CARTRIDGE (corrupted from cartouchr). The witch> or a portion of the charge fur a fire arm put np in a hag or ease. A cartridge for small arms consists of a brass cartrilbre-ease filled with powder and fitted with a primer and Laving its open end closed by the bullet. which is firmly crimped in place.
The lir•.t cartridges were designed for muzzle loading small arms. where projectile and charge were tied together and inserted in one bundle. For many years prior to the Civil \Var, small arms were furnished with cartridges containing hall and charge in paper which was torn and the powder pmred into the bore. followed by the ball. Similar cartridges were used with the first breeeh-loaders, but the escape of gas out of the breech and into the mechanism gave trouble, and metallic cartridge - cases which served also to check the escape of gas had to be adopted. They were first of copper, with folded head, in the rim of which was the priming con: position (rim-fire). In addition to danger of accidental discharge. the cases were weak where folded and sometimes burst. A folded-head ease, with a cup to keep gas out of the fold. was then introduced: and at the same time the composition wee put opposite the centre of the head, resting on the cup which formed an anvil on which it could be exploded (cup-anvil). This was fol lowed by a brass ease with solid head, made in one piece by drawing. The primer was outside the ease in a small cap.
:Machine guns were made possible by metallic small-arms ammunition, and they in turn devel oped it. Increasing in calibre and developing into the rapid-fire gull, they naturally continued to use metallic-ease fixed ammunition. Difficul ties of manufacture of the larger eases have been overcome, cases as large as desired being now drawn from one piece in dies, as are small-arms cases, while formerly the larger sizes had to be built up of drawn tubing riveted to the bead, in the United States land and naval service, and as a general rule abroad, guns of five-inch calibre and less have cartridges of this sort. Six-inch guns have a metallic ease for the powder-charge, but, on account of weight, the projectile is in serted separately. Larger guns have the powder charge put up in bags, the projectile being separately loaded. Eight-inch guns have the pow der-charge put up in two sections: ten and twelve inch, in four for convenience in handling. See AMMUNITION.
A blank cartridge is one which does not con tain a projectile. It is used for salutes, for practice. and for signals.
A dummy cartridge contains no powder. It is used for drill purposes only, By practicing with dummies instead of loaded cartridges the danger of handling the latter is avoided without much loss of efficiency in the drill, if the dum mies are properly designed.