An authoritative military publication dedicated to light weapons!
In the history of modern gun ammunition development, 6.5~7mm caliber guns have been tenacious all the way, but they have repeatedly rubbed shoulders with military mainstream guns. Here, through the selection of mainstream bullets at each important historical stage and their intersection with 6.5~7mm bullets, we examine the trend of gun and ammunition development.
World War I period (1914–1918)
7.5 ~ 8mm caliber gun ammunition world
The establishment of the mainstream status of 7.5~8mm caliber guns
Rifle bullets can be roughly divided into three categories according to caliber: small-caliber bullets (less than 6mm), medium-caliber bullets (6~8mm) and large-caliber bullets (above 8mm), and this classification was determined in the second half of the 19th century. The 19th century was a period of rapid development of hot weapons, and many caliber bullets appeared during this period, often with large-caliber bullets of more than 10mm as rifle bullets. However, by the second half of the 19th century, with the application of new types of propellants, the caliber of rifle bullets was basically 7.5 to 8 mm medium caliber. Its shell length ranges from 50 to 63mm, which is enough to hold a large number of propellants; the warhead mass is generally 9~12g, the muzzle kinetic energy is 3500~4000 joules, the maximum breech pressure average is higher, and the ordinary bullet is generally 300~310MPa, so its long-range performance and lethal effect are better.
The establishment of the mainstream status of 7.5-8mm caliber full-power guns is considered a revolution in the history of firearms.
During World War I, 7.5-8mm caliber guns occupied the mainstream.
From left to right, they are: 1, the United States .30-40 cragg bomb; 2, the United States .30-06 bullet; 3, the French Lebel 8×50mm R bomb; 4, the Swiss 7.5×54mm bomb; 5, the French 7.5×55mm bomb; 6, the German Mauser 7×57mm bomb; 7, the Belgian Mauser 7.65×53mm bomb; 8, the Austrian Manlisha 8×50mm R bomb; 9, the Japanese Siam-Mauser 8×52mm R bomb; 10, the Danish Krag-Jogensen 8×58mm R bomb 11, the Netherlands 7.92×57mm R bomb; 12, Japan 7.7×58mm SR bomb; 13, Japan 7.7×58mm bullet; 14, Norway 7.92×61mm bomb; 15, Solothurn 8×56mm R bomb; 16, Sweden 8×63mm bomb; 17, Italy Breda 8×59mm bullet; 18, Italy Breda 7.35mm bullet
The 6.5 to 7mm cartridge that failed to become mainstream
At that time, it was also realized that the 7.5~8mm caliber full-power gun cartridge was excellent as a machine gun cartridge, but as a rifle bullet, there was a problem of excessive power and too much recoil. Therefore, while the 7.5-8mm bullet became the mainstream, the 6.5-7mm rifle cartridge also developed in parallel, and underwent a transmutation from round-headed bullets to pointed bullets. The largest variety of these is the 6.5mm caliber gun cartridge, mainly the Japanese Saka 6.5×50mm SR bullet, the Italian 6.5×52mm Carcano M1891 cartridge, the Netherlands/Romanian M1892 6.5×54mm R Manlisha bullet, the Greek M1903 6.5×54mm Manlisha-Schönauer bullet and the Swedish 6.5×55mm Mauser bullet. The common feature of these bullets is that the muzzle kinetic energy is moderate, between 2440 and 2847 joules. Among these bullets, the Swedish 6.5×55mm Mauser ammunition has the longest service life, which is developed from the German 6.5mm Mauser rifle cartridge, characterized by sharp warhead, high initial velocity, small recoil, high shooting accuracy and complete ammunition.
The Italian 6.5×52mm Carcano rifle cartridge, equipped with this rifle Ray was once equipped with the Italian army
Reasons for not being mainstream
The 6.5-7mm cartridge failed to become a mainstream cartridge in World War I, mainly because the mode of warfare at that time paid more attention to the long-range performance of machine guns. World War I was a war of machine guns and barbed wire, the basic way of combat was trench warfare, the use of 7.5 ~ 8mm caliber of long-range, high-powered non-automatic rifles and water-cooled heavy machine guns are the mainstream. Although the 6.5~7mm caliber bullet has excellent performance, its warhead is relatively light, there is a problem of relatively poor long-range performance, insufficient lethal effect, and the army that is accustomed to using 7.5~8mm high-power bullets cannot accept the new gun caliber for a while, so it has not been widely used by equipment.
