Frag-12 Exploding Shotgun Shell

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 12/17/2018 | C Cocoles

[w1n1]

We all like to see things go kaboom and like shooting a shotgun.
So, did you know theres an exploding shotgun round that can satisfy this passion?
Well I introduce to you the Frag12 T17 12 GAUGE High Explosive (HE) round.
The concept is the same as the 40mm HE round thats fired from the military M-203 grenade launcher.
In this case the shotgun slug Frag12 projectile is embedded into the slug.
Once the primer is hit the projectile is launched and the warhead arms itself at 3 meters while in flight and detonates upon impact.
There are three different types of projectile encased inside a 12 gauge shotgun shell:
-Armor piercing
-Fragmentation
-High Explosive
The FRAG-12 HE-AP round incorporates a shaped charge to allow it to penetrate 1/2-inch steel armor plate. Maximum effective range is 175 meters.

According to the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) they stated, "the main reason for experimentation [with the FRAG-12 ammo family] is to examine these rounds as potential improvements to the combat-effectiveness of shotguns in urban areas [for urban warfare operations], using shotguns for stopping vehicles [vehicle interdiction] at roadblocks and checkpoints, barricade attack, and remote probing of potential Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)." Read the rest of Frag-12 exploding shotgun shell.

[Lurkinanloomin]

Not going to find these at Bass Pro.

[Dalberg-Acton]

When will Midway or Cabelas carry these?

[chemical_boy]

definitely not squeezing that into a 2 3/4 inch shell

[Bob434]

or dick’s sporting goods stores?

[Yo-Yo]

When will Midway or Cabelas carry these?

Probably never. They would be classified as destructive devices.

[PapaBear3625]

Frag-12 has been around for at least a decade

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV379084djs

[MrEdd]

Do they come in red or white exploding phosphorus?
I always wished we had had phosphorus rounds for the MK19 in Saudi.

[fireman15]

We need some video evidence showing that it explodes real good!

[dljordan]

They already make them. They’re called shellcrackers.

[rktman]

So, has shotgun jojo biden ordered a case or two yet? Or is he busy pawing young ladies still.

[riverrunner]

Isn’t that hard to make a impact exploding slug.

It is the arming after it is fired that would be hard.

[upchuck]

More info:

http://www.defensereview.com/auto-assault-12-shotgunfrag-12-high-explosive-round-comboweapon-system/

[Doc91678]

Worked on a similar concept once. The shell would necessarily need to be 3.5 inches long.

[Renegade]

Gander Outdoors might have them tomorrow.

[Chainmail]

I was involved in some of the design elements of the FRAG-12 about 15 years ago. Initially, it had single-element fuze and almost always lost a fin during firing and went somewhere - just not where you were aiming and sometimes it went off in the shotgun bore.

I was brought in to redesign the round to fly straight and to improve the safety of the fuzing and I designed the shaped charge armor-piercing round.

It carries a half ounce of A-5 explosive and has a three element bore-safe fuze now. The main success is its range and accuracy: we could hit a doorknob sized object from 50m off and it would blow the door lock out of the door when it hit, leaving a big fist-size hole. It was capable of hitting a man at 200m.

The armor-piercing round is capable of penetrating 1/2 inch of hardened armor plate, which makes a shotgun effective against most armored cars.

From the photos, it looks like they have redesigned the center section, so I am assuming that its flight characteristics are similar to what they were 15 years ago.

Nifty piece of gear - the only reason that it didn't make it into Iraq was that the navy engineer at Dahlgren wanted to be hired to design the fuzing system and when they didn't use him, he blocked safety approval for the navy. The army wanted 5,000 rounds for their safety approval tests and the company was too small to afford that many rounds for testing.

[whistleduck]

Would it be correct to assume arming took place after so many fin section rotations?

[Bullish]

They blowed up real good like.

[Chainmail]

No. There were two elements that initial impulse rotated into position, aligning the striker with the detonator. The delay allowed the round to get 5 meters beyond the muzzle before it was fully armed.

I have fired about 150 FRAG-12 rounds, so it’s safe to the firer.

We ran a test where we fired about 20 rounds at a medium-sized car and they tore the heck out of it and at midway through, the gas tank went up.

We had a fire truck standing by for just such an outcome. Completely destroyed the intake manifold of the engine and blew big holes through the windshield, showering the plywood dummies inside with fragments.

[BTerclinger]

“I was brought in to redesign the round to fly straight and to improve the safety of the fuzing and I designed the shaped charge armor-piercing round.”

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