Each rifle or handgun is designed to be used with a specific type of:

• A. Cartridge
• B. Bullet
• C. Powder
• D. Primer

Answer: (A)

A firearm is built to chamber and fire a specific complete round, called a cartridge, whose overall size and pressure are matched to that gun. The cartridge includes the case, powder, primer, and bullet, and the chamber and bore are machined to work with that exact combination. Using a different cartridge can fail to chamber or cycle properly or create dangerous pressures, which is why the safest and correct choice is the cartridge. The bullet by itself, the powder alone, or the primer alone don’t define the firearm’s compatibility—the complete cartridge does.