[RadioAstronomer]

:-) Loved that movie. I know caseless rounds have been experimented with before. Does anyone know if that is still a good idea? I think it would be less weight and bulk for the infantryman.

[elmer fudd]

The Germans spent decades trying to perfect caseless cartridges and even had a working prototype rifle. They finally gave up on it in the early 90's. There are a lot of advantages to caseless ammunition, but there are some major problems too. The Ammo was fragile and the guns tended to overheat. It seems that an overlooked benefit of cased ammo is that it serves to help cool the rifle. The hot brass that is ejected contains heat energy that would otherwise overheat the rifle. The Germans had to use ceramics and some tricky chemistry to avoid cookoffs and meltdowns.

[Dinsdale]

Caseless rounds are a good 'idea'.

If they are a good practical exercise is another question.

[Woahhs]

I know caseless rounds have been experimented with before. Does anyone know if that is still a good idea? I think it would be less weight and bulk for the infantryman.

They've been pretty much put on the shelf as no one appreciated the amount of heat exiting the weapon along with the spent case during development. Caseless had cook-off problems.