Shotgun ammunition
Shotgun ammunition is cartridge ammunition for shotguns . A distinction is made between shot ammunition and rifle bullets .
application
It is specially designed for the fast shot that is typical of the shotgun at moving targets at distances of up to around 35 m. The main uses are sport shooting and hunting .
The shot load consists of pellets in different numbers and sizes, which are designed according to the intended use. It is fired as a sheaf with an area-wide effect. Large shot are called items that are offered and used in the United States as buck-and-balls cartridges to this day. The shotgun barrel bullet , a load from one piece, is used for special applications . The effective operating range of shotgun ammunition is up to 35 m, that of shotgun bullets up to 50 m, since the accuracy, effectiveness and projectile energy decrease with increasing distance. The danger zone is, however, depends on the load up to 1500 m. Lead is traditionally used as a bullet material for sporting and hunting purposes. Because of its high environmental impact, alternatives such as soft iron or bismuth are increasingly used, although their lower specific weight reduces the projectile effect. For police operations, rubber and similar materials are processed into projectiles , as they are normally not lethal .
construction
The cartridge case consists of the metal bottom cap that contains the primer and a cardboard or plastic case. In the case of shotgun and items as a projectile charge, the case is folded up in a star shape at the front or flanged over a cardboard or plastic disc so that the charge does not fall out. The bottom cap is usually made of sheet brass. The rim of the bottom cap prevents the cartridge from sliding too far into the chamber. Offensive (quick-burn) nitrocellulose powder is used for shotgun ammunition . There is an intermediate means, such as a felt plug, between the powder and the projectile charge (the template ). The intermediate agent prevents the powder from being mixed with the original and, when the shot is fired, the complete power transmission from the burning propellant charge to the projectile charge is achieved. Bullets, posts and shotgun barrels are used as the projectile charge. In modern cartridges, shot charges are usually placed in a plastic cup with incised sides. The cup prevents direct contact between the shot load and the barrel. This protects the barrel from abrasion and deposits from the shotgun pellets, but it does cause environmental pollution.
caliber
Shotgun ammunition is identified by its caliber, case length and information on the charge.
The caliber specification is not metric, only with .410 it approximates the barrel diameter. The information given is the number of round balls of the same size that match the barrel diameter and can be cast from one English pound (453.6 g) of lead. With caliber 12, there are 12 bullets of the same size, with caliber 20 already 20. Accordingly, the shotgun caliber 20 is smaller than the caliber 12. The most common calibers are 12, 16, 20, rarely 28 and .410. Caliber 10 is used less often (for example goose hunting), shotguns in calibers 8 and 4 were also made for big game hunting, some as exclusive custom-made items. Caliber 16 is often used in combined weapons (over and under rifles, rifles, triplets, quadruplets) in order to make the weapon more manageable. In addition, the 16 caliber has a lower load on the slide (on the bottom of the shotgun) compared to many other shotguns. The caliber dimensions correspond to the following barrel bores, with manufacturing tolerances of a few tenths of a millimeter being possible:
| Caliber: | 4th | 8th | 10 | 12 | 16 | 20th | 24 | 28 | 32 | .410 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bore in mm: | 26.73 | 21.22 | 19.69 | 18.53 | 16.84 | 15.63 | 14.71 | 13.97 | 13.37 | 10.2 |
The caliber information is stamped into the bottom of the cartridge.
The complete caliber specification also includes the specification of the case length for which the chamber is designed. It is usually specified in millimeters, but also in inches. The usual cartridge chambers are designed for cases with lengths of 70 mm (2¾ ″) or 76 mm (3 ″), previously also 65 mm (2½ ″). Thus, for example, the caliber indication 12/70 on a weapon means that it is a shotgun in caliber 12 with a cartridge chamber for cases with a length of 70 mm. The sleeve length is usually printed on the sleeve. The specification describes the length of the unlocked cartridge or the length of the case after the shot . Shotgun shells with a crimp closure or with a star closure are 6 mm to 11 mm shorter when closed. When fired, they open and return to their original length. The common tube lengths are 65 mm, 67.5 mm, 70 mm and 76 mm. The opened case must not be longer than the cartridge chamber so that the case opens completely when firing. Otherwise the increased gas pressure can damage the weapon and endanger people. An exception are cases with a length of 67.5 mm, which may also be fired from weapons with a cartridge chamber for cases with a length of 65 mm. Cartridges with a case shorter than that intended for the chamber can be fired, but the shooting performance can be impaired. Here, too, cases with a length of 67.5 mm are an exception, which can be fired from weapons with a cartridge chamber for cases with a length of 70 mm without loss of performance.
In the case of shotgun shells and items, the shot diameter is also indicated by printing on the cartridge case. In addition to specifying the diameter in millimeters, code numbers are also used in some cases, but these differ greatly from one country to another.
