Primer Sealant
Definition
Coloured lacquer applied at the primer-to-case-head junction on military cartridges to prevent moisture ingress; colour varies by manufacturer and is not a reliable single-feature production indicator.
- Location
- Primer-to-case-head junction
- Purpose
- Prevent moisture ingress
- Typical use
- Military cartridges
- Reliability as evidence
- Colour varies by manufacturer, not a single-feature indicator
Common questions
Why can't primer sealant colour alone identify the manufacturer of a cartridge?+
Different manufacturers have used the same sealant colours over the years, and some have changed their own colour scheme over time, so a matching colour is consistent with a source but does not exclude other manufacturers without corroborating headstamp or dimensional evidence.
What does the presence of a primer sealant tell an examiner about the ammunition?+
It generally indicates the cartridge was manufactured to military or military-surplus specification, since sealant is applied specifically to protect against moisture in storage and field conditions that commercial civilian ammunition is less often designed for.
Related terms
- CIP
- Commission Internationale Permanente pour l'Epreuve des Armes a Feu Portatives; the European proof body that standardises chamber and cartridge specifications for European...
- GRC Database
- General Rifling Characteristics database maintained by the FBI Laboratory's Firearms and Toolmarks Unit; includes an ammunition component section that references headstamp codes...
- Imperial Calibre Notation
- Calibre designation using decimal fractions of an inch, often with a name suffix indicating the designer or intended firearm (e.g. .45 ACP,...
- IOF
- Indian Ordnance Factory headstamp code (produced at Khadki / Kirkee, Pune); the primary Indian government producer of 9x19mm, .38 Special, and 7.62x51mm...
- LC
- Lake City Army Ammunition Plant headstamp code; the primary US military ammunition producer for small-arms calibres including 5.56x45mm, 7.62x51mm, and .50 BMG.
- Metric Calibre Notation
- Calibre designation using bullet diameter in millimetres multiplied by case length in millimetres (e.g. 9x19mm, 7.62x39mm, 5.56x45mm); standard in NATO and European...
- NABIS
- National Ballistics Intelligence Service; the UK police intelligence service that maintains a national headstamp and firearm reference collection and coordinates ballistic intelligence...
- NATO Cross
- A circle with cross symbol stamped on military cartridge headstamps confirming the round meets the relevant NATO STANAG specification; found on production...
- RG
- Radway Green headstamp code (UK); BAE Systems' Royal Ordnance Factories facility and primary UK military small-arms ammunition producer.
- S+B
- Sellier and Bellot headstamp code (Czech Republic, now part of CBC Group); a major European commercial and military-contract producer exported globally including...
- SAAMI
- Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute; the US voluntary standards body that publishes chamber and cartridge drawings and maximum average pressure (MAP)...