What does percussion cap mean?
Definitions for percussion cap
per·cus·sion cap
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word percussion cap.
Princeton's WordNet
percussion capnoun
a detonator that explodes when struck
Wiktionary
percussion capnoun
a metal cap found on muzzleloading firearms that contains chemical substances such as fulminate that explode upon impact
Wikipedia
Percussion cap
The percussion cap or percussion primer, introduced in the early 1820s, is a type of single-use percussion ignition device for muzzle loader firearm locks enabling them to fire reliably in any weather condition. This crucial invention gave rise to the cap lock mechanism or percussion lock system using percussion caps struck by the hammer to set off the gunpowder charge in percussion guns including percussion rifles and cap and ball firearms. Any firearm using a caplock mechanism is a percussion gun. Any long gun with a cap-lock mechanism and rifled barrel is a percussion rifle. Cap and ball describes cap-lock firearms discharging a single bore-diameter spherical bullet with each shot.
ChatGPT
percussion cap
A percussion cap is a small, detonating device used in firearms, which ignites the gunpowder to fire a bullet when struck by the gun's hammer. It was a crucial innovation in firearms technology used widely in the 19th century before modern cartridge ammunition. Each cap contains a small amount of explosive compound that sparks when struck, igniting the gunpowder and thus firing the weapon.
Wikidata
Percussion cap
The percussion cap, introduced circa 1820, was the crucial invention that enabled muzzleloading firearms to fire reliably in any weather. Before this development, firearms used flintlock ignition systems which produced flint-on-steel sparks to ignite a pan of priming powder and thereby fire the gun's main powder charge. Flintlocks were prone to misfire in wet weather, and many flintlock firearms were later converted to the more reliable percussion system. The percussion cap is a small cylinder of copper or brass with one closed end. Inside the closed end is a small amount of a shock-sensitive explosive material such as fulminate of mercury. The percussion cap is placed over a hollow metal "nipple" at the rear end of the gun barrel. Pulling the trigger releases a hammer which strikes the percussion cap and ignites the explosive primer. The flame travels through the hollow nipple to ignite the main powder charge. Percussion caps were, and still are, made in small sizes for pistols and larger sizes for rifles and muskets. While the metal percussion cap was the most popular and widely-used type of primer, their small size made them difficult to handle under the stress of combat or while riding a horse. Accordingly, several manufacturers developed alternative, "auto-priming" systems. The "Maynard tape primer", for example, used a roll of paper "caps" much like today's toy cap gun. The Maynard tape primer was fitted to some firearms used in the mid-nineteenth century and a few saw brief use in the American Civil War. Other disc or pellet-type primers held a supply of tiny fulminate detonator discs in a small magazine. Cocking the hammer automatically advanced a disc into position. However, these automatic feed systems were difficult to make with the manufacturing systems in the early and mid-nineteenth century and generated more problems than they solved. They were quickly shelved in favor of a single percussion cap which, while awkward to handle in some conditions, could be carried in sufficient quantities to make up for occasionally dropping one while a jammed tape primer system made the rifle an awkward club.
Matched Categories
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of percussion cap in Chaldean Numerology is: 1
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of percussion cap in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6
Translations for percussion cap
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"percussion cap." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/percussion+cap>.
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