Humanity has been using small arms for more than 8 centuries - the first mentions of Chinese "fire spears" appeared in the 1200s. During this time, from a bamboo stick stuffed with artisanal gunpowder, the "firearm" turned into a perfect weapon capable of hitting a target at a distance of more than 2 km. The peculiarities of our civilization have led to tremendous progress in the field of weapons, and some engineering solutions are unusual and beautiful in their own way. The variety of bullet designs is especially impressive - in a small piece of metal, gunsmiths have found thousands of possibilities for imagination.
A cartridge with a flying away sleeve
The AUPO caseless 9mm cartridge was developed and tested in the first half of the 1980s by the Italian designer Bruno Civolani. Benelli Armi designed the Benelli CB-M2 submachine gun specifically for this ammunition.
The 9mm AUPO cartridge consisted of an all-metal head and a hollow, thin-walled rear end in the shape of a cylinder.
Diagram of the work of the percussion mechanism and the device of the cartridge of the Benelli CB-M2 submachine gun.
The rear part of the cartridge, made in the form of a "glass", served as a sleeve, inside it were a propelling powder charge and a charge of an igniting substance (capsule charge) located in a circle. The open rear part of the sleeve was closed with a burning diaphragm, which protected the charge from spillage and moisture during storage.
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Compressed charge cartridges
In the early 60s of the last century, the Ministry of Defense of the Federal Republic of Germany funded a research program to develop and study caseless ammunition of intermediate calibers. Development work was carried out by Dynamit Nobel.
From top to bottom: experimental 4.3x21 DAG and 4.7x21 DE11, final 4.73x33 HK.
Another similar cartridge was developed in the USA by the AAI Corporation in the early 1980s, for the Advanced Infantry Weapon System program (AIWS - a promising infantry weapon system) focused on finding a replacement for the M-16 rifle.
Several modifications have been developed. The main option was the version with a 4.3-mm sub-caliber bullet with a lead core in a drop-down segment pallet.
Jet Gyrojet
Perhaps the most famous caseless scheme is the jet cartridge for the American MBA Gyrojet pistol.
The Gyrojet jet bullets (13 × 50 mm), made of stainless steel, had a low initial velocity and were stabilized only by rotation due to the deflection of a part of the powder gases in the radial plane, but the shot was practically silent, and at a distance of 55 m the energy of the accelerated bullet was almost twice exceeded the energy of a bullet fired from a Colt M1911 pistol.
In 1960, MBA developed and launched production of very unusual bullets - rocket bullets. Inside the hollow bullets there was a charge of gunpowder and a primer, that is, a sleeve was not required. Of course, pistols were also produced for these jet bullets: 13-mm Gyrojet multi-shot. This weapon had unique characteristics precisely because of the unusual bullet. First of all, it had the simplest design, a minimum of moving parts and a minimum recoil. In addition, the Gyrojet fired much quieter than conventional pistols and had a smaller muzzle flash.
However, the bullet had its drawbacks. The reactive bullet flew out of the barrel with a minimum initial speed, and it took time to accelerate to a maximum of 260 m / s, which at short distances reduced the already not very large lethality and BP Gyrojet. In addition, the manufacture of the bullet was laborious: it was required to drill rocket nozzles into the bullet with high precision, although the main material of the bullet (steel) was cheap. Also, the developers failed to achieve acceptable accuracy at distances over 20 m. As a result, the Gyrojet was too expensive and had too narrow a range to be widely used.
Collectors of rare weapons claim that shooting with Gyrojet pistols and carbines is a special pleasure.
Among the mass of unusual design solutions, the Gyrojet has the most chance of a revival. Modern gunpowder grades and 3D laser printing technology make it easier to make quality rocket bullets that will potentially have higher accuracy than the 1960s Gyrojet. A rocket bullet can radically simplify, lighten and reduce the cost of small arms - an automatic machine for rocket cartridges can weigh only 1.5-2 kg and cost at least 2-3 times cheaper than modern analogs chambered for a conventional cartridge. It is impossible to achieve such a result when using modern cartridges: even the most advanced and expensive solutions using plastic cartridges and titanium alloys within the LSAT program can reduce the weight of weapons with ammunition by only 30-35%.
Submarine active-reactive cartridge of 7.62 mm
In 1967, the USSR Navy ordered TsNIITOCHMASH to develop a complex of underwater weapons for combat swimmers.
The development of an underwater pistol and ammunition for it was started in February 1968 by D. I. Shiryaev. together with S. I. Matveykin - an engineer in the field of development of solid fuel engines. The project was based on open patent documentation for the Gyrojet pistol.
The cartridge consisted of a long steel tube with a sharp and heavy tip. The tube housed a solid fuel checker. From the bottom, the tube was covered by a jet engine nozzle and a steel pallet. Along the rifling of the barrel, the rocket was guided by a tin leading belt, which provided the initial spin of the bullet. The rocket was mounted in a brass sleeve with an expelling charge and a Zhevelo capsule.
