rimfire
Noun
Meaning
rimfire (plural rimfires)
A type of firearm cartridge where the primer is in the back rim, rather than a central primer cap. They are cheap to produce but cannot be reloaded with powder.
Examples
Homologated safes are required for all rifles and handguns, but none for class 3 weapons (shotguns and rimfire rifles), nevertheless a safe is recommended as the owner is responsible for firearm thefts.
No magazine restriction exists for rimfire rifles (.22lr) and bolt action rifles.
The primer charge is at the base of the cartridge, either within the rim (a " rimfire " cartridge) or in a small percussion cap embedded in the center of the base (a " centerfire " cartridge).
As a rule, centerfire cartridges are more powerful than rimfire cartridges, operating at considerably higher pressures than rimfire cartridges.
Centerfire cartridges are also safer, as a dropped rimfire cartridge has the potential to discharge if its rim strikes the ground with sufficient force to ignite the primer.
Later many were converted to rimfire.