Newsgroups: sci.military.moderated
From: .@postoffice.utas.edu.au, (R Fleming)
Subject: Re: G11 and caseless ammo.
Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 00:02:42 GMT

From .@postoffice.utas.edu.au, (R Fleming)

rupert smith writes
>i was in a bookshop today and was spotted a copy of jane's guns 
>recognition guide. as it had come up in coversation recently i looked up 
>the G-11 (funny looking thing)
>
>anyway; i've a couple of questions.
>
>what are the pros/cons of the caseless ammo?

The original German Army requirement was for a rifle that could fire a 3
round burst all within 1 minute of arc. After years of research, H&K
decided that the only way to do this was for the barrel and working parts
to be floating inside the housing, and fire all three shots so quickly
that the last was fired before the working parts had reached the end of
their free movement. It turned out that the necessary ROF was very high
indeed (2700 rpm), and their solution was a special new high speed, 3
round burst action, with no ejection phase.
No ejection phase => caseless ammo.

The other advantages were lighter ammo (I dimly recall a typical combat
load of 500 rounds being mentioned), and supposedly greater reliability.

The main disadvantages of the G-11 design were: no user serviceable parts
(if turning the rotary cocking handle doesn't fix a stoppage, you send it
back to the factory); and cost. It was cost that killed it.

In general, the disadvantages of caseless ammo are cookoff (since there is
no brass to carry away heat), breech sealing, and lack of protection for
the rounds.