In the case of magnum cartridges (particularly high projectile energy, gas pressure up to 1050 bar), the addition “Magnum” must be indicated on the case. These may only be fired from shotguns designed for this purpose, otherwise the weapon may be damaged and people may be endangered.
Further characteristics of the ammunition are given on the packaging or in data sheets. These are u. a. Cargo weight, cargo material (lead, soft iron, etc.), scattering properties of the shot sheaf, average number of pellets, departure speed.
Shotshell
Shotgun shells are used to fire several projectiles with one shot. These shot consist of one to eight millimeters large metal balls, which are usually made of hard lead or soft iron . When firing, they are driven out of the barrel together through the plug or launch cup, the plug sealing the shot charge in the direction of the propellant charge.
Shotgun cartridges are used for hunting small game, in the military and police sector, and for sport shooting. Military use only makes sense over short distances, such as in house or street fights. In order to increase the range, cartridges loaded with flechettes were used primarily for military use . Instead of round shotgun pellets, these cartridges contain a bundle of steel arrows that are aerodynamically stabilized by small stabilizing fins. Half of the arrows leave the barrel with the fins facing forward, which leads to an immediate turn around, which forces the sheaf of bullets apart and a sufficient area coverage with bullets is quickly achieved.
In clay target shooting , the amount of lead shot is limited in some disciplines to 24 g or 28 g, among other things for reasons of environmental protection, but also to standardize the competition conditions and to relieve the shooter through the lower recoil; the lead shot here has a diameter of 2.0 mm (skeet) to 2.5 mm (trap). In hunting cartridges, the amount of lead shot is usually 32 g to 40 g and the shot diameter used for hunting ranges from 2.0 mm (rabbit) to 4.0 mm (badger). Coarser shreds so-called items (eg. As Sauposten), are in Germany for hunting hoofed prohibited. They were previously used to hunt roe deer and wild boar fry. For shots at short distances, special scattering cartridges are used that contain a scattering cross in the shot charge. This scattering cross causes the shot sheaf to expand more quickly and thus better coverage in the target at short distances. Common shotgun pellet diameters in scatter cartridges are 2.75 mm for hunting use and 2.0 mm primarily for hunting skeet shooting.
In the fight against rioting by the police, instead of the usual metal shot, rubber balls or rubber shot are also fired in small sewn bags (so-called beanbags ), which are not supposed to be fatal and have the effect of punching a fist, but also have a penetrating effect.
Various other materials are also used for combating crop pests or for self-defense. Coarse rock salt is common , other materials are peppercorns, chilli or pepper gel balls. Because of the irregular shape and size of the grains of salt, these charges scatter considerably and can cause serious injuries up to a distance of a few meters.
The maximum danger area can be calculated using the rule of thumb shot size in mm × 100 = danger area in meters . Consequently, the maximum danger area for the shot of a trap cartridge with a shot diameter of 2.5 mm is 250 meters. This rule of thumb is to be regarded as an approximation that includes a safety margin. This must be distinguished from the maximum range, so (depending on the size of the shot), maximum shooting distances between 35 m and 45 m are justifiable for hunting purposes for reasons of target ballistics and hunting justice. In the case of rifle bullets, a safety range of 1500 m is assumed.
Shotgun barrels
Bullets for shotguns, English slug , also known colloquially in German as Brenneke after the inventor Wilhelm Brenneke , a lead bullet, have a diameter that corresponds to the caliber of the weapon (inner barrel diameter) and are mostly intended for non-rifled barrels. Well-known manufacturers are Winchester (USA), Sauvestre (France), Remington (USA) and Fiocchi (Italy). In addition to the USA and France, hunting with shotgun bullets is still common in Russia and the Baltic countries. Own manufacturers can be found there.
In the GDR , the shotgun barrel was used for decades to hunt hoofed game . One advantage was that no rifle had to be purchased for hunting hoofed game and, on the other hand, that the ammunition was cheaper than rifle ammunition. Today the use for hunting in Germany is rather uncommon due to safety concerns.
With the development of the choke for shot from shotgun barrels, the use of full-caliber bullets became problematic because they are compressed in the choke. The Brenneke bullet was developed by Wilhelm Brenneke around 1898 after various attempts had been made to fire large single bullets from shotguns. This projectile consisted of a lead cylinder with longitudinal grooves, with a felt plug between the propellant charge and the projectile, which sealed the propellant charge against the projectile. The longitudinal grooves made it easier to deform the choke, with the grooves running at an angle. However , this does not create a twist .
