The 5.45mm bullet ricochets off the grass and can't handle the branches - truth or myth

  • Oct 09, 2021
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The 5.45mm bullet ricochets off the grass and can't handle the branches - truth or myth

In the modern world, there is a great variety of very different weapons. There are legends about him, breathtaking stories and myths. Cartridges of 5.45 mm caliber were no exception. In the open spaces of the Boarding School, and in the conversations of ordinary inhabitants, one can find a story that such a bullet is not capable of piercing the branches of bushes, and also ricochets from literally everything (even from leaves and herbs). Let's figure out together what is fiction in this story, and what is true.

Why shifted the center of gravity of the bullet

Pointed bullets appeared later than blunt-nosed cartridges. l Photo - ohotniki.ru
Pointed bullets appeared later than blunt-nosed cartridges. l Photo - ohotniki.ru
Pointed bullets appeared later than blunt-nosed cartridges. l Photo - ohotniki.ru

In the early 1900s, in a number of countries around the world, sharp-pointed bullets began to be produced as an experimental ammunition. It was believed that they would eventually replace the blunt-nosed cartridges. Pointed ammunition was heavy, designed for long-range fire, and light for close combat. It is the last of them that interest us.

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Light pointed bullets were superior to cartridges with a blunt nose, not only in aerodynamic qualities. They also had better penetration. The lower weight of the bullet made it possible to increase the number of cartridges in the ammunition load of one soldier. Light shells did an excellent job with the task assigned to them at a distance of about 300-400 meters. But there was one nuance that prompted experts to revise the device for a bullet with a caliber of less than 6 mm.

Bullet caliber 5.45 mm l Photo - voenchel.ru
Bullet caliber 5.45 mm l Photo - voenchel.ru

The first Soviet 5.45 mm bullet was designed as an analogue of the American 5.56 mm cartridge. Reduced-caliber light ammunition was adopted somewhere in the mid-1970s. The first examples of 5.45 mm ammunition had both undeniable advantages and disadvantages. Trying to eliminate them, various modifications of the cartridge for 5.45 mm bullets were later created.

The first sharp-pointed light bullets were fired from rifles designed for cartridges with a blunt nose. Shallow cuts were made in the barrels of firearms. They stabilized blunt projectiles well, but imparted instability to bullets with a sharp tip. As a result, the accuracy and penetration of light cartridges suffered. In addition, their flight trajectory could be influenced not only by a side wind, but also by minor obstacles. The first light bullets could ricochet off almost leaves and grass. Therefore, it was decided to shift their center of gravity. Ammunition became more stable in flight, but could lead to serious damage to soft tissues and organs, falling into human flesh.

How things stand with modern 5.45 mm bullets

The weight of 5.45 caliber bullets made it possible to increase the amount of ammunition in the soldier's arsenal. l Photo - goodfon.ru
The weight of 5.45 caliber bullets made it possible to increase the amount of ammunition in the soldier's arsenal. l Photo - goodfon.ru

Light bullets of reduced caliber, flying out of the barrel of a firearm at a speed of more than 800 m / s, have good stability and penetration, but at relatively short distances. When flying over long distances, the forces of physics begin to act on the pointed ammunition. As a result, the bullet begins to deviate from the given trajectory, its nose begins to "prowl", and the flight becomes less and less stable. Getting into an obstacle in this state, it can completely lose stability, turn sideways and continue along the trajectory, where it will meet the least resistance of its environment.

Army cartridges of 5.45 mm caliber. l Photo - army-news.org
Army cartridges of 5.45 mm caliber. l Photo - army-news.org

Therefore, in the arsenal of modern soldiers, there is a cartridge for a bullet with a reduced ricocheting ability - 5.45 PRS. Such ammunition is produced for both machine guns and machine guns. There is lead in the bullet core. Soft metal helps to maintain uniform deformation of the ammunition if it encounters a solid obstacle in its path. The core filling and design features of the light pointed ammunition reduce the likelihood of a ricochet.

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Sharp bullets had better penetration. l Photo - sobrefotos.com
Sharp bullets had better penetration. l Photo - sobrefotos.com

Summing up everything written above, I would like to note that in the statement - a 5.45 mm caliber bullet ricochets from grass and leaves, there is some truth. The deviation of the ammunition from the given trajectory when it encounters an obstacle is quite possible under certain conditions and circumstances. In addition, it is also important what kind of bullet of caliber 5.45 mm we are talking about (there are several modifications of them).

What do you think of the 5.45mm ricochet ammunition and what other features do they have?

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