Effective December 15, 2010, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife changed their guidelines for distance learning. Students are now required to spend a minimum amount of time on each course page before proceeding to the certification exam.

Click here to go to the latest version of the Today's Hunter in Washington online course—the official hunter education course of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Go to the new Washington course

The following course material is for reference only. Please go to the new course to complete your Washington certification.

5.3 Cartridges

There are two general types of cartridges available today: centerfire and rimfire.

Many years ago people used a larger number of different rimfire cartridges. The rimfire cartridge gets its name because the primer is in the rim. Rimfire cartridges cannot be reloaded. The most common rimfire cartridge used today is the .22 Long Rifle.

The centerfire cartridge is the most common type of metallic cartridge. The primer is in the (bottom) center of the ammunition. That's why this cartridge is called centerfire. Centerfire cases can be reloaded.

All cartridges—both rimfire and centerfire—have four main parts.

Case: The case holds the primer, powder, and bullet.
Primer: The primer compound explodes when struck by the firing pin and ignites the powder.
Powder: The powder burns and creates gas to push the bullet through the bore and out the muzzle.
Bullet: The bullet is the part of the cartridge that strikes the target.

Washington Department
of Fish & Wildlife

Course Overview

Course Chapters

< Back to Previous Page

Table of Contents

Go to Next Page >

Washington Hunting
Information

Official hunting safety course for Washington hunters last modified: October 29, 2010
Email with questions or comments about this web site.
Questions? Call Today's Hunter at 1-800-830-2268

Visit Boat Ed for boating safety certification