Reloading Flechettes
Would Like To Find Info On Reloading Flechettes In ShotGun Shells.
Thanks For Any Info,[:D]
Thanks For Any Info,[:D]
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Everything you need:
They are useless. They don't work.0 -
The trouble with flechettes, or small finned nails, is that the length of a 3" 12ga. shell isn't quite enough to allow powder, overwad and flechettes and then a suitable crimp. If you substitute an overwad for the crimp, you run the risk of having your "payload" stick into the card and not disperse the flechettes as they were meant to be.
Best use for flechettes was to dump a 2-300 pound crate of them off the ramp at medium altitude over your target.0 -
Used to make the 60 grain flechettes for loading in the warheads for the Hydra 70 rocket system. AKA 2.75 MK66 rocket.
They were woven into belts, like ammo, rolled up and inserted into the warhead. They achieved 99% of their energy from the rocket, IIRC, was about 1900FPS, and the rest from the small expulsion charge.
They were advertised as copter to copter weapons, but off the record, they were mechanical napalm.
The consultant we had on leave from Lockheed-Martin recalled the plant was picketed in protest of the manufacture of flechettes during Vietnam.
Our company got involved during the First Gulf War when , so the story goes, when a Saudi chief resurrected some old stock and used them in an air to ground attack. Movement stopped.
From the rocket manufacturer, we learned the govt. used them from 20 grains on up to a size for the 105mm Howitzer.
As a matter of fact, I have a gold plated 20 grain one as a tietac given to me from BEI Defense, our customer, and the mfg. of the rocket system.
I could go on for hours on the history of the making of flechettes and the Hydra 70 rocket system, but that's beyond the scope of this post.
BTW, I personally would not try to fire hardened steel flechettes down the bore of anything, no matter how well it is protected.0 -
I had interest too but recall seeing a SG barrel that fired ball bearings. It developed straight rifling.
Oh well.0 -
this guy has everything you need:
http://www.antipersonnel.net/sdllc/index.html0 -
5. The accepted casualty producing force criteria for an incapacitating wound is 58 ft. lbf. for an unprotected human.
6. A flechette sabot with 20 of the 8 grain flechettes fired at 2250 fps. has a muzzle kinetic energy of 90.4 ft. lbf. individually, and 1808 ft. lbf. combined. At the average combat engagement range of 100 meters the flechettes will have kinetic energy of 62.77 ft. lbf. individually, and 1255.4 ft. lbf. combined. Approximate energy values deived from the formula: 1/2*(M*V2/32), mass in pounds times velocity squared divided by acceleration of gravity times one half.
I wonder WHO accepted that amount of force to produce an incapacitating wound? With a 10d finishing nail. At 100yds.0 -
I got out of that much math when I left grad school, but I know it'll hurt.
Maybe even leave a mark!!0 -
I think Bill summed this up succinctly.
I wouldn't say they "don't work" (ie they're perfectly capable of causing serious or lethal injury), but they're not really any more effective than conventional buckshot.
quote:Originally posted by gunnut505
5. The accepted casualty producing force criteria for an incapacitating wound is 58 ft. lbf. for an unprotected human.
Well, to be clear here, the military considers any wound "incapacitating" if it requires significant medical attention. The idea during wartime is that hurting the enemy is actually MORE useful than killing them outright, since they'll require more enemy resources for medical treatment and rehabilitation. This is **NOT** the same thing as a civilian or law enforcement "stop", that disables an attacker from continuing.
In terms of absolute energy levels, let's put this in perspective.
A .22 short generates 70 ft-lbs of muzzle energy.
A major league baseball weighs 5 ounces. Pitch one in an 80 mph fastball and you've just generated 67 foot pounds of kinetic energy.
A two ounce tennis ball off the racquet face at serve goes 120 mph (or faster if you're a top pro), yielding 60 foot pounds.
A single OO buckshot pellet weighs 3.5 grams and leaves the barrel at 1325 fps, yielding about 210 ft-lbs of kinetic energy.0 -
Thank You All For The Input and Info [:D] 0
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