Pinfire
Encyclopedia
A pinfire firearm cartridge
is an obsolete type of brass cartridge in which the priming compound is ignited by striking a small pin which protrudes radially from just above the base of the cartridge.
Invented by Frenchman Casimir Lefaucheux in 1828 but not patented until 1835, it was one of the earliest practical designs of a metallic cartridge. Its history is closely associated with the development of the breechloader which replaced muzzle-loading weapons. The latter required a percussion cap, gunpowder and a projectile or charge be loaded sequentially and packed using wadding and a ramrod. By contrast pinfire cartridges were supremely convenient in that they could contain percussion cap, powder and shot in a neat pre-loaded package which was several times faster to fire and reload and was inherently safer.
patented the first breechloading cartridge in 1812. This was for use in a shotgun with fixed barrels which was loaded by lifting a breech block on the top. French gun maker Henri Roux attempted to improve this cartridge in the 1820s but a constantly primed cartridge was felt by many to be too dangerous and many breechloading guns reverted to using an unprimed cartridge. This was fired by a separate percussion cap which was used on the still dominant muzzle-loading guns.
Casimir Lefaucheux
of Paris decided in 1834 to patent a breechloader where the barrel hinged downwards to reveal the breech ends. These still used a separate percussion cap. Two years later he had the idea of reintroducing the primed cartridge for use with it. His 1836 patent was for a new type of cartridge in which the cartridge's priming
compound is ignited by striking a small pin which protrudes radially from just above the base of the cartridge. These pins fitted into a small groove cut in the top of each barrel-end and made it easy to see if the gun was loaded. The cartridge used metal bases (often brass) with paper tubes which were usually home made by the shooter or his staff but were not entirely gas-tight. This reduced the force of the charge and allowed powder residue and gas to escape.
The pinfire cartridge was greatly improved by the 1846 patent (number 1963) by Houllier of Paris which introduced a base wad and effectively made the cartridge gas-tight which greatly improved the performance, and were cheap and clean shooting. These improved pinfire guns grew in popularity in France and some were imported by British gun makers to overwhelming indifference on the part of the gun users there. They were prejudiced technically against a gun that 'broke' in the middle, despite the much vaunted benefits of breechloading. They owned muzzle-loaders of exquisite perfection, considered themselves the best engineers in the world (inventing the Industrial Revolution), and had a poor view of the French - the old enemy and an unreliable ally.
It wasn't until the Great Exhibition of 1851 was held in London that breechloading guns were taken more seriously by British and American gun makers in particular. The display of a Lefaucheux breechloading gun inspired English apprentice gunmaker Edwin Charles Hodges (1831-1925) to make an improved copy and persuade leading London gun maker Joseph Lang that this was the gun of the future. Other British gun makers including Lancaster, Blanch and Reilly were similarly inspired by French originals and improved pinfire breechloaders became the new type of gun which by the end of the 1850s every fashionable British prince and titled gentleman wanted to have.
After Casimir's death in 1852, his son Eugene continued to market the pinfire design with great success. It became increasingly popular in Europe and large numbers of shotgun
s and revolver
s (often called Lefaucheux guns after their inventor whoever the maker was), were manufactured from the mid 1850s until the 1890s. They were quicker and easier to load than percussion weapons with loose black powder, percussion caps and bullet
; and they were also much more likely to fire reliably when wet. Pinfire cartridges were available in a large number of sizes for various types of weapon.
While pinfire shotguns declined from the early 1860s after the introduction of mass-produced centrefire shotgun cartridges, pinfire revolvers in particular became very successful and widespread, being adopted by the armies of France
, Italy
, Spain
, Switzerland
, Sweden
and others. They were also used during the American Civil War
, although sometimes despised because of their low power compared to Colt
and other percussion revolvers. Some navies also adopted them, "sea service" examples often being made out of bronze
which is largely unaffected by the corrosion
caused by salt
.
Pinfire became obsolete once reliable rimfire and centre fire cartridges became available because without a pin which needed aligning in the slot in the chamber wall they were quicker to load. They were also safer because they had no protruding pin which could cause the ammunition to accidentally detonate during rough handling, particularly of loose ammunition.
The pinfire concept was also only really suitable for single-shot
or multiple-barreled firearms and revolvers as the pin would have complicated any mechanism for feeding from a magazine
. Nevertheless the last practical pinfire revolvers were manufactured around 1890 but by then they were an anachronism
.
, though the process is far more complex than for centerfire cartridges. Pinfire Guns USA specializes in all 2 mm pinfire guns antique and new, and has 2 mm pinfire blank and live cartidges available as well as all types of accessories.
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
is an obsolete type of brass cartridge in which the priming compound is ignited by striking a small pin which protrudes radially from just above the base of the cartridge.
Invented by Frenchman Casimir Lefaucheux in 1828 but not patented until 1835, it was one of the earliest practical designs of a metallic cartridge. Its history is closely associated with the development of the breechloader which replaced muzzle-loading weapons. The latter required a percussion cap, gunpowder and a projectile or charge be loaded sequentially and packed using wadding and a ramrod. By contrast pinfire cartridges were supremely convenient in that they could contain percussion cap, powder and shot in a neat pre-loaded package which was several times faster to fire and reload and was inherently safer.
History
The Swiss gun maker Samuel Joannes PaulyJean Samuel Pauly
Jean Samuel Pauly , also Samuel Johannes Pauly, was a famous gunsmith of the early 19th century. Pauly was born at Vechigen near Bern, Switzerland on 13 April 1766.-Career:...
patented the first breechloading cartridge in 1812. This was for use in a shotgun with fixed barrels which was loaded by lifting a breech block on the top. French gun maker Henri Roux attempted to improve this cartridge in the 1820s but a constantly primed cartridge was felt by many to be too dangerous and many breechloading guns reverted to using an unprimed cartridge. This was fired by a separate percussion cap which was used on the still dominant muzzle-loading guns.