Modern shotgun barrel projectiles are stored in a plastic sabot instead of a sabot that seals the projectile in the barrel from the propellant charge and thus enables the full transfer of the propellant charge energy to the projectile. Sub-caliber projectiles, so-called flechettes or sabots , are always stored in a sabot and, due to their lower mass, usually have a higher muzzle velocity. The sabot also protects the inner surface of the barrel, as the bullet no longer comes into contact with it. The use of a rifled shotgun barrel is therefore obsolete.
Various materials are in use today for shotgun barrel projectiles. Traditionally lead bullets, brass bullets and material combinations with steel or aluminum are also used today. The shapes of shotgun bullets are cylindrical with a round or pointed bullet point, but sometimes also hollow -point bullets, which are similar to the Minié bullet , or in the form of a diabolo .
Shotgun barrel projectiles with a caliber of 12 to 39 g have a high kinetic energy, despite the relatively low projectile speed, which they quickly release to the target due to the high cross-section and, in the case of lead projectiles, through deformation. Such a high bullet weight is otherwise only achieved with rifles in .50 caliber .
Shotgun bullets are used for hunting at distances of 30 to 50 m, with a scattering circle of around 10 cm. Allows the use in Germany of all ungulates . Reinforced (Magnum) charged shotgun bullets with a case length of 76 mm achieve a sufficient accuracy of a few centimeters at a distance of up to 100 m and, due to the weight of the bullet, sufficient projectile effectiveness. In Germany, hunting is sometimes rejected on company hunts for safety reasons, but also because of the high level of venom damage caused by lead bullets. However, the risk of ricochets is no higher than with other bullets, rather lower. Due to the low speed and high projectile weight, grass or thin branches are shot through without distraction and the target is hit with sufficient accuracy. For safety reasons, hunting is more common than rifles in France, Italy and Spain, in the USA it is sometimes even mandatory, and the use of rifles is prohibited in some US states due to the greater danger range.
Bolt-action rifles with shotgun barrels are also used as a safety weapon against bears by forest services in the USA and Canada. Available are signaling and illuminating cartridges , which for bird deterrence at airports and the Bears defense, will be used from the English bear banger, German flash bang cartridges. This type of ammunition is also used in the military and police sector in addition to rubber shot and rubber slugs.
Shotgun bullets are also used by security forces, as these have a relatively high effect against people with protective vests . As a rule, they do not penetrate them, but when they hit, the vest is pressed in so far that enough energy is released to cause injuries. In the military area, shotgun barrel projectiles made of lead must not be used against persons, as this contradicts the provisions of the Hague Land Warfare Regulations . In other armed forces, especially in maritime boarding teams and infantry groups, these are used in fire fighting at close range from the front man. Cartridges with metal (zinc) dust are used to open doors, as these disintegrate immediately after being hit, transfer the energy completely to the target and do not endanger bystanders. Specially hardened shotgun projectiles have been developed for use by authorities, including the Brenneke EDP with more than 4,000 joules caliber 12/76 (3 ″) to penetrate engine blocks and windshields without distraction and thus stop vehicles with a targeted shot. A special form is the Wireless eXtended Range Electronic Projectile , which acts like an electric pulse weapon.
literature
- Lueger 1904 entry: hunting rifles
- Meyer's 1905 entry: hunting rifle
- Henning Hoffmann: The shotgun - weapon, tool, sports equipment , DWJ Verlag, 2005, ISBN 3-936632-51-0
- Visier monthly issue 8/2009 (information and loading data for shotgun bullets)
- Walter Biertümpel / Hanns Joachim Köhler: Eduard-Kettner-Jagdwaffenkunde , Verlag Okahandja, 1984, ISBN 3-923270-02-X
- Alexander Eisnecker, “Slug Ready - Reloading of shotgun barrels”, Visier, Das Internationale Waffenmagazin, 08/2009 p. 46 ff
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hunters' examination in Baden-Württemberg March 29, 2018
- ↑ Jägerprüfung Mecklenburg-Vorpommern question 249
- ↑ a b c d Lueger 1904, entry: Munition
- ↑ Christopher Hocke, Matthias Recktenwald, "Alles in Deckung", Visier, Das internationale Waffenmagazin, 09/2008 pp. 44 to 49
- ↑ Alexander Eisnecker, "Dick is Chic", Visier, Das Internationale Waffenmagazin, 06/2008 p. 18 ff
- ↑ "Someone asked me the other day ..." in Pirsch issue 2/2004, viewed on April 17, 2018. Archive link ( Memento from April 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Tru Flare 12 Gauge Bear Banger Ammunition ( Memento from April 17, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) at kodiakcanada.com, accessed on April 17, 2018.
- ↑ BRENNEKE for authorities: EDP MAGNUM , Brenneke GmbH, viewed on April 17, 2018. Archive link ( Memento from April 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive )