By using a combination of more easily flammable chemicals the percussion cap ignited when given a sharp blow in a particular place. It was first tested by the British, at Woolwich in 1834. The invention of the percussion cap revolutionized small arms ammunition. The musket was then – finally! – fired by a lit match or, later, a flint hammer mechanism. In theory the paper was supposed to be discarded, but in practice most soldiers used it as wadding to improve the power of their weapon.Īfter all that, priming powder still needed to be poured into the barrel, as the main charge was not volatile enough to ignite on its own. These paper cartridges were used with muzzle-loading guns and sound like they were a real hassle to use! To fire a shot a soldier had to rip or bite off the end of the paper cartridge then pour the powder down into his gun. It’s a little-known fact that “cartridge” paper, now commonly used for drawing rather than ammunition, gets its name from these early cartridges.
Their design remained remarkably stable throughout this period consisting of black powder and a rifle ball encased in paper. There is some evidence that the first paper cartridges were in use as early as the 14 th Century, but they didn’t become widely used until the 17 th Century. Whilst a cannonball can technically be called “ammunition”, I suppose, the first truly integrated types of small arms ammunition date to the 1500s. In the first firearms the propellant and bullet were loaded into the gun separately – just think of the cannons used on ships until the 1800s. To understand small arms ammunition of the modern era we first need to look back at where it all started. Alongside this there has been an increasing emphasis on hitting targets from extreme ranges and this has led to the development of extremely powerful bullets. As I pointed out in my article on body armor, this is partially because ever more powerful rounds have been required to penetrate protective gear. The race for greater and greater power has continued. This changed sometime in the 1800s when the first recognizably “modern” ammunition appeared. In the early years the race was to produce small arms ammunition with just enough power to hit the enemy and do some damage. Today I want to deal with the other side of the story and take you through the history of ammunition for small arms.Įvery historian looks for an overarching narrative when writing their histories and fortunately when talking about small arms ammunition one is immediately apparent - ammunition gets more powerful with every passing year. I recently wrote a short history of body armor article for Small Wars Journal where I pointed out that there has long been an “arms race” between two different types of military technology - ammunition and the protection against it. The Complete History of Small Arms Ammunition and Cartridges
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