm [[firing pin]] crushes this explosive between the cup and an anvil to produce hot gas and a shower of [[incandescent]] particles to ignite the powder charge.<ref name="nra65">[[William C. Davis, Jr.|Davis, William C., Jr.]] ''Handloading'' (1981) National Rifle Association of America p.65</ref>  Berdan and Boxer cartridge primers are both considered "centerfire" and are not interchangeable at the primer level; however, the same weapon can fire either Berdan- or Boxer-primed cartridges if the overall dimensions are the same.<ref name="SAAMI">[[Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute]]</ref>

The two primer types are almost impossible to distinguish by looking at the loaded cartridge, though the two (or more) flash-holes can be seen or felt inside a fired Berdan case and the larger single hole seen or felt inside a fired Boxer case. Berdan priming is less expensive to manufacture and is more commonly found in military-surplus ammunition made outside of the United States.

===Benét primer===
Invented by [[Stephen Vincent Benét (general)|Stephen Vincent Benét]] in 1868,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Clark |first1=Maj. Jerome |title=The Invention of the Central-Fire Primer |journal=The American Rifleman |date=May 1931 |pages=49}}</ref> this is placed and hidden internally within the base of the cartridge.

===Berdan primer===
Berdan primers are named after their American inventor, [[Hiram Berdan]] of New York who invented his first variation of the Berdan primer and patented it on March 20, 1866, in {{US patent|53388}}. A small copper cylinder formed the shell of the cartridge, and the primer cap was pressed into a recess in the outside of the closed end of the cartridge opposite the bullet. In the end of the cartridge beneath the primer cap was a small vent-hole, as well as a small teat-like projection or point (this was to be known as an anvil later on) fashioned from the case, such that the firing pin could crush the primer against the anvil and ignite the propellant. This system worked well, allowing the option of installing a cap just before use of the propellant-loaded cartridge, as well as permitting reloading the cartridge for reuse.

Difficulties arose in practice because pressing in the cap from the outside tended to cause a swelling of the copper cartridge shell, preventing reliable seating of the cartridge in the chamber of the firearm. Berdan's solution was to change to brass shells, and to further modify the process of installing the primer cap into the cartridge, as noted in his second Berdan Primer patent of September 29, 1868, in {{US patent|82587}}. Berdan primers have remained essentially the same functionally to the present day.

Berdan primers are similar to the caps used in the [[caplock]] system, being small metal cups with pressure-sensitive explosive in them.  Modern Berdan primers are pressed into the "primer pocket" of a Berdan-type cartridge case, where they fit slightly below flush with the base of the case.  Inside the primer pocket is a small bump, the "anvil", that rests against the center of the cup, and usually two (or more) small holes by the sides of the anvil, which allow the flash from the primer to reach the interior of the case. Berdan cases are reusable, although the process is rather involved.  The used primer must be removed, usually by [[hydraulic]] pressure, pincer, or lever that pulls the primer out of the bottom. A new primer is carefully seated against the anvil, and then the powder and a bullet are added.

====Centered single-hole primer====
From the 1880s to the 1940s, many smaller European armies were reloading their ammo for economical reasons, and for that reason they adopted the system known as either Austrian or after the George Roth factory in Vienna which patented it in 1902<ref>{{patent|AT|15483B}}, diagram at [https://forum.cartridgecollectors.org/t/austrian-berdan-primers/13116/23]</ref> even though it was known from the early-to-mid 1880s, where the anvil had a single fire hole right at its center.

===Boxer primer===
[[file:Primers.jpg|thumb|Large (top row) and small (bottom row) pistol cartridge Boxer primers. (L–R fired, unfired, and inside view.) The tri-lobe object inside the primer is the anvil.]]
[[file:.45 ACP primers.jpg|thumb|The same cartridge ([[.45 ACP]] shown here) can have different primer sizes depending on manufacturer.]]

Meanwhile, Colonel [[Edward Mounier Boxer]], of the [[Royal Arsenal]], Woolwich, England, was working on a primer cap design for cartridges, patenting it in England on October 13, 1866, and subsequently received a U.S. patent for his design on June 29, 1869, in {{US patent|91,818}}.

Boxer primers are similar to Berdan primers with one major difference, the location of the anvil. In a Boxer primer, the anvil is a separate stirrup piece that sits inverted in the primer cup and provides sufficient resistance to the impact of the firing pin as it indents the cup and crushes the pressure-sensitive ignition compound. The primer pocket in the case head has a single flash-hole in its center. This positioning makes little or no difference to the performance of the cartridge, but it makes fired primers vastly easier to remove for [[Handloading|reloading]], as a single, centered rod pushed through the flash hole from the open end of the case will eject the two-piece primer from the primer cup. A new primer, anvil included, is then pressed into the case using a reloading press or hand-tool. Boxer priming is universal for US-manufactured civilian factory ammunition.

