Posted on 10/12/2002 11:13:14 AM PDT by icantbleaveit
Ex-TopSecret "Silent Cartridges" of USSR & Russia.
They have no give-away muzzle flash when fired - and there is no recoil. The bullets are designed to be used in rifles CIA armourers have developed. They have twice the range of ordinary sniper weapons and a killing accuracy of a mile.
http://www.world.guns.ru/ammo/sp-e.htm
"No muzzle flash?" - Maybe, but doubtful. I've seen some of the new European propellants that only have heat waves come out of the muzzle, no smoke, but with pressures as high as would be developed in this claim, "no flash" is a bit of a stretch.
"No recoil?" - Nope! Ain't buying that one. Action=reaction anywhere on the planet.
"Twice the range?" - Doubtful. That would imply at least twice the muzzle velocity which would equal FOUR TIMES the energy which would take at least FOUR TIMES the propellant and unless they're using something a lot stronger than nitrocellulose, there isn't that much spare room in the cartridge for it.
"Killing accuracy of a mile?" - Not if its coming from a .22 bore.
The ruskies are well noted for pulling fast ones like this.
The sound of a .223 (AKA 5.56mm NATO) round out of a short barrel (less than 26 inches) has to be heard to be believed.
'Loud' does not describe it well.
The first "piston in a shell" method only has an effective range of 40-60 meters. I also question long-term effectiveness of this method, as it could blow-out the primer and end up damaging the gun, or even killing the gunner.
The second "traditional" method sounds equally implausible. I can believe they developed a silenced bullet, but making it heavier to make it slower would decrease effective range, not increase it because a slower bullet gives gravity more time to act on it. The trajectory would have a more pronounced arch, not be flat shooting.
Let's look at some standard rounds. The standard .223 Remington uses a 55 grain bullet.
Shooting long-range (to 600 yards in the service rifle competition), you typically go with 69 grains or 75 grains. I have heard of people going 90 grains or thereabouts, but that is unusual. They are also using more powerful charges. The idea is to keep the projectile stable by giving it more heft. This helps it resist forces trying to destablize it. You pay for this by giving the wind and gravity more time to work on the bullet. So, you have a bullet with more terminal energy, that is stable longer, but that requires more adjustment for windage and elevation.
BTW, I also question the weights they are giving. Most AP ammo is simply a steel core in a lead pill with a copper jacket. Steel weighs less than lead, not more. The heaviest .223 round I have heard of is 90 grains. 235 or 255 grains is even extremely heavy for a .30 caliber bullet (like a .30-06 or .308). To get those weights, it would have to be extremely long and be made of a material heavier than lead...say depleted uranium. There are just too many questions to this.
I favor the theory that all the shots are in crowded, noisy areas, at the busiest of times. The ambient noise is so high, that the report of the shot is lost in the static.
I am in no way a ballistic expert, I am just a frequent shooter of .223 and .30, and a wannabe .50BMG.
"No muzzle flash?" - Maybe, but doubtful. I've seen some of the new European propellants that only have heat waves come out of the muzzle, no smoke, but with pressures as high as would be developed in this claim, "no flash" is a bit of a stretch.
"No recoil?" - Nope! Ain't buying that one. Action=reaction anywhere on the planet.
"Twice the range?" - Doubtful. That would imply at least twice the muzzle velocity which would equal FOUR TIMES the energy which would take at least FOUR TIMES the propellant and unless they're using something a lot stronger than nitrocellulose, there isn't that much spare room in the cartridge for it.
"Killing accuracy of a mile?" - Not if its coming from a .22 bore.
The ruskies are well noted for pulling fast ones like this.
Very true. I worked in the 'target butts' every time I went to re-qualify (USMC-9 years).
I could tell the difference between a miss and a hit on the target. A hit was a little louder and paper fragments would come down on us.
Most of the rifles on the market today, and in the recent past have between a 1-12" and 1-7" twist, and are accurate well past 400 yards or meters.
This was true of the old .55 grain M16 rounds.
The current rounds are good past 500 meters.
And, it never applied to bolt-action varmint rifles.
There are many factors to consider, rate of barrel twist, weight of bullet, and so on.
I may be wrong but most of these murders seem to me to have been within 300 meters.
That's an easy shot with a .223 (5.56mm NATO)
Others have pointed out the flaw in the idea that the sniper is using "silenced" bullets (or a rifle with a silencer).
As for muzzle flash, an ordinary muzzle flash is pretty hard to see in the daylight anyway, so that's not much of an issue either.
Exactly. Just because the box says it can travel/kill up to a mile away does not mean you can target something a mile away and reliable hit it.
Once the projectile goes subsonic, it will become erratic, quickly destablize and plow into the earth.
In the standard service rifle, we shoot at 600 yards. The .223s are iffy at that; which is why shooters go to more stable bullets, heavier and longer barrels, and dial-in a tremendous amount of elevation - the normal "come up" from 200 yards to 1000 yards is 36 minutes - 360 inches!!!! @ 1000 yards.
Most scopes don't even have that much elevation in them.
At our competitioin, we still use the pits - you can even hear the .223 projectiles at supersonic speeds flying over your head. We necessarily wear ear protection.
It is cheap, it does go bang - so it qualifies real well for plinking and staying in practice on a budget.
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