Caseless ammunition

Caseless ammunition

Internal propellant

Caseless 7.62 mm Gerasimenko projectile with internal propellant. Used in the VAG-73 [ru] machine pistol.

External propellant

Comparison of .223 Remington (left) and external propellant caseless 4.73×33mm Heckler & Koch G11 ammunition (right).

Caseless ammunition (CL),^[1] or caseless cartridge, is a configuration of weapon-cartridge that eliminates the cartridge case that typically holds the primer, propellant and projectile together as a unit. Instead, the propellant and primer are fitted to the projectile in another way so that a cartridge case is not needed, for example inside or outside the projectile depending on configuration.

Caseless ammunition is an attempt to reduce the weight and cost of ammunition by dispensing with the case, which is typically precision made of brass or steel, as well as to simplify the operation of repeating guns by eliminating the need to extract and eject the empty case after firing.^[2] Its acceptance has been hampered by problems with production expenses, heat sensitivity, sealing, and fragility. Its use to date has been mainly limited to prototypes and low-powered guns, with some exceptions.