Boxer-primed ammunition is slightly more complex to manufacture, since the primer is in two parts in addition to the pressure-sensitive compound, but automated machinery producing the more complex primers by the hundreds of millions has eliminated that as a practical problem. And while the primer has one additional step needed during the manufacturing process, the cartridge case is simpler to make, use, and reload.

Early primers were manufactured with various dimensions and performance.  Some standardization has occurred where [[economies of scale]] benefit ammunition manufacturers. Boxer primers for the United States market come in different sizes, based on the application. The types/sizes of primers are:

* 0.175" (4.45&nbsp;mm) diameter ''small pistol'' primers, and a thicker or stronger metal cup ''small rifle'' version for use with higher pressure loadings in weapons with heavy firing pin impact.
* 0.209" (5.31&nbsp;mm) diameter primers for [[shotgun shell]]s and modern inline [[muzzleloader]]s, using a Boxer-type primer factory-assembled inside a tapered, flanged brass cup.
* 0.210" (5.33&nbsp;mm) diameter ''large rifle'' primers, and a thinner or softer metal cup ''large pistol'' version for use with lower pressure loadings in weapons with light firing pin impact. Large rifle primers are also 0.008" taller than large pistol primers.<ref>{{cite web|title=FAQ|url=http://www.cci-ammunition.com/education/faqs.aspx|access-date=27 March 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327053515/http://www.cci-ammunition.com/education/faqs.aspx|archive-date=27 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Calhoon|first=James|title=Primers and Pressure|journal=Varmint Hunter|date=October 1995|url=http://www.jamescalhoon.com/primers_and_pressure.php|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107135641/http://www.jamescalhoon.com/primers_and_pressure.php|archive-date=2015-01-07}}</ref>
* 0.315" (8.00&nbsp;mm) diameter [[.50 BMG]] primers, used for the .50 Browning Machine Gun cartridge and [[wildcat cartridge|derivatives]]
Examples of uses:
* [[.38 Special]], small pistol standard
* [[.357 Magnum]], small pistol magnum
* [[.45 Colt]], large pistol standard
* [[.50 Action Express]], large pistol magnum
* [[.223 Remington]], small rifle standard
* [[.357 Remington Maximum]], small rifle magnum
* [[.308 Winchester]], large rifle standard
* [[.338 Lapua Magnum]], large rifle magnum

Primer size is based on the primer pocket of the cartridge, with standard types available in large or small diameters.  The primer's explosive charge is based on the amount of ignition energy required by the cartridge design; a standard primer would be used for smaller charges or faster-burning powders, while a magnum primer would be used for the larger charges or slower-burning powders used with large cartridges or heavy charges. Rifle, large and magnum primers increase the ignition energy delivered to the powder, by supplying a hotter, stronger and/or longer-lasting flame. Pistol cartridges often are smaller than modern rifle cartridges, so they may need less primer flame than rifles require. A physical difference between pistol and rifle primers is the thickness of the primer's case; since pistol cartridges usually operate at lower pressure levels than most rifles, their primer cups are thinner, softer, and easier to ignite, while rifle primers are thicker and stronger, requiring a harder impact from the [[firing pin]].<ref>Lyman ''Ideal Hand Book No. 36''. Lyman Gun Sight Corporation (1949) p. 45.</ref>  Despite the names ''pistol'' and ''rifle'', the primer used depends on the cartridge, not the firearm; a few high-pressure pistol cartridges like the [[.221 Fireball]] and [[.454 Casull]] use rifle primers, while lower-pressure pistol and revolver cartridges like the .32 ACP, .380 ACP, 9mm Parabellum, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .45 ACP, and traditional [[revolver]] cartridges like the .32-20, .44-40, and .45 Colt, also used in [[lever-action]] rifles, these cartridges would still be loaded with pistol primers. Virtually all cartridges used solely in rifles do, however, use rifle primers. Notable exceptions to this include [[.458 SOCOM]] and [[.50 Beowulf]], which use large pistol standard and large pistol magnum primers, respectively.

===Shotgun primers===
[[Image:Pistol and shotgun primers.jpg|thumb|right|A fired pistol case as indicated by the dimple from a firing pin and a shotgun (right) primer against an inch and mm scale.]]

All modern [[shotgun shell]]s (excluding specialized .22 caliber rimfire [[Snake shot|"snake loads" or birdshot]] cartridges) are centerfire. They use a large, specific shotgun primer that is based on the Boxer system, in that the primer contains the anvil against which the primary explosive is compressed by the firing pin and deformation of the primer cup.

