If you are seriously interested in ammunition design and history or if you are a cartridge collector then I am sure I can find you in the forum of International Ammunition Association. The IAA forum is one of the unique places on the Internet where you can learn about rare, unusual and experimental ammunition. Recently, while browsing the forum, I came across a modern small-bore Turkish shotshell called 6mm Pipet.

The construction of the 6mm Pipet cartridge is quite interesting. As shown in the images, the hull of these cartridges represents a plastic tube attached to a conventional 209 shotgun primer. The shotgun primer rim becomes the rim of this cartridge providing a headspacing mean. Whether it is friction fit or glued, the attachment method of the plastic tube to the primer looks not to be reliable, however, it should work good enough considering that this cartridge most likely operates at relatively low pressures and it is a non-reloadable one. Doing a rough estimation based on the 209 primer dimensions, I think the overall length of these shells is 2″ or 50mm.

According to Federico Graziano, the IAA forum member who posted the information about these shotshells, the 6mm Pipet cartridges are not only used in firearms chambered in this caliber but also in sub-caliber chamber adapters made for 9mm centerfire shotshells which are very popular in Turkey.

6mm Pipet cartridges with chamber adapters

Here is a video showing the firing of 6mm Pipet shotshells. Looks like when the shooter extracts the fired shell, its front half is missing.

Why have they designed these cartridges? I don’t know exactly but I assume these are really cheap cartridges and are meant to be used for pest control and plinking. I think if loaded with a single row of size F or T (whatever size fits) buckshot, it could make a better plinking round. What do you think about 6mm Pipet ammunition?

Images from www.emirav.com, www.hatsanstore.com, www.kafkasav.com

Hat tip to Federico Graziano