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Glite Dictionary
🔫 A center-primer round 🔫 With center primer
centerfire

centerfire

8.2
Having the primer in the center of the cartridge base
  • adjective
  • /ˈsɛntərˌfaɪər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : de percusión central
  • The instructor explained the difference between centerfire and rimfire ammunition to the class.

Examples

  • Many firearms are designed for centerfire ammunition.

  • He purchased a box of centerfire rounds for his hunting trip.

  • Most modern rifles use centerfire cartridges for greater reliability and power.

  • The centerfire cartridge is widely used in hunting.

  • Most modern rifles use centerfire cartridges for greater reliability and power.

  • The instructor explained the difference between centerfire and rimfire ammunition to the class.

  • Many firearms are designed for centerfire ammunition.

Surface Forms

centerfire positive
centrefire positive

Morphology

centerfire = center + fire (semi-transparent) = center + fire

The components 'center' and 'fire' are clear, but the combined term denotes a specialized technical type of cartridge (contrast with 'rimfire'), so the precise meaning is not directly inferable by most learners.

Etymology

Centerfire combines center ('middle') and fire ('to start a flame'). It is used to describe cartridges or guns where the small part that makes the cartridge fire is placed in the middle of the base, so centerfire means the ignition is in the center.