Louis-Nicolas Flobert | |
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| Born | Louis Nicolas Auguste Flobert 1819 |
| Died | 1894 (aged 74–75) |
| Occupation(s) | Gunsmith, inventor |
Louis-Nicolas Flobert (1819–1894) was a French inventor. He invented the first metallic rimfire cartridge in 1845. It was a major innovation in firearms ammunition technology, as it was previously delivered as separate bullets and gunpowder, pertaining to muzzle-loading firearms. The rimfire cartridge combined both elements in a single metallic (usually brass) cartridge containing a percussion cap, gunpowder, and a bullet, into a single weatherproofed package or container. Before that, a "cartridge" was simply a pre-measured quantity of gunpowder together with a ball (bullet), in a small cloth bag (or rolled paper cylinder), which also acted as wadding for the powder charge and ball.