The first samples of the pistol and ammunition were ready by July 1968 and tested in Feodosia.
One is good and two is better. Multi-bullet cartridges
The SSB (Salvo Squeeze Bore) bullet was first patented in the late 1960s.
SSB is a complex of several submunitions, conical hollow or conventional bullets, which are piled on top of each other and fixed in the sleeve. This design makes it possible to combine submunitions, for example, the front one can be made of heat-strengthened steel, and the subsequent ones can be made of soft copper or with the addition of a tracer. SSB has a high stopping power (AP) because it affects a larger target area than a conventional bullet.
The disadvantages of SSB stem from its advantages: the increased dispersion of submunitions at a long firing range can lead to a miss. To solve this problem, gunsmiths have developed several variants of the SBB, for example, with submunitions flying strictly one after another in a vacuum bubble. But initially expensive SBB bullets did not become widespread due to the fact that they do not have radical advantages in terms of armor penetration (AP) and stopping effect over conventional bullets. However, this bullet is interesting in that it can increase the density of machine gun fire - submunitions create a denser cloud, increasing the likelihood of hitting the target. Currently, SBBs are used by shooting enthusiasts and special forces soldiers.
Hollifield Target Practice Rod
The Hollifield Target Practice Rod is one of the strangest ammunition in the history of firearms. It was designed by General George Wingate in the 1870s. The Hollifield Target Practice Rod, or Hollifield "DOTTER" as it was called for short, consisted of a 2mm rod, 4mm tube, and a cartridge that had no primer or powder charge. The tube was inserted into the barrel, a spring-loaded rod was inserted into the tube, and the rifle was charged with a cartridge, inside which, instead of a bullet, another spring-loaded rod moved. In the process of "firing" the drummer hit the rod of the cartridge, and the rod of the cartridge, in turn, hit the rod inside the barrel tube. As a result, the barrel rod "jumped" from the muzzle of the rifle by 15 cm and pierced a special paper target imitating a distant target.
The Hollifield Target Practice Rod made it possible to simulate long-range shooting.
Thus, with the help of the Hollifield "DOTTER" it was possible to practice shooting even indoors, without firing live ammunition. Moreover, the shooter could learn how to quickly operate the rifle bolt, load it, put / remove the safety lock, that is, bring the weapon handling to automatism, using a safe training ammunition.
Today, against the backdrop of modern laser trainers Hollifield "DOTTER" looks like a funny anachronism, but, nevertheless, from time to time there are enthusiasts who reinvent the Wingate device.
Arrow cartridges
According to historical sources, they tried to load smooth-bore weapons with arrows as early as the 17th century, and even these handmade charges placed in wooden cylinders gave some advantage in terms of firing range.
The peak of research in this area fell on the 60s of the twentieth century. In the USSR, this topic began to be dealt with at NII-61 (later - TsNIITOCHMASH). The result of the work was the OPS cartridge (feathered sub-caliber rifle) and the AO-27 assault rifle.
Arrow-shaped alternative
In search of ways to increase the accuracy and lethality of bullets, gunsmiths have repeatedly turned to the idea of using arrow-shaped bullets - small feathered "arrows". One such ammunition was the.330 Amron Aerojet (8.38x69 mm). It was developed in 1969 and, unlike most similar ammunition, carries not one "arrow", but 3 or 4. At a speed of each arrow-shaped bullet more than 1400 m / s, they reached the target, removed at a distance of 500 m, almost instantly. which facilitated the defeat of moving targets and did not require any corrections for range, wind, etc. The lethality and armor penetration of the "shooters" turned out to be high, but the shortcomings of arrow-shaped bullets were also revealed, which could not be eliminated.
Cartridge 8.38x69 mm had several options for bullets: solid all-metal, sub-caliber with one or more "arrows".
So, on tests in the framework of the American SPIW project, low firing accuracy was noted, especially cartridges with several arrow-shaped bullets. In addition, small fragments of the cartridges holding the bullets in the case posed a potential threat to people near the shooter. Also, the "arrows" made holes in metal well, but quickly got stuck in sand and wood, and this, by the way, is the main material of light field fortifications.
So while arrow-shaped bullets are not really massive, but gunsmiths believe that due to the development of personal body armor, "arrows" will sooner or later become the main type of bullets for military small arms.
30-06 Marsh Coulter Flare
The.30-06 (7.62 × 63 mm) Marsh Coulter Flare bullet is designed … to illuminate the terrain. Yes, in 1960, in such a small caliber, a real illuminating ammunition was made, which was fired from a conventional rifle to a height of 150 m and illuminated the surrounding area for several seconds. The cartridge was loaded with a small charge of black powder, which ignited the bullet cord when firing the fuses. Some time after the bullet flew out of the barrel, the retarder cord ignited a small charge of gunpowder, breaking the brass cup and setting fire to a cloud of mixture.
