Ammunition
Definition
The cartridge assembly fired by a firearm. Comprises case, primer, propellant and projectile. Defined under Section 2(1)(b) of the Arms Act 1959 to include shot, shell, missile and the bombs and grenades treated in service contexts.
- Components
- Case, primer, propellant, projectile
- Legal source
- Arms Act 1959, Section 2(1)(b)
- Included items
- Shot, shell, missile
- Service-context inclusion
- Bombs and grenades
Common questions
Why does the legal definition extend beyond a single cartridge?+
The statute is written to cover any device designed to be discharged from or used with a firearm, so it sweeps in loose shot and shells alongside assembled cartridges, closing gaps that a narrower definition tied only to complete rounds would leave open.
How does ammunition differ from a firearm for classification purposes?+
A firearm is the mechanism that discharges a projectile; ammunition is the consumable it fires. The two are regulated under related but distinct provisions, and possession offences are often charged separately for each.
Related terms
- Bore / Caliber
- Bore is the internal diameter of the barrel. Caliber is that diameter expressed in inches (.32,.38) or millimetres (9 mm, 7.62 mm)....
- Cartridge
- The complete round of ammunition: case plus primer plus propellant plus projectile, assembled as a single unit for breech loading.
- Firearm
- A barrelled weapon that launches a projectile by the rapid expansion of gas from a confined burning propellant. Includes handguns, rifles and...
- Primer
- The small explosive cup at the base of a cartridge that ignites the propellant. Conventional primers use lead styphnate, barium nitrate and...
- Projectile
- The object expelled from the barrel. Single bullet in rifled arms, multiple pellets or single slug in shotguns.
- Propellant
- The chemical charge that burns rapidly inside the case to generate the gas that drives the projectile down the barrel. Black powder...
- Rifling
- The helical groove pattern cut into a firearm barrel that imparts spin to the bullet, stabilising it in flight. Rifling lands and...