Why do polymer ammo casings require significantly less powder? Polymer ammunition casings bring many improvements to the ammunition and artillery industry. Polymer cased ammunition has changed the way ammunition is built for a variety of calibers. Polymer casings have moved mountains of advancement, benefitting hunters, sport shooters, and the military.
What is Gunpowder?
Gunpowder is an explosive substance that is composed of charcoal, sulfur, potassium, and nitrate. Gunpowder is an essential part of creating a bullet. The history of Gunpowder dates back to the late Tang Dynasty. It was originally used for creating fireworks, sending signals, and a few other uses. Gunpowder was the first explosive to have been developed and recorded in history. With that being said, the earliest recorded formulated chemical for gunpowder dates back to the Song dynasty. The Song dynasty started in 960. Traditional gun powder is a combination of charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate.
What powder is in modern bullets?
Today’s ammunition uses a smokeless gun powder as the propellant. The main ingredient in smokeless powder is nitrocellulose. Modern guns use a firing pin to strike the bullet’s primer. The primer of a bullet is the device responsible for prompting the propellant to combust, resulting in the projectile being forced out of the barrel of the gun. This is a chain reaction within the cartridge.
Advantages of Less Powder
Polymer ammunition casings require 10% less powder than alternate casing materials. Polymer ammo casings are far more advanced, efficient, and accurate than alternative casings such as brass bullet casings. When there is less powder, the weight of the overall bullet is lighter. Polymer-cased ammunition is around 30% lighter than other varieties.
- Lighter
- Increased Accuracy
- Reduced Heat Transfer
- Reduced Friction
- Increased Accuracy
Reduce Friction Between the Cartridge and Chamber
The polymer construction of the cartridge case also provides a feature of reduced friction between the cartridge and the chamber of the firearm. This allows for an easier, faster exit from the barrel of the gun. This makes True Velocity polymer cased ammunition the smoothest in its class.
10% Less Powder Results in Decreased Muzzle Flash
What is Muzzle Flash?
A muzzle flash is a light made by a muzzle explosion, which is caused by the sudden let go and amplification of high temperature. This is happening from high-pressure gases from the muzzle of a firearm during shooting. A muzzle flash can be seen with the naked eye and also through infrared. It is seen easily when shooting in a lower lit area. Muzzle flashes can last for a duration of 1-7 milliseconds depending on all the gun’s components, along with the ammo. True Velocity ammunition is among the swiftest and lightest ammunition on the market.
Is Muzzle Flash Bad?
Muzzle Flash is a commonly occurring action. It is not necessarily bad but excessive muzzle flash may be a problem.
Learn More Advantages of Polymer Cased Ammunition
These are just a few of the advantages that are presented when using ammunition that requires 10% less powder than other bullets. When you shoot polymer cased ammunition, you will be able to increase your shooting accuracy while lightening your load significantly. It is more comfortable to carry around lighter ammunition. The cutting edge creation of polymer cased ammunition and the advanced design has brought forth much needed advances to transform the ammunition and artillery industry. To learn more about the True Velocity polymer cased ammunition we provide, contact the ammo experts at Virtus today!