An illuminating rifle bullet is now needed, perhaps, only by hunters and amateurs of recreational shooting.
Illumination bullets were not very effective, since they contained too little pyrotechnic composition and did not give very much light, but with massive use they could find application. Marsh Coulter Flare bullets were on sale in the 1970s, but their time has passed - there are much more effective means of lighting the battlefield, as well as night vision devices. Nevertheless, such cartridges could still be useful to hunters, tourists and other people who, with the help of an illuminating cartridge, could, for example, send a distress signal, especially at night.
S&W Self-Lubricating Bullet
In 1893, S&W received a patent for a bullet that had a built-in oiler, that is, in the process of passing through the rifling, it lubricated the barrel of a weapon. As planned by the developers, this was to increase the muzzle velocity and reduce barrel wear.
Bullet with built-in oil can. Pictured is a.44 S&W Russian cartridge.
Inside the bullet was a tube with four branches. The tubes were filled with grease, which, in the process of firing, was squeezed out onto the side walls of the bullet through 4 holes in its shell. In theory, an additional beneficial effect of this design is also an increase in AP due to the fact that the hollow bullet deforms at the moment of impact.
Apparently, the built-in oiler did not give special advantages, therefore the bullet did not go into mass production. Well, today there are simpler and more effective ways to reduce the friction of a bullet against the barrel wall.
Training plastic
Plastic cartridges (with a sleeve and a plastic bullet) have gained particular popularity in recent years. They are available in a variety of popular calibers including 7.62x51mm and Mosinsky 7.62x54mm.
Plastic bullets can be of different designs, but they all have a reduced propellant charge.
Cheap plastic cartridges are used by the military in training, but they are also in demand in the civilian market - for recreational shooting. These cartridges are loaded with a small charge of gunpowder, and the plastic bullet does not even penetrate a regular PET bottle, which makes shooting relatively safe. If you follow the rules for handling weapons, the risk of accidentally wounding someone behind the line of sight, at a distance of several hundred meters, is practically zero, although there are also more "armor-piercing" plastic bullets covered with a metal sheath, as well as plastic tracer bullets with a small steel core inside …
Thanks to plastic cartridges, even children can shoot from "adult" calibers - the recoil of the same 7.62 × 54 mm in the plastic version is subjectively 2-3 times weaker than that of a conventional all-metal cartridge. Plastic training cartridges have only one significant drawback - low accuracy of fire. It is difficult to assemble a group of less than 10 cm at a distance of 50 m with plastic bullets, so they are suitable only for recreational shooting at a distance of up to 100 m. Also, when using plastic cartridges in most self-loading rifles and pistols, you will have to send the next cartridge manually - automatic gunpowder and small bullet weight does not work reliably.
Non-classical cartridges
Tround cartridge.
In August 1958, David Dardick patented the "Dardick open chamber gun" - a kind of hybrid of a pistol and a revolver and the so-called tround cartridge.
It was made from aluminum and then from high-strength plastic, and was originally produced in calibers.38 (9 mm),.30 (7.62 mm) and.22 (5.56 mm), in terms of their characteristics corresponding to 38 SW Special cartridges.,.32 SW long and.22 LR, and the sizes of plastic cases were the same for all calibers.
Thrand cartridges could be reloaded using standard pistol primers 5 mm in diameter, and bullets of the appropriate caliber. The liner had internal annular grooves limiting the landing of the bullet and providing a boost pressure sufficient for complete combustion of the powder.
5,56x36 Folded.
In 1965, a cartridge of a very unusual shape was patented by Frankford Arsenal design engineer Andrew Grundy. The key element of the new concept was the abandonment of the classic form of the sleeve and replacing it with a plastic capsule containing a powder charge on the side of the bullet.
This unorthodox configuration of the cartridge made it possible to reduce its dimensions and implement a scheme of frontal combustion of a powder charge, which made it possible to reduce the erosive effect of powder gases on the bore. Also, in theory, reducing the length of the chamber of the weapon reduces the mileage of the moving parts of the weapon, which makes it possible to realize a higher rate of fire at a lower speed of movement of moving parts, to reduce shock loads and the mass of the weapon.
From 1965 to 1983, U-shaped cartridges were tested in various calibers: 4.32 mm, 5.56 mm, 7.62 mm, 12.7 mm and 30 mm, but they were never found its military or civilian use.
Chuck AIWS
In 1970, Maury Goldin, a designer of the American company Hughes Tool Company, patented the design of a cartridge with a three-chamber parallelepiped sleeve and a system of shutterless weapons.
