The Overloaded Soldier: Why U.S. Infantry Now Carry More Weight Than Ever

Re:The Overloaded Soldier: Why U.S. Infantry Now Carry More ... by dx87 on Monday January 07, 2019 @08:37AM (#18844942)

IIRC, self propelled bullets were tried before, and they found that the amount of propellant that can be held in the bullet is so low that it severely limits the velocity of the rounds.

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Re:The Overloaded Soldier: Why U.S. Infantry Now Carry More ... by rbanffy on Monday January 07, 2019 @01:54PM (#18848608)

I wonder if there aren't explosives with higher energy density that aren't used because the gun would overheat or be damaged by residue. Those propellants would be perfect candidates for a hybrid that's launched from a conventional cartridge and ignites the propellant as soon as it leaves the barrel.

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Re:The Overloaded Soldier: Why U.S. Infantry Now Carry More ... by dragonwriter on Tuesday January 08, 2019 @08:52AM (#18855472)

> Those propellants would be perfect candidates for a hybrid that's launched from a conventional cartridge and ignites the propellant as soon as it leaves the barrel.

If you look at the size of a common rifle projectile vs. a conventional cartridge, you’ll recognize that you’d need enormous energy density for any such booster system to do anything noticeable at all besides screwing with the reliably, safety, and stability of the round. A

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