Army Testing Plastic Cased Ammo....

[sbryson21]

Wow, just saw this article and wanted to see what your guys' oppinion was. Check out this link:

Video: U.S. Army Testing Plastic-Cased Ammo, So Far Impressed - Guns.com

Read More

 

[Nwcid]

There was a company that produced a bunch of it close to a decade ago now and it did not fair so well. Cant remember what the problems were though.

Here is a link with lots of stuff to read, natec ammo - Google Search

 

[deadeye]

10lbs less weight per 1000 rds and a much smaller charge doesnt or wouldnt give me any warm fuzzies in the field.

 

[BillM]

Rotating chamber? Looks like someone just re-discovered the Dardick patents. I actually think the Dardick Tround might be a better concept. It did get commercial use in the drilling industry.

Note the patent date--1958!! Probably before the current crop of "inventors"
was born. Dardick tround - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As far as plastic cased ammo, I used to find quite a few 5.56 cases at therange that were a short brass head with a gray plastic case. Haven't found one lately---maybe they didn't work so well?

 

[Markjz]

tried them. the presure in a 30rd mag causes the case to deform, leading to feed isues. but that was back in 2004

 

[SPU]

Just looking at it from a different angle -- that would be a lot of plastic laying around. Hope it is biodegradable or it will lay there for generations.

 

[RVTECH]

As a kid in the 70's, and just starting to learn to shoot I remember shooting plastic cased .38 Special out of a 4" Python. I recall my older cousin not being impressed with it at the time.

 

[One-Eyed Ross]

back in a former life, we had a tank (M60A2) that used a combustable (sp?) cartridge. Because it required a breech scavenger system to blow the ash out of the tube, and an electric closing breech, it was SLOW!. In tank to tank warfare, slow means dead. I was very glad we didn't wind up going to war with it....although it was the same gun tube used in the M551 Sheridan...

Anyway...I like brass cased rounds, based on my experience - will take me a while to adapt to a change, if it ever comes about.

 

[Tall Gentleman]

I doubt it would catch on in the civilian market any time soon, but after reading that article it does seem like a nice step forward for machine gunners. I mean, lowering the total weight of the equipment from 80 to 70 pounds might not look like much on paper, but I would bet dollars to donuts most people who have to hump around 80 pounds of metal would really love any kind of reduction to that weight they could get. I couldn't really see these used widely though, due to the mentioned reduction in powder charge and possible deformation issues.

 

[kenno]

back in a former life, we had a tank (M60A2) that used a combustable (sp?) cartridge. Because it required a breech scavenger system to blow the ash out of the tube, and an electric closing breech, it was SLOW!. In tank to tank warfare, slow means dead. I was very glad we didn't wind up going to war with it....although it was the same gun tube used in the M551 Sheridan...

Anyway...I like brass cased rounds, based on my experience - will take me a while to adapt to a change, if it ever comes about.

I used to teach that weapon system at Aberdeen Proving Grounds! It was a POS and those fumes were toxic! We were taught that the face mask/breathing system was manditory for the tank crew when shooting the round!

 

[One-Eyed Ross]

I used to teach that weapon system at Aberdeen Proving Grounds! It was a POS and those fumes were toxic! We were taught that the face mask/breathing system was manditory for the tank crew when shooting the round!

Really? We never got a mask. We were the first (and best!) M60A2 tank battalion in Europe.... 1/32 AR, 3AD Still remember going to Graf with them buggers and doing gunnery. Would much preferred to stay in the M60A1.