Shotgun primers are also used as a replacement to the [[percussion cap]] ignition system in some modern black-powder firearms, and in some cases as the actual cartridge, notably the [[6mm Pipet]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2018/09/25/6mm-pipet-turkish-shotshell/|title=Turkish Small-Bore Shotshells Called 6mm Pipet -|date=25 September 2018}}</ref>

===Cartridge primers===
Primer actuated or piston primer cartridges use a primer in the form of a [[Blank (cartridge)|blank]] to contain the propellant within an empty cartridge, or in some cases as a piston to unlock the bolt and operate the weapon. These types of rounds are rarely used and are mostly found on [[spotting rifle]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cartridgecollectors.org/cmo/cmo05oct.htm|title=Cartridge of the Month}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cartridgecollectors.org/cmo/cmo08dec.htm|title=Cartridge of the Month}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://militarycartridges.nl/uk/9mm_smaw.htm|title = 7mm_compromise}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Cartridge Details: 9 x 51mm SMAW Tracer MK217 Mod 0 United States | website=cartrology.com | url=http://www.cartrology.com/cartridges/627 | access-date=12 October 2023}}</ref>

==Primer chemistry==
Primer manufacture and insertion is the most dangerous part of small arms ammunition production.  Sensitive priming compounds have claimed many lives including the founder of the famous British [[Eley Brothers|Eley]] ammunition firm.  Modern commercial operations use protective shielding between operators and manufacturing equipment.<ref name="sharpe51">Sharpe, Philip B. ''Complete Guide To Handloading'' (1953) Funk & Wagnalls p. 51</ref>

Early primers used the same [[mercury fulminate]] used in 19th century [[percussion cap]]s.  [[Black powder]] could be effectively ignited by hot [[mercury (element)|mercury]] released upon decomposition.  Disadvantages of mercuric primers became evident with [[smokeless powder]] loadings.  Mercury fulminate slowly decomposed in storage until the remaining energy was insufficient for reliable ignition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.powerlabs.org/chemlabs/fulminate.htm|title=PowerLabs Fulminate Explosives Synthesis|publisher=PowerLabs|access-date=2012-06-07|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120412061415/http://powerlabs.org/chemlabs/fulminate.htm|archive-date=2012-04-12}}</ref>  Decreased ignition energy with age had not been recognized as a problem with black-powder loadings because black powder could be ignited by as little energy as a static electricity discharge.  Smokeless powder often required more thermal energy for ignition.<ref>Lyman ''Ideal Hand Book No. 36'' Lyman Gun Sight Corporation (1949) p. 49</ref>  Misfires and [[hang fire]]s became common as the remaining priming compound sputtered in old primers.  A misfire would result if the priming compound either failed to react to the firing pin fall or extinguished prior to igniting the powder charge.  A hang fire is a perceptible delay between the fall of the firing pin and discharge of the firearm.  In extreme cases, the delay might be sufficient to be interpreted as a misfire, and the cartridge could fire as the action was being opened or the firearm pointed in an inappropriate direction.

Incandescent particles were found most effective for igniting smokeless powder after the primary explosive gases had heated the powder grains.  Artillery charges frequently included a smaller quantity of black powder to be ignited by the primer, so incandescent [[potassium carbonate]] would spread fire through the smokeless powder.<ref>Fairfield, A.P., CDR, USN ''Naval Ordnance'' (1921) Lord Baltimore Press pp. 48–49</ref>  [[Potassium chlorate]] was added to mercury fulminate priming mixtures so incandescent [[potassium chloride]] would have a similar effect in small arms cartridges.

Priming mixtures containing mercury fulminate leave metallic mercury in the bore and empty cartridge case after firing.  The mercury was largely absorbed in the smokey fouling with black-powder loads.  Mercury coated the interior of [[brass]] cases with smokeless powder loads, and the higher pressures of smokeless powder charges forced the mercury into grain boundaries between brass crystals where it formed [[zinc]] and [[copper]] [[amalgam (chemistry)|amalgams]] weakening the case so it became unsuitable for reloading.  The [[United States Army]] discontinued use of mercuric priming mixtures in 1898 to allow arsenal reloading of fired cases during peacetime.<ref name="nra20">[[William C. Davis, Jr.|Davis, William C., Jr.]] ''Handloading'' (1981) National Rifle Association of America p. 20</ref>  [[Frankford Arsenal]] FA-70 primers used potassium chlorate as an oxidizer for [[lead(II) thiocyanate]], to increase the sensitivity of potassium chlorate, and [[antimony trisulfide]], as an abrasive, with minor amounts of [[trinitrotoluene]].<ref name="mcdd">Lake, E.R. & Drexelius, V.W. ''Percussion Primer Design Requirements'' (1976) McDonnell-Douglas</ref> These corrosive primers leave a residue of potassium chloride salt in the bore after a cartridge is fired.  These [[hygroscopic]] salt crystals will hold moisture from a humid atmosphere and cause rusting.<ref name="sharpe60">Sharpe, Philip B. ''Complete Guide To Handloading'' (1953) Funk & Wagnalls p. 60</ref>  These corrosive primers can cause serious damage to the gun unless the barrel and action are cleaned carefully after firing.