World War I was a war between machine guns and barbed wire, long-range high-power bullets were the mainstream, and 6.5~7mm bullets and the main loss of arms became inevitable
Vignette: Popular in Asia
6.5~7mm caliber guns were more popular in Asia during World War I, because for Asian races, especially east Asian races, the muzzle kinetic energy and recoil of 7.5~8mm medium-caliber full-power gunshots were too large. For example, in the Vietnam War, the Americans threw the retired M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle to the Vietnamese army, in the hands of the thin and untrained Vietnamese army, the powerful recoil of the M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle, known as the "artifact" in World War II, often shocked the Vietnamese army backwards. This example shows that there is a big difference in body size between Asians and Europeans and Americans.
According to the actual situation of their own soldiers, the Japanese chose the Arisaka 6.5×50mm SR bullet as their military gun during World War I. The recoil of the bomb is smaller and is more suitable for the physique of Japanese soldiers.
Compared with other 6.5mm caliber bullets of the same era, the 6.5×50mm SR bullet has the shortest shell and has higher accuracy at long distances above 300m, but the lack of lethality at close range is not the bullet itself, but the "three-eight big cover" rifle is pathologically pursuing accuracy and long range, and its barrel rifling is short, the rifling is dense, and the flight state after the gun is ejected is extremely stable, so it is impossible to form a rolling effect within the main engagement distance of the infantry within 300m but to pass through.
World War II period (1939–1945)
Intermediate power bombs became mainstream
During World War II, with the advent of the mechanization era, the main engagement distance of infantry decreased, according to statistics, the vast majority of infantry engagements were within 400m, and the continuous shooting ability of firearms was given priority. The 7.5 to 8 mm caliber full-power bullets with an effective range of up to 800 meters have been unable to adapt to the new combat environment. As a result, the "intermediate power bullet" that reduced the amount of fire of the full-power gun bullet to highlight the short and medium-range performance, and the Germans once again became the "first to eat crabs", which simply shortened the shell of the 7.92×57mm full-power bullet, reduced the charge, and developed a 7.92×33mm "short bullet", and correspondingly equipped with the famous StG44 assault rifle that fired the bullet. At that time, the urgent demands of the war made it impossible for the Germans to devote great efforts to developing new types of guns and ammunition, so they had to adopt this more prudent approach.
With the same line of thought, the Soviet Union also developed a new 7.62×39mm M43 "intermediate power bomb" on the basis of its own 7.62×54mm full-power bullets, shortening the shell, and after the war, the AK47 rifle firing M43 bullets was installed throughout the Warsaw Pact countries.
During World War II, the intermediate power bomb became the mainstream, and the picture shows the Soviet Union's 792×39mm M43 intermediate power bomb
Early Cold War (1946–1955)
6.5~7mm bullets have almost become mainstream
At the beginning of the Cold War, the 6.5-7mm gun encountered the closest opportunity to become a mainstream gun. The 7×43mm cartridge developed by the British participated in the selection of NATO general gun cartridges, which learned the lessons of the failure of the 7.7×56mm bullet (.303 bullet) developed during World War I, shortened the shell length, reduced the muzzle kinetic energy, and enabled infantry to withstand it. The cartridge can be used with the EM-2 stockless rifle. Many people are optimistic about this rifle system. Unfortunately, at this time, the British Empire is no longer the "empire of the sun never sets", the new NATO boss of the United States on the basis of its own .30-06 bullets grandly launched a 7.62×51mm gun shell and forcibly promoted in NATO, the British Empire helpless to hate.
In the NATO general gun cartridge selection, the United Kingdom submitted the toss-free EM-2 rifle and the 7mm cartridge, but this combination that was ahead of its time was categorically rejected by the United States
In the Warsaw Pact, the Soviet Union used its own 7.62×54mm full-power cartridges as machine gun shells, 7.62 × 39mm intermediate-power gunshots as rifle cartridges, rather than trying to dominate the world with a caliber like NATO.
Small-caliber guns after the Vietnam War
Become mainstream
In October 1953, NATO used the 7.62×51mm cartridge as a rifle general-purpose gun cartridge, and developed the M14, FN FAL, G3 and other rifles as military rifles. However, in the tropical jungle combat environment of the Vietnam battlefield, the US military found that its M14 rifle firing 7.62 ×51mm bullets was too long, too heavy, the recoil was large, and the continuous firing was difficult to control, and soldiers often abandoned the M14 on the battlefield and took up the captured AK47 to fight. So the idea of reducing the kinetic energy of the gun has prevailed. In the development of new rifle cartridges, the United States did not want to follow the old path of the german and Soviet union power bullets in the middle, and was equipped with 5.56mm small-caliber rifles.
