Season 5 - Episode 104: Understanding Primers + Bullets - a podcast by Heidi Lyn Rao

The primer is the least understood component of a rifle or handgun cartridge or a shotgun shotshell.  A primer is one of the four components of a rifle or handgun cartridge: primer, case, powder, bullet.  In shotguns, the primer is one of five components of a shotshell: primer, hull, powder, wad and shot.  But what exactly is a primer, and what it is supposed to do?

We'll discuss the two types of primers—Boxer and Berdan.  Understanding what a primer is can help you understand how your cartridge or shotshell performs.  By protecting the primer, you are protecting your ammunition.  After all, the primer is the access to the cartridge’s powder.

Since firearms have their own language, to a new shooter learning all about these components can be as foreign as trying to learn a new language.  This terminology also includes ammunition.  Ammunition terms are often not fully understood by shooters.  A bullet is a projectile that is expelled from a rifled firearm.  Understanding projectile or bullet terminology can help the shooter choose a bullet type that better meets his or her needs.

Become familiar with as many bullet types as possible, but there are 13 common bullet types you must know...

Enjoy!

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