[OldSmaj]

I understand your sigh...but can you come up with a more simplified explanation of how nitrocellulose provides the "bang" in a smokeless cartridge?

Patrick Sweeney provided the best layman explanation of the process in the current issue of Guns and Ammo.

It is a simple process, but not really understood by most lay persons.

Quite simply, the oxygen IS in the cartridge, for the easiest understanding for most people.

[pfflier]

The oxygen needed to launch the bullet is contained within the bullet,

The bullet is a projectile that is forced from the cartridge when the powder propellant is ignited. The bullet is just along for the ride. The powder behind the bullet does all the work.

AM Shooting Journal failed in this distinction.

[KrisKrinkle]

“Quite simply, the oxygen IS in the cartridge, for the easiest understanding for most people.”

Yes, the oxygen is in the cartridge, not “contained within the bullet” as the author wrote.

I know that in everyday conversation people say “I’m going to buy some bullets” or “I loaded a bullet into the chamber” when they really mean “cartridge(s)” in both cases, but I believe a published article in something that calls itself a Shooting Journal should have done better.

Or maybe I’ve just lost track of the changes in the language. Seems like a number of words have changed meaning since I first learned them.