Why rimfire?

Anything to do with Rimfire guns

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dickaye
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Why rimfire?

Post by dickaye »

The Marlin Collectors Association has been around much longer than I have been a member and sometimes I am afraid to ask questions for fear that such questions have already been asked and answered. At any rate, Why strike a metal cartridge full of black powder on the rim? Why wouldn't any portion of the case work as well, including the center? Were rim fire cartridges prone to failure or were they very dependable? My .22 LR's certainly don't fail often. What was the primary reason for switching to centerfire with "explosive caps?" They seem to fail as often as a .22 rimfire fails. The center fire cartridge system had to be more expensive and the then current firearms had to undergo refitting to the new technology. So why change? I sincerely hope it wasn't a government mandate like digital television or the disappearance of 100 watt incandescent light bulbs.
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Bear 45/70
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Re: Why rimfire?

Post by Bear 45/70 »

Because to make the prime go off it needed to be pinched between two surfaces, hence the rim.
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dickaye
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Re: Why rimfire?

Post by dickaye »

OK, that makes sense. So what is the relationship between primers and rimless ammo? Was this a necessary evolvement of the switch to automatic handguns? I'm not sure what I just asked made any sense. Why the switch to the use of primers?
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Bear 45/70
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Re: Why rimfire?

Post by Bear 45/70 »

Different technology.
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Regnier (gunrunner)
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Re: Why rimfire?

Post by Regnier (gunrunner) »

Richard;

The use of center fire primers allowed the reloading of fired cartridges whereas, rimfire cartridges, once fired cannot be reloaded.
By the way, there were, at one time, some internal, center fire primers that could not be reloaded. Things evolved, the fact that the center fire cartridges could be reloaded was a selling factor.
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marlin 1893
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Re: Why rimfire?

Post by marlin 1893 »

The outer rim of the rimfire cartridge( which one might call the primer charge) was made soft enough so it could be pinched by the
firing pin.With the increased loadings of the newer developed cartdidges the need grew for a stronger rim of the case as the pressures
began increasing by large margins.The 44-40 W.C.F. was not the first center-fire cartdridge but is a good example.The 44 Henry Flat
was a rim-fire but it was a very weak cartridge.However the 44 W.C.F. was a great improvement at the time as it was far more powerful
but the soft rim-fire design was far to weak to handle the greater presure .The Government was also involved to some degree as the
center-fire was far more dependable when it comes to misfires. When I speak of the Government I mean the U.S. Military as they have
been instrumental in the developement of fire-arms and ammunition through the course of history.
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