This weeks’ DTIC document looks to frame a historical and technical context for the ongoing debate on general purpose infantry cartridges. A PowerPoint presentation by Shawn Spickert-Fulton of RDECOM, it provides a pretty solid framework for understanding rifle ballistics and the part cartridge design plays in it. While without the accompanying narration it seems a bit bare, the concepts outlined in the presentation do I think create a good starting point for the modern military small arms ammunition enthusiast to tackle some of the more advanced literature also available on DTIC.

The presentation covers:

– The design space for small arms projectiles across calibers from 4mm to 15mm.
– The design space for small arms cases, projectiles, and propellant charges as a unit.
– Why form factor matters.
– Projectile energy retention at range.
– Why velocity matters for point blank range.
– Barrier penetration and terminal effect.

As mentioned, this document is something of a teaser, as without Mr. Spickert-Fulton’s narration, the discussion of each subject lacks for depth. However, for the beginner, I think the document helps suggest what questions they should be asking, reducing “unknown unknowns” perhaps to “known unknowns”.