Editing Caseless ammunition

[[Image:G11Cartridge.jpg|thumb|right|The 4.73 x 33mm caseless ammunition used in the [[Heckler & Koch G11]] rifle, shown disassembled.  The components are, from left to right, the solid propellant, the primer, the bullet, and a plastic cap that serves to keep the bullet centered in the propellant block.]]
'''Caseless ammunition''' is a type of [[small arms]] [[ammunition]] that eliminates the [[cartridge]] case that typically holds the primer, propellant, and projectile together as a unit.  Caseless ammunition is an attempt to reduce the weight and cost of ammunition by dispensing with the case, which is typically precision made of [[brass]] or steel, as well as simplify the operation of repeating firearms by eliminating the need to extract and eject the empty case after firing.<ref name="explosives">Rudolf Meyer, Josef Köhler, Axel Homburg (2007). Explosives. Wiley-VCH. ISBN 9783527316564.</ref>

==History==
Caseless ammunition, in the broad sense, is not a new concept.  A number of early [[paper cartridge]] designs used a combustible "case", which left no significant residue in the action after firing; one of the earliest military breech-loading rifles, the [[Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse|Dreyse]] [[needle gun]], used such a cartridge.  It contained the powder, primer, and [[sabot]]ed bullet in a paper cartridge.  This design was an evolution of earlier paper cartridges for externally primed muzzle loading firearms, and predated the wide adoption of the metallic cartridge case.<ref>See main articles, [[paper cartridge]] and [[needle gun]], for references.</ref>

The first use of caseless ammunition for use in a repeating firearm was the [[Rocket Ball]] projectile patented by [[Walter Hunt]] in [[1848]]. A charge of black powder was placed inside a hollow at the back of specially shaped [[Minié ball]]. These rounds were used by Hunt in a prototype repeating [[lever action]] rifle.  The later Volcanic cartridge by [[Smith & Wesson]] added a primer to the Rocket Ball, and improved on the lever action design.  Similar ammunition was used by the [[Volcanic Repeating Arms]] company for the Volcanic rifle.(see ''[[Rocket Ball]]; [[Volcanic Repeating Arms]]'')

During [[World War II]], Germany began an intensive program to research and develop a practical caseless ammunition for military use, which was driven by the rising cost of metals used to make cartridge cases.  The Germans had some success, but not sufficient to produce a caseless cartridge system during the war.<ref name="cotw10">Frank C. Barnes, ed. Stan Skinner. Cartridges of the World, 10th Ed.. Krause Publications. p. 8. ISBN 0-87349-605-1.</ref>

==Modern caseless ammunition==
Modern caseless ammunition consists of a solid mass of propellant, originally [[nitrocellulose]], cast into shape to form the body of the cartridge, with cavities to accept the bullet and a primer, preferably combustible, which are glued into place.  The completed cartridge might also contain a booster charge of powdered propellant, to help ignite the body and provide initial thrust to the bullet.<ref name="explosives" />  

Many caseless cartridges are also telescoped, with the bulk of the bullet held within the body of the cartridge, to cut down on cartridge length.  A shorter cartridge cuts down on the distance the firearm's action must reciprocate to load a new round, which allows for higher cyclic rates and greater probability of multiple hits on a target at long range.  Lack of a case also reduces the weight of the cartridge substantially, especially in small bore rifles.  For example, the caseless ammunition for the [[Voere VEC-91]] weighs about one third as much as regular ammunition for the same caliber.<ref name="voere">[http://www.voere.com/firearms.htm Voere]</ref><ref name="brassey">Franklin D. Margiotta (9781574880878). Brassey's Encyclopedia of Land Forces and Warfare. Brassey's. ISBM 9781574880878</ref><ref name="wounds">Vincent J.M. DiMaio, M.D (1998). Gunshot Wounds. CRC Press. ISBN 9780849381638.</ref>

While it seems a simple operation to replace the case with a piece of solid propellant, the cartridge case provides more than just a way to keep the cartridge components together, and these other functions must be replaced if the case is to be replaced. Caseless ammunition is not without its drawbacks, and it is these drawbacks that have kept modern caseless ammunition from achieving wider success.  

