What is pip?

What is pip?

• A. A misfire
• B. A round with a reduced powder charge
• C. A round with powder but no primer
• D. A round with primer but no powder

Answer: (D)

A pip is a cartridge that contains a primer but no powder. The primer is the small explosive that would normally ignite the propellant, but with no powder present there’s nothing to burn and no pressure to push the bullet out of the case. This distinguishes it from other scenarios: a misfire involves ignition problems after the primer is struck, a round with a reduced powder charge still has some propellant to propel the bullet (just at lower velocity), and a round with powder but no primer has propellant present but lacks the ignition source to start the burn. In practice, a pip is considered an incomplete or improperly loaded round, and it should be handled safely rather than fired.

A pip is a cartridge that contains a primer but no powder. The primer is the small explosive that would normally ignite the propellant, but with no powder present there’s nothing to burn and no pressure to push the bullet out of the case. This distinguishes it from other scenarios: a misfire involves ignition problems after the primer is struck, a round with a reduced powder charge still has some propellant to propel the bullet (just at lower velocity), and a round with powder but no primer has propellant present but lacks the ignition source to start the burn. In practice, a pip is considered an incomplete or improperly loaded round, and it should be handled safely rather than fired.