The maximum average bore pressure of 5.56×45mm bullets is as high as 380MPa. Corresponding to the ultra-high breech pressure is its ultra-high initial velocity, the M16 rifle fires a M193 bullet with a warhead mass of only 3.56g, and the initial velocity is as high as a frightening 1000m/s. As we all know, weapons with excessive bore pressure will inevitably lead to rapid wear of the gun (gun) barrel and shorten the service life of the gun; and the high bore pressure value may also cause the barrel to burst or the bolt to break, affecting the safety of the shooter. Therefore, the breech pressure value of the bullet is not as high as possible, and it needs to be traded off according to different use environments and combat tasks. Because of the high chamber pressure value, the 5.56×45mm bullet has very strict requirements for propellant and firearm materials, and also puts forward high requirements for industrial manufacturing capacity and technical level, requiring small manufacturing differences and extremely high quality control.
The 5.56mm cartridge is a widely used rifle cartridge with a wide variety of ammunition, but it is insufficient in long-distance storage and greatly reduced lethality
It can be said that the 5.56×45mm bullets with advanced performance, a wide variety of ammunition types, and can meet most of the needs of military forces, are one of the best rifle ammunition in the history of gun ammunition. At present, there are more than 70 countries and regions equipped with 5.56 × 45mm ammunition.
Under the influence of the wave of small-caliber guns and bullets in NATO countries led by the United States, the Soviet Union and the mainland have successively developed their own small-caliber guns, thus forming the three major systems of today's small-caliber guns.
Small-caliber bullets have a high initial velocity and large killing kinetic energy; they are easy to roll over after invading the target, causing greater trauma to the target and good lethality; in addition, due to the small mass of small-caliber bullets, under the same load-bearing conditions, soldiers can carry more ammunition, thereby increasing the continuity of firepower. These are the main reasons why small-caliber bullets are favored.
The confusion faced by small-caliber bullets
Under the test of modern warfare, small-caliber guns and bullets that have occupied the mainstream position for decades have begun to face many confusions.
Poor remote performance
The M16A2, AK74 and other small-caliber rifles commonly equipped in contemporary times are recognized for their "strong lethality" within 200 meters. Compared to conventional rifle cartridges, small-caliber bullets inflict particularly heavy damage on living targets. In actual combat, at a certain distance, if the traditional intermediate power bullet hits the human body, as long as it is not a fatal part, the bulleted soldier can often grit his teeth and insist on fighting, and if it is replaced by a super-high-speed small-caliber bullet, its terrible lethality is enough to make the soldier lose combat effectiveness, in a sense, the small-caliber rifle bullet is actually the "Dam bullet" strictly prohibited by the Hague International Convention, but it has been transformed into a magnificent battlefield. The reason why small-caliber guns have such lethality is that its warhead is small in size and mass, so the initial velocity is high. However, after 400m, the speed of the small-caliber bullet with a very high initial speed is greatly reduced, and after hitting the target, it only forms a hole, and the lethality is not as good as the intermediate power bullet such as the M43.
Modern body armor poses a new challenge
Over the past half century, along with the small caliber of gun shells, bulletproof fiber materials have also developed by leaps and bounds, from the original nylon fiber to today's aramid fiber (Kevlar) and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber. The rapid development of these high-strength and low-density fibers and the continuous improvement of the level of industrialization have made the anti-elasticity of body armor better and better, the quality is getting lighter and lighter, and the price is getting cheaper and cheaper, which has created conditions for a large number of equipment for the troops. According to the penetration test of body armor of different caliber rifles, it was found that the penetration effect of small-caliber bullets was not good, less than that of 7.62mm ordinary bullets. In order to ensure that the rifle has sufficient lethality against body armor, medium-caliber bullets that have long been proved unsuitable for rifles are now being used in large quantities.
High bore pressure shortens the life of firearms
Compared with small-caliber bullets, intermediate power bullets have disadvantages in that they have large recoil and large muzzle jumps, which existed on Germany's 7.92×33mm short bullets and Soviet M43 intermediate power bullets during World War II. However, so far, the M43 intermediate power bullet is still widely used in third world countries, especially in some war-torn areas, and one of the important reasons for this is that the production of this bullet is relatively easy, and its low chamber pressure is not high for firearms, especially the barrel. For example, the barrel life of the AK47 can generally reach more than 10,000 rounds, which can fully meet the requirements of the light machine gun for continuous firepower. In some war-torn areas, the AK47, which has been used for decades, can still be used normally under the harsh conditions of little regular gun polish or even lack of maintenance.
For small-caliber firearms, especially those that use 5.56×45mm bullets, the barrel wear is larger due to the high pressure of the gun chamber, and the barrel has high processing requirements during production. In addition, the maintenance of small-caliber firearms is also much more expensive - the US military has equipped its AR-series rifles with the best polishing oil, which is expensive.
