Caseless Ammunition - Modern Caseless Ammunition

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.

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.

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.