Yesterday my nephew showed me a YouTube of polymer 308Win cases being manufactured and fired. Anyone know anything about it?
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Yesterday my nephew showed me a YouTube of polymer 308Win cases being manufactured and fired. Anyone know anything about it?
The US military was looking at polymer cases as a way to save weight especially in the 6.8mm platform. But its been around for a while now.
Not very new technology any more, but not wildly popular either.
I can see how this may be useful for the military. Less weight and reduced cost being the advantages here.
For us reloaders it's not attractive in any way.
The first time I heard of it was late 2016. Weight and cost of materials played a role.
I imagine that ease of manufacture would also be a positive. Probably a single step process to make the case.
Yip, should have said 'single step assembly' and as you say the case head should be significantly simple and quicker to make than the multiple drawing and annealing cycles required to form a drawn case.
https://youtu.be/fk5FR_locLc
Probably this video you saw Dick? Or at least their product, it is currently doing the rounds on social media.
Yes, Maroelas, that looks like it. I'm obviously behind the loop as several gunsiters seem to be aware of it. I wasn't thinking of it for civilian use because logic suggests that polymer cases won't be reloadable. It got my attention because nothing except steel has ever worked as a substitute for brass and that not without problems, and I wondered how polymer handles the chamber pressure.
I came across that video by coincidence tonight and it immediately brought to mind the caseless ammo concept, where the powder is somehow mixed into a compound that is molded to whatever chamber dimensions the firearm in use has and is ignited electrically, consuming the entire charge as it propels the projectile down and out the bore.
Not really a novel concept when you consider how black powder firearms are loaded and fired, I suppose, just modernizing the idea.
R/Griff