What will the next mainstream handgun cartridge look like?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Dmitri Popov said:
I think .32 has been done to much. If its going to be small, it'll be very small. Think between .20 and .25, super fast, with different bullet choices ranging from high penetration, to explosive fragmentation.
Click to expand...
You mean something like the Five-Seven? (5.7X28mm) Been there done that...
 
I think a cartridge similar to the FN 5.7 could be very popular, it just needs to be chambered in more than one companies gun(s). I'm not sure though that it will need to be bottle neck, just wicked fast, high capacity, less expensive. I really think price is what is holding back the 5.7.
 
A hard metal projectile as described by mrming is illegal for US civilians. Doesn't mean that Authorized Personnel can't go that way.

I am mindful that there were two attempts at a super duper .32 auto that did not fly, not too different from mrming's other proposal. One was initially offered in a rebarreled Glock, the other in cahoots with STI. Looks like they did not get as far even as the .327 revolver.
 
We would all hope for better performance in terms of that magical "stopping power", but when physics are added to the mix, increased velocity/penetration/bullet mass all mean recoil will also increase, and this is already a problem with tiny lightweight pocket pistols for many, especially the new shooters/carriers.

I would also expect the ammo manufacturers to be reluctant to complicate their situation, unless something truly magical (read, profitable) was somehow discovered.
 
demand: "We want MORE POWER!"

whine: "But it kicks too hard / beats the gun up / is too loud / costs more than cheap aluminum cased, Berdan primed Korean or Russian 9mm."
 
I'd like to see a rimmed straight walled cartridge in .25 caliber, center fire spp, with at least 1200 FPS out of a 4" barrel.

Then make an eight shot revolver to launch them from.:evil:
 
Dmitri Popov said:
Wow, the magneto powered capacitor idea is facinating! Never even occured to me an idea like that! I work on/with small engines for a living so this is a theory I'm very familiar with. So your idea would use a traditional slide/magazine set-up, without an ejection function. How would the "cartridge" survive the transition from mag to barrel without a case? See when I'm thinking caseless I picture a preloaded barrel that you swap out on a receiver. The receiver holds the power source. No moving parts really. Kinda the advantage in my eyes. Not trying to shoot anything down I'm truly interested in the magneto/capacitor set-up.
Click to expand...
If they can get the magneto capacitor effective enough, maybe the answer is a handheld railgun. Just imagine the projectile options if there was no powder to worry about.
 
I don't know what it will look like, but it will probably be something adopted by a large government agency, like 10mm/.40S&W. So it almost certainly won't be a rimmed revolver round.
 
I believe in the future, the railgun will be very viable, however in the near future, they are just tickle pink to be putting one on a ship... Still really believe we are many years from an effective, man-portable, fast firing railgun. However I do agree the projectile choices would be staggering to say the least!
 
At the rate we are going as a nation.... it will be a rubberband gun with a PC Correct rubberband that breaks on the first shot so it can't be reloaded. And it will brand the victim with an identifiable tracer to the firer.:what::evil:
 
Am I the only one who feels there's nothing wrong with the 38/357 and 45 Auto? In reality we have plenty of good SD choices out there, why do we need another? (other than an excuse to buy another gun, which isn't a bad thing)
 
Next new cartridge?

I'm still holding out hope the .22RF will make a comeback so I can find some on the shelves again.

On the other hand?
I'm also hoping the 5.75mm Velo Dog cartridge will be the next big thing to make a comeback!

Let's not tie up production lines with even a single new unneeded caliber until they can catch up making what they are supposed to be making now!

rc
 
You don't need batteries, capacitors, or magnetos for ignition of caseless ammunition, just hot air.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisy_V/L

I used to own one of these and still have some of the ammunition.