The modern battlefield demand is 6.5 to 7mm
Bullets bring new opportunities
The M16 series rifle has been tested by modern warfare. However, according to the front-line soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, the gun has serious problems of kinetic energy attenuation and insufficient lethality at a long distance, which cannot meet the actual needs of the battlefield. For a time, various light weapons companies set off a wave of seeking new calibers and developing new types of ammunition. The new calibers of the new bullets introduced by various companies have once again gathered between 6.5 and 7mm, and the tests have proved that the comprehensive performance of the bullets of this range caliber is better and most suitable for the needs of the modern battlefield. Among them, the 6.8mm Remington SPC cartridge (6. The 8×43mm Special Purpose Bullet) and the 6.5×39mm Grendel Bullet stand out for their performance.
The new 6.8×43mm Remington cartridge (above) and the 6.5×39mm Grendel cartridge (below) have attracted attention to the 6.5-7mm medium-caliber cartridge, but their performance is still difficult to become a mainstream bullet
Comparison of the appearance of several new and old rifle cartridges of different calibers, from left to right: 7.62mm NATO bullet, 5.56mm SS109 bullet, 6.8mm Remington SPC bullet, 6.5mm Grundell bullet, 7mm British bullet, 6.25mm British bullet (7mm improved version)
Comparison of several bullet warheads. It can be seen that the 6.8mm, 6.5mm new gun bullets have smaller caliber bullets, close to 7.62mm M43 bullets, so the energy storage is larger at a longer distance
Although the elasticity of these two 6.5~7mm guns is good, it does not mean that these bullets can become mainstream bullets. As far as the United States is concerned, the 5.56×45mm ammunition limited to the military inventory is too much, and if a new caliber of infantry basic weapons is fully replaced, the military expenditure will be a huge number, which is basically an unavoidable thing.
Rifle firing 6.5mm Grundl bullets
Therefore, although the 6.5~7mm bullet has ushered in the opportunity to become a mainstream bullet in the new era, it still repeats the fate of history - it is lost with the mainstream bullet.
6.5 ~ 7mm bullets, from history all the way, due to different historical periods of combat environment, tactical thinking, and then to today's accumulation of heavy and difficult to return, again and again with the mainstream military bullets passed by. Its historical fate sketches the trend of modern gun and ammunition development from one side.
(This article was published in the second half of the second half of the 4th issue of "Light Weapons" in 2011, and the public account article has been deleted and revised)
Recommended in previous periods
Box muffler, how to ensure that it is not misaligned? : Osprey muffler that does not block the machine sight
Which one is stronger in barrel quick dismantling? 5 products competed
The FBI's chosen gun: the Glock 19M pistol
"Fight Daddy" or Power Faction? The Son of AK Designer and the Son of SVD Designer teamed up to create: the Russian Bison Submachine Gun
Honor guards, shooting competitions, student military training... Everywhere is its figure: approaching the evolutionary history of the domestic "five or six half" (middle) legendary old gun
Draw a gourd baby according to a gourd? Those Handmade Submachine Guns, Shotguns and Bullets: Exploring the Village of Dara Guns (Part 2)
What's going on? The gun is retired, and the magazine is still in use: take stock of several Stern submachine gun magazines that you don't know about
Xiaobian said (2) 丨 Mainland shooters won the first gold of the Olympic Games! What guns are athletes using?
Good book recommendation
Introducing a generation of legendary "Tomcat" fighter aircraft of high quality books,
Xiaobian strictly selected, "cat fans" must see.
The whole book is written smoothly, although it is full of dry goods, but it is not obscure,
Some of the content is personally narrated by pilots, instructors and other witnesses.
Combined with carefully selected illustrations, it's easy to understand and addictive.
It can be said that:
I'm going to teach you to drive a plane dogfight and throw bombs
For more details, poke below 👇
The two carrier-based aircraft broke open and crushed, adding an appropriate amount of aircraft carriers, and the children next door were crying
Editors: Wang Xiaotao, Li Hao
Proofreader: Wei Kaigong
Light Weapons Official Weibo: @ Light Weapons
Light Weapons Headline Number: Light Weapons
Light Weapon Quick Hand: QBQ_208
Light weapon vibrato number: qingbingqi
Have a professional and attitude of the public number, welcome to pay attention, get your most authoritative small arms raiders
Open a small minor shop
Limited time coupon
Claim a limited-time coupon
Books, cultural creations and packaging to take away ~
Every good look you ordered, I seriously took it as a like