Current status. Although pinfire revolver, rifle, and shotgun cartridges are technically obsolete, as pinfire guns have not been made in large numbers since the early 20th century, enthusiasts of vintage weaponry often make pinfire cartridges from modern materials and shoot their old guns.

The pinfire system, invented by French gunsmith Casimir Lefaucheux in the early 19th century, introduced a new type of cartridge and firing mechanism for firearms. Distinctively, this system used a small pin protruding from the side of the cartridge.

Invented by Frenchman Casimir Lefaucheux in the 1830s but not patented until 1835, it was one of the earliest practical designs of a metallic cartridge.