The problems with caseless ammunition is not ignition source, it is fragility of the ammunition, fouling from propellant residue in the chamber, and most dangerously - cook-off. I have been waiting for most of my life for them to get this right:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heckler_&_Koch_G11
 
While thinking up new idea like this is fun, in all honesty when it comes to handgun cartridges the "nothing new under the sun" adage rings very true. Many of you are asking for things that aren't very realistic, like a .30-.32 cartridge that will give 2000 fps out of a J-frame sized gun. Even a .327 Federal Magnum is not going to get you there, and that's with a very light bullet. Pretty much every other idea I've read here either does in fact already have a real-world equivalent (even if very obscure) or would not be technologically feasible with current ammunition components for various reasons, or would never survive in an open market making development unprofitable.

For me, I think the metallic cased pistol cartridge has pretty much run it's course in technological development. I could be eating my words someday but I just don't see something new like that ever replacing 9x19mm or .40 S&W, or even .38 special/.357 magnum or .45 ACP. or even surviving alongside them.

I think the next generation of handgun ammunition that will replace all these venerable cartridges will be much different than anything you can currently find on the local Wal-Mart shelf.
 
Most of the next big things have been done before. E.g. I have a .22 TCM because I wanted a partner for the .22 Jet I inherrited. They are both necked down centerfire cartridges to fire light .22 bullets as fast as possible in a handgun. The last gun chambered in Jet was made in the 1970s. The TCM is an incremental improvement of an old idea. A good idea, even, but not an idea the market is begging for. It will fade away like the jet, and 40 years from now it will be reinvented again.
 
Dmitri Popov said:
I think a cartridge similar to the FN 5.7 could be very popular, it just needs to be chambered in more than one companies gun(s). I'm not sure though that it will need to be bottle neck, just wicked fast, high capacity, less expensive. I really think price is what is holding back the 5.7.
Click to expand...
You mean the 7.62x25? ;)
 
How about a resurgent 7.62x25?? Maybe modern loadings and platforms.... I could see it in original TT33 trim via modern reproduction ( which CCs surprisingly well due to the narrow width) up to and including double stack service & target guns ( think " Stetchkin in Tokarev" with no full auto)..
Or, someone seriously pushing more 9x23 mom Winchester loads....from the fast& hot middleweights to the 147-158 grain range that STILL can be run from 950-1200 fps...
Now, combine those two concepts.
 
Such as the batteries in our airplanes, smoke detectors, Pacemakers, and Segways?
Click to expand...
Yes...like the lithium batteries on the Boeing 787 that catch fire. Like the batteries in the Chevy Volt that catch fire. Like the batteries in the Tesla that catch fire.

Seeing a pattern?
If your laptop battery goes flat, it's an inconvenience. If your phone battery dies, likewise.
If the battery in your car or aircraft catches fire, that's... a problem.
If the battery in your pocket pistol goes dead or catches fire....yeah, that's a bit of a problem too.

I'll pass on battery-powered guns. :rolleyes:
 
Yes...like the lithium batteries on the Boeing 787 that catch fire. Like the batteries in the Chevy Volt that catch fire. Like the batteries in the Tesla that catch fire.
Click to expand...

And how often does that actually happen? The batteries in those vehicles catch fire due to VERY serious impacts, and the occurrence is no more frequent than a regular gas tank catching fire.

And going "flat"? So charge it before you leave the house. I'm sure you check your magazine to see that it's fully loaded before carrying a gun. So you check that the battery is charged.

These things have never been seen as a problem in the many decades that we have relied on battery powered things. Yet when suggested they be put in a gun, suddenly batteries are some kind of newfangled, untested wizardry that cannot be relied on under any circumstances.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

M
  • Locked
I question some handgun cartridges
Replies
9
Views
742
McCall911
M
Zaydok Allen
  • Locked
Is there typically a lag in popularity for a newly introduced cartridge?
2
Replies
34
Views
2K
Cannibul
Cannibul
L
  • Locked
Any Short Barrel Velocity Data?
Replies
6
Views
764
Lovesbeer99
L
B
  • Locked
Why do some handgun cartridges cost so much?
Replies
17
Views
933
ezypikns
E
C
  • Locked
Help me choose my next handgun
Replies
8
Views
471
searcher451
S
Back
Top