05-30-2023, 01:53 PM
Thought I would just add this tidbit of information about primers that I took from an article in Outdoor Life.
The full article is here if you want to read it:
https://www.outdoorlife.com/cartridge-pr...elopments/
Here is the relative info from the article that I pieced together:
Current primers composition
40% Barium
4% Tetrazene
16% Aluminum, Antimony Sulfide
40% Lead Styphnate
Lead styphnate is the primary explosive in modern primers, while barium nitrate is the oxidizer that adds oxygen to the explosive. Tetrazene is a sensitizer that makes the primer easier to detonate. The remaining elements are fuels.
The specific ingredients in primer compounds vary from one make to another. But the general formulas have remained remarkably stable over the decades, mostly because ammo makersand, more to the point, their customersare stubbornly reluctant to tinker with any recipe that deviates from the tried and true.
Above all, primers need to be consistent. If they dont pop off when theyre hit by a firing pinno matter how cold the temperature or how dirty and greasy the ignition systemshooters become exceptionally cranky and unforgiving. Igniting the powder charge, even at the cost of other desirable outcomes like accuracy, is the primers prime directive.
Despite this conservative bent, primer technology is experiencing a revolution right now. While theres been plenty of hoopla recently about the newest high-performance bullets, powders, and precision brass, the fourth member of the cartridge quartet has undergone some interesting developments too.
The latest generation of primers has been cooked up by the engineers at Federal Ammunition. The new primer is called Catalyst, and it represents an improvement over traditional primer compounds in several ways.
New Catalyst primer composition
10% Aluminum
20% Nitrocellulose
60% Bismuth Oxide
10% Sensitizers, Fuels, Binders
Like many innovations in ammunition, the development of the Catalyst primer was driven by a request from a large customer. In this case, the U.S. government, both military and law enforcement, wanted a duty-worthy primer that didnt contain lead or other potentially toxic metals. Federal turned the project over to one of its engineers, Joel Sandstrom, who went on to invent Catalyst.
Catalyst Primer Formula
The aluminum performs two main functions. It makes the explosive nitrocellulose more sensitive, and it helps heat up the bismuth. The oxide in bismuth oxide adds oxygen to the reaction, while the remaining 10 percent is a blend of fuels, binders, and sensitizers.
There have been other lead-free primers on the market for decades, but they werent viewed as reliable enough for duty ammunition and have been relegated to use in training ammo.
While eliminating lead was a primary requirement of the project, Federal ended up creating a primer that wasnt just the equivalent of the current lead styphnate mixtures, but one the company says is significantly superior to the older technology. It is safer to manufacture, and its affordable and reliable, says Drew Goodlin, senior director of technology at Vista Outdoor, the company that owns Federal Ammunition.
One way in which Catalyst improves on current primer technology is that it is more compatible with modern propellants, meaning that it wont degrade the powder it comes in contact with the way some current primers can. Even better, the Catalyst formula propels more hot, heavy metals, while producing less pressure from gases, into the propellent bed than any other primer system Federal has usedeven its vaunted Gold Metal primers.
Though tinkering with existing lines of ammunition that have a long-standing reputation for quality and reliability is generally a no-noparticularly when it comes to primers, which fall under the if it aint broke, dont you dare mess with it categoryFederal is planning on switching all of its centerfire ammunitionrifle, pistol, and shotgunto Catalyst primers over the next five years.
This, more than anything, demonstrates the confidence that Federal has in the product. But will consumers be as willing to embrace Catalyst? The fact that various elements of the U.S. government are using ammo with Catalyst lends the new primer tremendous credibility.
The full article is here if you want to read it:
https://www.outdoorlife.com/cartridge-pr...elopments/
Here is the relative info from the article that I pieced together:
Current primers composition
40% Barium
4% Tetrazene
16% Aluminum, Antimony Sulfide
40% Lead Styphnate
Lead styphnate is the primary explosive in modern primers, while barium nitrate is the oxidizer that adds oxygen to the explosive. Tetrazene is a sensitizer that makes the primer easier to detonate. The remaining elements are fuels.
The specific ingredients in primer compounds vary from one make to another. But the general formulas have remained remarkably stable over the decades, mostly because ammo makersand, more to the point, their customersare stubbornly reluctant to tinker with any recipe that deviates from the tried and true.
Above all, primers need to be consistent. If they dont pop off when theyre hit by a firing pinno matter how cold the temperature or how dirty and greasy the ignition systemshooters become exceptionally cranky and unforgiving. Igniting the powder charge, even at the cost of other desirable outcomes like accuracy, is the primers prime directive.
Despite this conservative bent, primer technology is experiencing a revolution right now. While theres been plenty of hoopla recently about the newest high-performance bullets, powders, and precision brass, the fourth member of the cartridge quartet has undergone some interesting developments too.
The latest generation of primers has been cooked up by the engineers at Federal Ammunition. The new primer is called Catalyst, and it represents an improvement over traditional primer compounds in several ways.
New Catalyst primer composition
10% Aluminum
20% Nitrocellulose
60% Bismuth Oxide
10% Sensitizers, Fuels, Binders
Like many innovations in ammunition, the development of the Catalyst primer was driven by a request from a large customer. In this case, the U.S. government, both military and law enforcement, wanted a duty-worthy primer that didnt contain lead or other potentially toxic metals. Federal turned the project over to one of its engineers, Joel Sandstrom, who went on to invent Catalyst.
Catalyst Primer Formula
The aluminum performs two main functions. It makes the explosive nitrocellulose more sensitive, and it helps heat up the bismuth. The oxide in bismuth oxide adds oxygen to the reaction, while the remaining 10 percent is a blend of fuels, binders, and sensitizers.
There have been other lead-free primers on the market for decades, but they werent viewed as reliable enough for duty ammunition and have been relegated to use in training ammo.
While eliminating lead was a primary requirement of the project, Federal ended up creating a primer that wasnt just the equivalent of the current lead styphnate mixtures, but one the company says is significantly superior to the older technology. It is safer to manufacture, and its affordable and reliable, says Drew Goodlin, senior director of technology at Vista Outdoor, the company that owns Federal Ammunition.
One way in which Catalyst improves on current primer technology is that it is more compatible with modern propellants, meaning that it wont degrade the powder it comes in contact with the way some current primers can. Even better, the Catalyst formula propels more hot, heavy metals, while producing less pressure from gases, into the propellent bed than any other primer system Federal has usedeven its vaunted Gold Metal primers.
Though tinkering with existing lines of ammunition that have a long-standing reputation for quality and reliability is generally a no-noparticularly when it comes to primers, which fall under the if it aint broke, dont you dare mess with it categoryFederal is planning on switching all of its centerfire ammunitionrifle, pistol, and shotgunto Catalyst primers over the next five years.
This, more than anything, demonstrates the confidence that Federal has in the product. But will consumers be as willing to embrace Catalyst? The fact that various elements of the U.S. government are using ammo with Catalyst lends the new primer tremendous credibility.