Casimir Lefaucheux
Casimir Lefaucheux
Casimir Lefaucheux was a French gunsmith. He was born in Bonnétable and died in Paris.Casimir Lefaucheux obtained his first patent in 1827...
of Paris decided in 1834 to patent a breechloader where the barrel hinged downwards to reveal the breech ends. These still used a separate percussion cap. Two years later he had the idea of reintroducing the primed cartridge for use with it. His 1836 patent was for a new type of cartridge in which the cartridge's priming
Percussion cap
The percussion cap, introduced around 1830, 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...
compound is ignited by striking a small pin which protrudes radially from just above the base of the cartridge. These pins fitted into a small groove cut in the top of each barrel-end and made it easy to see if the gun was loaded. The cartridge used metal bases (often brass) with paper tubes which were usually home made by the shooter or his staff but were not entirely gas-tight. This reduced the force of the charge and allowed powder residue and gas to escape.
The pinfire cartridge was greatly improved by the 1846 patent (number 1963) by Houllier of Paris which introduced a base wad and effectively made the cartridge gas-tight which greatly improved the performance, and were cheap and clean shooting. These improved pinfire guns grew in popularity in France and some were imported by British gun makers to overwhelming indifference on the part of the gun users there. They were prejudiced technically against a gun that 'broke' in the middle, despite the much vaunted benefits of breechloading. They owned muzzle-loaders of exquisite perfection, considered themselves the best engineers in the world (inventing the Industrial Revolution), and had a poor view of the French - the old enemy and an unreliable ally.
It wasn't until the Great Exhibition of 1851 was held in London that breechloading guns were taken more seriously by British and American gun makers in particular. The display of a Lefaucheux breechloading gun inspired English apprentice gunmaker Edwin Charles Hodges (1831-1925) to make an improved copy and persuade leading London gun maker Joseph Lang that this was the gun of the future. Other British gun makers including Lancaster, Blanch and Reilly were similarly inspired by French originals and improved pinfire breechloaders became the new type of gun which by the end of the 1850s every fashionable British prince and titled gentleman wanted to have.
After Casimir's death in 1852, his son Eugene continued to market the pinfire design with great success. It became increasingly popular in Europe and large numbers of shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
s and revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
s (often called Lefaucheux guns after their inventor whoever the maker was), were manufactured from the mid 1850s until the 1890s. They were quicker and easier to load than percussion weapons with loose black powder, percussion caps and bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
; and they were also much more likely to fire reliably when wet. Pinfire cartridges were available in a large number of sizes for various types of weapon.
While pinfire shotguns declined from the early 1860s after the introduction of mass-produced centrefire shotgun cartridges, pinfire revolvers in particular became very successful and widespread, being adopted by the armies of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and others. They were also used during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, although sometimes despised because of their low power compared to Colt
Colt's Manufacturing Company
Colt's Manufacturing Company is a United States firearms manufacturer, whose first predecessor corporation was founded in 1836 by Sam Colt. Colt is best known for the engineering, production, and marketing of firearms over the later half of the 19th and the 20th century...
and other percussion revolvers. Some navies also adopted them, "sea service" examples often being made out of bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
which is largely unaffected by the corrosion
Corrosion
Corrosion is the disintegration of an engineered material into its constituent atoms due to chemical reactions with its surroundings. In the most common use of the word, this means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen...
caused by salt
Sodium chloride
Sodium chloride, also known as salt, common salt, table salt or halite, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaCl. Sodium chloride is the salt most responsible for the salinity of the ocean and of the extracellular fluid of many multicellular organisms...
.
Pinfire became obsolete once reliable rimfire and centre fire cartridges became available because without a pin which needed aligning in the slot in the chamber wall they were quicker to load. They were also safer because they had no protruding pin which could cause the ammunition to accidentally detonate during rough handling, particularly of loose ammunition.
The pinfire concept was also only really suitable for single-shot
Single-shot
Single-shot firearms are firearms that hold only a single round of ammunition, and must be reloaded after each shot. The history of firearms began with single-shot designs, and many centuries passed before multi-shot designs became commonplace...
or multiple-barreled firearms and revolvers as the pin would have complicated any mechanism for feeding from a magazine
Magazine (firearm)
A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device within or attached to a repeating firearm. Magazines may be integral to the firearm or removable . The magazine functions by moving the cartridges stored in the magazine into a position where they may be loaded into the chamber by the action...
. Nevertheless the last practical pinfire revolvers were manufactured around 1890 but by then they were an anachronism
Anachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
.
Current status
Although pinfire shotgun cartridges are technically obsolete as pinfire guns have not been made in any numbers for a hundred years, enthusiasts of vintage weaponry often make pinfire cartridges from modern materials and shoot their old guns. As regards pistols, some modern novelty miniature guns are manufactured in very tiny calibres, such as 2 mm. Although not practical weapons, they use pinfire ammunition because the calibre is too small for centre fire or rimfire. Antique pinfire firearms are available, as well as specialized cartridges which can be handloadedHandloading
Handloading or reloading is the process of loading firearm cartridges or shotgun shells by assembling the individual components , rather than purchasing completely assembled, factory-loaded cartridges...
, though the process is far more complex than for centerfire cartridges. Pinfire Guns USA specializes in all 2 mm pinfire guns antique and new, and has 2 mm pinfire blank and live cartidges available as well as all types of accessories.