The bullet in the AIWS cartridge is located in the central chamber, and the powder charge is located in two side chambers. This cartridge configuration made it possible to store 54% more ammunition in a given volume compared to cartridges of the traditional design of the same caliber, and also provided significant savings in weight, which was comparable to the advantages provided by caseless ammunition. At the same time, the plastic sleeve provided the necessary obturation of the powder gases, the protection of the propellant charge and the primer composition from environmental influences. The rectangular profile of the case made it possible to develop a high-capacity magazine and a simple, in comparison with conventional weapons, system for feeding cartridges into the chamber and extracting a spent case.
Perforated chucks
Two types of ammunition fell into this makeshift category.
The first one is the Comp Bullet.
In this pool, using high-precision machines, several communicating holes are made.
When firing a Comp bullet, the propellant gases pass through the holes in the bullet walls and reduce friction on the rifling of the barrel. According to the assurances of the developers, the holes also play the role of a kind of muzzle brake and reduce the recoil from the shot.
The second ammunition is a 7x56 Broadway Trust with a perforated sleeve.
In 1941, Sir Dennis Burney, proposed to the British Secretary of Supply a project to develop portable recoilless anti-tank rifles. The Broad Trust Company (BTC) was founded with government support.
At first, the development was carried out in the design of ammunition with a caliber of 20-88 mm. The use of "perforated" casings was supposed to reduce the recoil when fired to values that allow firing from hand and to develop a sufficiently powerful and light anti-tank gun. Gradually, the focus of development shifted to designing smaller caliber guns.
Silent cartridges
7.62x63 Snake - one of the special cartridges for silent-flameless shooting with powder gas cut-off.
In the 50s, at NII-61, by order of the KGB of the USSR, work began on the creation of a special silent double-shot pistol and cartridges for it. The complex consisted of a special C4 pistol and a silent PZ cartridge ("Snake" cartridge).
The cartridge 7.62-mm PZ consists of a steel sleeve with a slight taper, inside which there are: a KVM-3 primer-igniter in a sleeve with a movable striker (screwed into the bottom of the sleeve and providing obturation of powder gases from the side of the capsule), a powder charge of grade P -125 and a pusher piston. The cartridge is loaded with a 7.62 mm PS bullet.
When fired, the movable striker of the cartridge pierces the primer, which ignites the powder charge. The pressure of the propellant gases sets the piston in motion, which pushes the bullet into the bore, giving it an initial flight speed of 170 m / s. When the uppermost position is reached, the piston rests against the narrowing of the liner walls and stops, ensuring the locking of the powder gases inside the liner and the noiselessness of the shot. The length of the spent cartridge case with the piston protruding from it is 82.3 mm.
Educational and training cartridges
Wooden cartridge 6,5x55 mm Mauser. Of course, he is not able to hit the target - the bullet is completely destroyed when it leaves the bore of the weapon.
Modern training cartridges are often made of plastic.
Training cartridge L14A1 caliber 7.62x54 mm with tracer bullet. In this cartridge, only the bottom of the case and the inner element of the bullet are made of metal.
Plastic cartridges are used by the military in training exercises, and they are also in demand in the civilian market - for recreational shooting. They are loaded with a small charge of gunpowder, which makes shooting relatively safe.
The only significant drawback of these ammunition is that in most self-loading rifles and pistols, the next cartridge will have to be sent manually - the automation does not work reliably due to the reduced gunpowder weight and the low mass of the bullet.
G2R RIP - New Expansive
Expansive bullets by themselves are not all that unusual, but the latest development from G2 Research has definitely earned its place in this material.
According to press releases, the small teeth of this bullet create a turbulent flow in flight, help stabilize the bullet and make it more accurate, and when hit like a hole saw cut through clothing, glass, drywall and even sheet metal, allowing the bottom of the bullet to hit the target more confidently.
The G2R RIP is a lead-free, solid copper 96 grain bullet that divides into 9 triangular prongs. Bullet muzzle velocity - 386 m / s. Muzzle energy - 660 J.
G2 Research plans to start producing.380 ACP,.357 SIG,.40,.45ACP cartridges in the near future, as well as rifle cartridges equipped with such a bullet.
The cost of such cartridges is reported to be about $ 2 per piece. In addition to the high cost, the disadvantages of this ammunition include the potential chance of premature opening of the teeth.
Guided bullet
Sandia National Laboratories product shown to the public in November 2011.
A tiny optical sensor is located on the bullet tip that detects a laser beam that illuminates a distant target. The microcomputer processes the signal from the sensor and rejects the miniature stabilizer planes, changing the flight path. The bullet is capable of independently adjusting its flight 30 times per second throughout the entire flight time at a speed of over 600 m / s. In flight, the bullet is stabilized not by rotation, but by aerodynamic planes, which makes it possible to more accurately orient the optical sensor and control the flight.
Unfortunately, there is currently no new information about this development.