...but it's better for the environment.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/...reen_bullet_080809w/

Ammo under fire

Temperature issues arise for lead-free slug

By Matthew Cox - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Aug 9, 2009 15:44:38 EDT

The Army is scrapping the latest design for its eco-friendly 5.56mm ammo after some of the bullets began to show trajectory problems when exposed to hot temperatures.

Army ballistics officials halted production of the M855A1 Lead Free Slug ammunition in mid July, launched an investigation and decided to replace the bismuth-tin alloy slug with another material, said Lt. Col. Jeff Woods, product manager for Small Caliber Ammunition.

“We are currently evaluating alternate lead-free materials, and we will resume qualification once a selection is made,” Woods told Army Times.

In the M855A1 LFS bullet’s design, the bismuth-tin alloy sits beneath a steel penetrating tip. A copper jacket encases all but the point of the bullet. The round was designed to work specifically with the M4 carbine. Army officials have maintained that the new round will provide more “consistent performance” than the current M855 round and perform better against hard targets.

The problem surfaced when some of the bullets did not follow their trajectory or planned flight path.

“During ballistic testing of production LFS cartridges, we noticed that some projectiles occasionally varied from the intended trajectory,” Woods said.

The plan was to start issuing the first of 20 million rounds in August, replacing the standard M855 lead round.

One thing the Army is sure of is that “this will delay fielding of the new round,” Woods said.

This is not the first hiccup to occur in the quest for lead-free ammunition, a program the Army has invested tens of millions of dollars in since the mid-1990s.

The first attempt featured a tungsten-nylon bullet that didn’t perform well and proved almost as harmful to the environment as lead.

This new wrinkle in the program appears to be linked to “higher temperatures,” but ballistic officials would not describe the specific temperature at which the problem occurs.

Sources familiar with the program said that the bismuth-tin alloy softens under heated temperatures, causing the round to perform inconsistently.

“It’s the slug; that’s where the problem is,” said Ken McKee, who works in the quality assurance department for ATK’s Small Caliber Ammunition Systems at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, Mo.

He also said that the timeline for the current lead-free slug design may have been too ambitious.

“We had a delivery schedule; this kind of knocked a hole in that,” McKee said. “It was a very aggressive schedule to begin with.”

Well there you go,fixen sonethen that has worked for centuries who =da thunk it

Is this the same "green" round you hear about the Marines deploying?

quote:

varied from the intended trajectory

Tomorrow's headline:

"Army has a new 5.56mm Anti-Aircraft round. When firing at targets on the ground, the bullet successfully landed 5 pigeons, 3 sparrows and 1 Iridium satellite in low earth orbit."

quote:

The first attempt featured a tungsten-nylon bullet that didn’t perform well and proved almost as harmful to the environment as lead.

Perhaps I haven't been paying attention, but what is the problem with lead bullets? I know of the problem with lead shot and waterfowl, hence the ban. But lead bullets? Are there any studies documenting their harm to the environment?

I thought analysis had shown the California condor's lead problems were not from ingesting lead in carrion, but from years of residue from leaded gasoline. Aren't these new "lead free" bullets just a solution to a non-problem?

There is the concern about ground pollution to live fire ranges and also war zones where they're deployed. It's a similar argument to DU rounds.

A lot of these "green" rounds are also frangibles so of course they're the best thing ever invented and we just have to have them.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:

quote:

The first attempt featured a tungsten-nylon bullet that didn’t perform well and proved almost as harmful to the environment as lead.

I thought analysis had shown the California condor's

I think you answered your own question
Now say it with me...
C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A

quote:

Originally posted by 45 Cal:
Well there you go,fixen sonethen that has worked for centuries who =da thunk it

How long to you think 5.56mm jacketed bullets have been around?

So wait, how many rounds were fired in Europe during WWI and WWII.

They seem to be fine..? (well, wait..there are the French)

quote:

Originally posted by swiss_seth:
how many rounds were fired in Europe during WWI and WWII.

They seem to be fine..? (well, wait..there are the French)

Follow that line of thought. Where were the front lines in both wars? Hmmmm.. France? Maybe they're on to something. Living around huge numbers of bullets makes you want to surrender, eat snails, and be politically unstable.

We wouldn't want to pollute a war zone with lead.

I am loving these last three comments! LoL!

Army Times...yea...all the news that's fit to print. Just like the New York Times.

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
We wouldn't want to pollute a war zone with lead.

I doubt that's the issue, it's the hundreds of thousands (maybe even millions) of rounds our soldiers fire on CONUS training ranges.

quote:

Originally posted by sigcrazy7:

quote:

The first attempt featured a tungsten-nylon bullet that didn’t perform well and proved almost as harmful to the environment as lead.

Perhaps I haven't been paying attention, but what is the problem with lead bullets? I know of the problem with lead shot and waterfowl, hence the ban. But lead bullets? Are there any studies documenting their harm to the environment?

I thought analysis had shown the California condor's lead problems were not from ingesting lead in carrion, but from years of residue from leaded gasoline. Aren't these new "lead free" bullets just a solution to a non-problem?

What's the problem with lead bullets? Try the LAW. The military cannot shoot lead bullets in the state of Massachusetts and at some ranges in Alaska. More will eventually follow. Hence the work to develop a lead-free cartridge (bullet and primer).

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
We wouldn't want to pollute a war zone with lead.

I doubt that's the issue, it's the hundreds of thousands (maybe even millions) of rounds our soldiers fire on CONUS training ranges.

You are correct Sigmund, it's the millions of rounds that soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines shoot in training every year, primarily in 9mm, 5.56mm, and 7.62mm.

I say we make our bullets out of the dehydrated pork patties that came in the early MRE's. They AT LEAST as hard as lead and piss off our middle eastern "friends".