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Originally Posted By: The Cheshire Cat ([email protected])
I've been asked to explain caseless ammunition, so if you don't want to know, or
you already do, skip this post with my blessings.
- Basics:
- The German army decided in the mid-to-late 60s that they wanted a weapon
with a very high first-round hit probability, and a general increase in second
and third round strike rate while they were at it. In 1969, Heckler & Koch
began work on the alpha version of the G-11. The obvious answer was a weapon
with an exceptionally fast three round burst, but conventional weapons fare
poorly in this area, because the rifle begins climbing after the first shot
exits the barrel. So, the object behind caseless ammo was originally to
quicken the action by removing the extraction step.
- Today's Bullet (Sans Casing):
- There is only one caseless weapon in production today (besides the obvious
musket kits that pseudo historians build). It is the HK G-11, also produced as
the American HK ACR. I could be mistaken, but I believe the G-11 is in Mark
VI. The bullet it fires is 4.73mm at the surface of the lands, and 4.92mm at
the base, beneath the grooves. When judged for caliber it conforms to the norm
and is read as a 4.73. It is encased in a sleeve of solid propellant, with a
special thin plastic coating around it. The propellant counters the low cook-
off threshold caused by a lack of brass, because it heats up to a much higher
temperature. The end result is a threshold that is about 100°C higher than
normal propellants, so there is no need to worry about failure to completely
evaporate the powder without residue. As for stats, the 4.73 is roughly
equivalent in all areas to the 5.56Nato, except the 4.73 is slow to tumble,
resulting in a simple wound. As three shots from the burst are likely to hit,
and the general consensus is that it is better to wound than kill in battle,
this is not a great problem.
- The Workings Of The G-11:
- The mechanism to fire the G-11 has not been made public, but I do know some
of the basics. The clip (along with two extra clips) is held above the barrel
horizontally and has a capacity of 50 shots per clip. The gun is cocked and the
first round is chambered by twisting a little wind-up thingy (That's the actual
technical term too. <wink>). the bullets are rotated on a wheel till they
hit the barrel, then the first round is struck and fires. By this time the wheel
has picked up the second and is delivering it to the chamber. Meanwhile the
entire firing mechanism recoils inside the weapons case, which expedites the
delivery of the second and third bullets, which are fired before the recoil is
felt by the operator. In full-auto, the weapon has a rate- limiter that simulates
the extraction stage by skipping the second bullet in the series and some other
stuff that can only be conjecture. Thus the cyclic rate is 2200rpm (approx. 37
r/sec.) in 3 round burst mode, and only 600 rpm (10 r/sec.) in FA.
Note: The above section is
slightly based on conjecture, and extremely compressed, but for the most part
accurate according to the research I've done.
- Misc. Other Goodies:
- The G-11 has a factory molded SUSAT style scope (either X4, or X10 not sure)
with iron sights cut into the top of it. The result is a weapon that can be
greatly jostled and mistreated without throwing off the sight. The iron sights
are such that cannot be adjusted, but you have two grooves so that you can adjust
your aim for headwinds. The scope it slightly adjustable inside it's case. As I
said before, the two extra clips on the M IV and later makes of the G-11 have two
extra clips held on either side of the current one, bringing the total on-weapon
capacity to 150 rounds.(I'm not sure, but it seems common sense that special web
gear would be created to hold extra clips more comfortably). Anyway, the two
extra clips serve to further increase barrel weight and fight the already
negligible felt recoil and climb. The G-11 is bullpup in configuration, therefore
the barrel length- to-overall length ratio is vastly increased (537.5mm:752.5mm).
Comparatively, the M-16a2 is 508mm:1,006mm!
- Cyber Notes:
- No casings means almost no ballistic evidence at the scene (now, if they can
only come up with the edible bullet). In addition, the compact, high capacity,
and precision fire make this a weapon of choice among Solos and Street Sams, if
they know what they're doing.
That's all for caseless 101.
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