===Heat sensitivity===
The first major problem, of great concern to the military, is the heat sensitivity of the ammunition. Nitrocellulose, the primary component of modern [[gunpowder]], ignites at a very low temperature of around 170°C. One of the lesser known functions of the metallic cartridge case is as a heat sink; the metallic case carries away a significant amount of the heat of firing, slowing the rate at which heat is transferred to the chamber. The case also acts as insulation for the propellant, shielding it from built-up heat from the chamber walls. Without a case to provide these functions, caseless rounds using nitrocellulose will begin to "cook off", firing from the residual chamber heat, much sooner than metal cased cartridges would. The normal solution to the problem of heat is to increase the heat resistance by switching to a propellant with a higher ignition temperature, typically a non-crystalline explosive carefully formulated to provide an appropriate rate of combustion.<ref name="explosives" /><ref name="brassey" />  Heckler & Koch, in concert with Dynamit Nobel, managed such a task by producing relatively heat-resistant caseless ammunition.

===Sealing===
Another important function provided by the cartridge is to seal the rear of the chamber. During firing of a cased cartridge, the pressure in the chamber expands the brass and blocks the chamber. This prevents gas exiting from the rear of the chamber, and it has also been experimentally shown to provide a significant amount of support to the bolt. Without the case to provide this seal, the firearm design must account for this and provide a means of sealing the rear of the chamber. This problem was also encountered with the Dreyse needle gun; the French [[Chassepot]] solved the leaking breach problem with the addition of a rubber seal to the bolt.<ref>P.O. Ackley (1962). Handbook for Shooters & Reloaders vol I. Plaza Publishing. ISBN 978-9992948811.</ref>(see ''[[Chassepot]]'')

Telescoping caseless rounds must also deal with the issue of obturating the bore, as the bullet is surrounded by propellant.  The booster charge is used to address this issue, providing an initial burst of pressure to force the bullet out of the cartridge body and into the barrel before the body combusts.<ref name="wounds" />

===Fragility===
Caseless rounds are limited by the fact that the cartridge body is primarily a propellant, and structural properties are secondary to the combustion properties.  The primary issue is one of extraction.  While caseless ammunition obviates the need to extract a fired case, unfired cases must be extracted in case of a misfire, or to unload the firearm.  In metallic cases, this ability is provided by a [[rim]] or extractor groove machined into the rear of the case.  Even in completely plastic bodied cartridges, such as the ''Activ'' brand [[shotgun shell]]s, a thin metal ring is molded into the rim to provide support for the extractor.<ref name="brassey" /><ref name="cotw10" /><ref name="wounds" />

==Modern caseless firearms==
One of the first caseless firearm and ammunition systems produced was actually made by [[Daisy Outdoor Products|Daisy]], the [[airgun]] maker, in 1968.  The V/L Rifle used a .22 caliber (5.5 mm) low powered caseless round with no primer. The rifle was basically a spring-piston air rifle, but when used with the V/L ammunition the energy from the compression of the piston heated the air behind the caseless cartridge enough to ignite the propellant, and this generated the bulk of the energy of firing.  The [[Daisy V/L]] Rifle system was discontinued  in 1969 after the [[Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives|BATF]] ruled that it was not an airgun, but a firearm, which Daisy was not licensed to produce.<ref>S. P. Fjestad. {{#Widget:Amazon/Blue Book 36}}[[category:pages with Amazon widgets]], 13th Ed.. Blue Book Publications.</ref>

Several [[assault rifle]]s have used caseless ammunition. One of the better-known weapons of this type is the [[Heckler & Koch G11|G11]] made by [[Heckler & Koch]]. Although the rifle never entered full production, it went through a number of prototype stages as well as field testing before being put aside in favour of a more conventional firearm, the [[Heckler & Koch G36|G36]], which was also cheaper.

The first commercial caseless rifle featuring [[electronic firing]] was the [[Voere VEC-91]].<ref name="voere" />

==See also==
* [[Metal Storm Limited]]
* [[Heckler & Koch G11]]
* [[Lightweight Small Arms Technologies]]
* [[Polymer-cased ammunition]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.65grendel.com/art002arammo.htm Assault Rifle Ammunition History]

[[Category:Ammunition]]
[[Category:Caseless ammunition]]