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Extruded (Stick) Propellant

Definition

Cylindrical rod-shaped propellant grain with single or multiple perforation; dominant in medium- and slow-burning rifle propellants for 5.56mm, 7.62mm NATO, and larger calibres.

Related terms

Ball Propellant
Spherical or slightly flattened-sphere propellant grain used in pistol and some rifle cartridges; meters consistently through powder dispensers and produces a specific...
Belted Case
Cartridge case with a raised band (belt) ahead of the extractor groove that controls headspace; found in large-calibre magnum cartridges including .300...
Berdan Primer Pocket
Primer pocket with an integral anvil post and two offset flash holes; the primer cup has no anvil. Standard in European commercial...
Boxer Primer Pocket
Primer pocket with a single central flash hole; the primer anvil is integral to the primer cup. Standard in US commercial production....
CIP
Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes a Feu Portatives; the European proof body that standardises chamber and cartridge specifications for European...
Gilding Metal
90 percent copper and 10 percent zinc alloy used for bullet jackets in most commercial FMJ and jacketed pistol ammunition; softer than...
Headspace
The dimensional distance from the bolt face to the datum line in the chamber at which the cartridge case head rests; excessive...
Obturation
The gas-sealing function of the cartridge case during firing, in which the case wall expands outward under propellant pressure to seal the...
Rimless Case
Cartridge case geometry where the extractor groove is machined into the head and the rim diameter equals the body diameter; dominant in...
SAAMI
Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute; the US voluntary standards body that publishes chamber and cartridge drawings and maximum average pressure (MAP)...
Slamfire
Unintended cartridge ignition during bolt closure, without a discrete trigger pull. Caused by free-floating firing pin inertia or primer over-sensitivity. Produces automatic-like...
Squib
A cartridge where primer fires but propellant combustion is partial or absent, leaving the projectile lodged in the barrel; the case shows...

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