Civilian ammunition manufacturers began offering non-corrosive primers in the 1920s, but most military ammunition continued to use corrosive priming mixtures of established reliability.<ref name="nra21">[[William C. Davis, Jr.|Davis, William C., Jr.]] ''Handloading'' (1981) National Rifle Association of America p. 21</ref>  The various proprietary priming formulations used by different manufacturers produced some significantly different ignition properties<ref>{{cite book | last =Landis | first =Charles S. | title =Twenty-Two Caliber Varmint Rifles | publisher =Small-Arms Technical Publishing Company | date =1947 | location =Harrisburg, Pennsylvania | page =440}}</ref> until the United States issued military specifications for non-corrosive primers for [[7.62×51mm NATO]] cartridge production.  The PA-101 primers developed at [[Picatinny Arsenal]] used about 50% [[lead styphnate]] with lesser amounts of [[barium nitrate]], antimony trisulfide, powdered [[aluminum]] and [[tetrazene explosive|a tetrazine compound]].<ref name="mcdd"/>  Most United States manufacturers adopted the PA-101 military standard for their civilian production of Boxer primers.<ref name="sharpe239">Sharpe, Philip B. ''Complete Guide To Handloading'' (1953) Funk & Wagnalls p. 239</ref>  Manufacturers subsequently offered more powerful magnum primers for uniform ignition of civilian long-range or big-game cartridges with significantly greater powder capacity than required for standard infantry weapons.

Other explosives used in primers can include [[lead azide]], [[potassium perchlorate]], or [[diazodinitrophenol]] (DDNP). New on the market in the late 1990s are lead-free primers (see [[green bullet]]), to address concerns over the lead and other heavy-metal compounds found in older primers. The heavy metals, while small in quantity, are released in the form of a very fine soot. Some indoor firing ranges are moving to ban primers containing heavy metals due to their toxicity. Lead-free primers were originally less sensitive and had a greater moisture sensitivity and correspondingly shorter shelf life than normal noncorrosive primers.{{Citation needed|date=June 2008}}  Since their introduction, lead-free primers have become better in their performance compared to early lead free primers.<ref>as reported by AccurateShooter.com in October 2011</ref> {{citation needed span|text=Tests comparing lead-free primers to lead-based primers conducted by the US Department of Defense (approx 2006), exposed significant differences (at the time) in reliability between the two primer types, when used in 7.62×51mm ammunition. In these tests, lead-free primers were proven to be not as reliable as lead-based primers. The lead-free primers exhibited poor performance as far as peak blast pressure, which consequently resulted in poor ignition. Popularity of non-corrosive alternatives is still low, as primer reliability is paramount. Most lead-free primers are sourced through Russia (MUrom?)or South Korea (PMC). |reason=unsourced text regarding accuracy differences has been revised to indicate reliability differences |date=January 2024}}

European and eastern military or surplus ammunition often uses corrosive or slightly-corrosive Berdan primers because they work reliably even under severe conditions, and have a longer storage life than the non-corrosive type primers currently in use. Modern Boxer primers are almost always non-corrosive and non-mercuric.  Determination of corrosive or non-corrosive characteristics based on the primer type should consider these final [[headstamp]] dates of corrosive ammunition production:<ref name="nra22">[[William C. Davis, Jr.|Davis, William C., Jr.]] ''Handloading'' (1981) National Rifle Association of America pp. 21–22</ref>

* [[.45 ACP]]: FA 54, FCC 53, RA 52, TW 53, WCC 52, WRA 54
* [[.30-06 Springfield]]: FA 56, LC 52, RA 51, SL 52, TW 52, WCC 51, WRA 54
* FN 57<ref name="nra12">[[William C. Davis, Jr.|Davis, William C., Jr.]] ''Handloading'' (1981) National Rifle Association of America p. 12</ref>

==See also==
*[[Heeled bullet]]
*[[List of rebated rim cartridges]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [http://www.ashlandlakegunclub.org/docs/CorrosivePrimerRedux.pdf Corrosive Primer Redux] by M.E. Podany, ALGC. Includes more detailed information on identifying USGI corrosive and non-corrosive ammunition based on cartridge headstamp. This article refers to The American Rifleman, "Beginners Digest: Nonmercuric, Noncorrosive Primers", pp.&nbsp;34–36, January 1961.

{{Handloading}}

[[Category:Ammunition]]