If you aren’t an experienced gun owner or shooter, then the words “centerfire” and “rimfire” may be totally new to you. Centerfire and rimfire are both types of primer ignition systems for ammunition cartridges used in firearms, and they vary from each other based on the guns that use them as well as their internal makeup. We’ve broken this down into simpler terms to explain the difference between centerfire vs. rimfire and how they’re used.
Identifying The Ammunition
Centerfire ammunition is used in rifles, shotguns, and handguns, while rimfire ammunition is used for lower-caliber firearms. With centerfire ammunition, the primer is located in the center of the casing base, and most centerfire ammunition is reloadable. A standard ammunition cartridge contains the bullet, propellant, primer, and a case, regardless of whether it is a centerfire or rimfire. The difference between identifying whether an ammunition cartridge is centerfire or rimfire is where the primer is located. The easiest way to identify centerfire ammunition is to look and see if you can see a circular primer in the center at the base of the casing. If you can see the primer in the center, then it is centerfire ammunition.
How Ammunition Works
Rimfire ammunition is made up of the same four components as centerfire ammunition, except that with the rimfire ammunition cartridge you won’t see a visible primer as you do with centerfire ammunition. Instead, the firing pin strikes the “rim” of the cartridge in order to ignite the primer while with centerfire ammunition the firing pin strikes the primer located at the center of the cartridge.
Firearms That Use Rimfire Ammunition
The most common type of firearm that uses rimfire ammunition is the .22 long rifle. Rimfire ammunition is reserved mainly for smaller caliber guns due to the need for the cartridge walls to be thin in order for the firing pin to ignite the primer and explode like it needs to. Additional firearms that use rimfire ammunition include the .22 short, .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire, .17 Hornady Mach 2, and the .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire.
The next time you are purchasing or loading ammunition into your firearm, stop and check to see which kind you are using. Both types of ammunition are effective for their respective firearms and when used properly make great tools for hunting, recreational sport, and self-protection.