The fastest cartridge?

[getitdone1]

Was reading about some of the cartridges our military had tried and happened to find this article about a very famous gunsmith of a few years back. P.O. Ackley. He's probably more famous for his wildcat "improved" cartridges than his work as a gunsmith.

Here's an interesting article about him. Note he achieved nearly 4800 fps with one of his cartridges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P.O._Ackley

What is the fastest rifle cartridge, both commercially successful and wildcat?

The 220 Swift used to be about the fastest commercially successful cartridge. Around 4100 fps/40 gr bullet.

Here's an interesting article about the 220 Swift.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.220_Swift

Is there a type of modern steel that will give much longer barrel life, than in years past, when shooting the super fast cartridges?

Don

[TedH]

I always wanted a Swift, but their cost and less popular brass steered me to a 22-250 instead. I still get just a hair over 4000 fps with a 40 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip. A friend of mine had a 22-243 at one time with a super heavy barrel. He was getting some impressive speeds with that, but of course that's not a commercial round.

[rogn]

I think the Ruger 204 is the fastest practical, useful production cartridge / rifle combination. I think there's a viable factory load at 4250. There may be a load for the 22WSSM but its dead on the vine. Its a compilation of all those thing thought to be desirable until it fails of its own weight. Wikipedia does list a 40gr load at 4352FPS, so I guess it was the fastest production cartridge.
Most of the SS used in barrel production improves barrel life, but the more pressure and smoke you pour down the barrel the shorter its life.

[Malamute]

I think the fastest cartridge is a Russian pistol cartridge.

[86er]

The Lazzeroni Scramjet 6.53 is an 85 grain bullet doing 4000 fps.

[CowboyTutt]

Well, I tend to think this one is got to be darn close to the fastest. Its MBM (made by Mic) and our friend By Smalley who recently passed away but who was a true rocket scientist.

5 mm/35 SMc

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5 mm/35 SMc

5 mm/35 SMc cartridges

5 mm/35 SMc cartridges


Type
Rifle

Place of origin
USA

Production history


Designer
Michael "Mic" McPherson and Byrom Smalley

Designed
2004

Specifications


Parent case
6 mm BR

Bullet diameter
.204 in (5.2 mm)

Shoulder diameter
.4598 in (11.68 mm)

Base diameter
.4709 in (11.96 mm)

Rim diameter
.4728 in (12.01 mm)

Rim thickness
.0157 in (0.40 mm)

Case length
1.556 in (39.5 mm)

Overall length
2.03 in (52 mm)

Rifling twist
1-12

Primer type
small rifle

Ballistic performance



Bullet weight/type

Velocity

Energy

32 gr (2 g) BT 4,650 ft/s (1,420 m/s) 1,535 ft·lbf (2,081 J)
39 gr (3 g) BT 4,250 ft/s (1,300 m/s) 1,564 ft·lbf (2,120 J)

Source(s): Superior Ballistics

5 mm/35 SMc is a high performance 5 mm (.20 caliber) cartridge. Designed by Michael "Mic" McPherson and Byrom Smalley[1] and like all of their other designs carries the "SMc" moniker as well as being patented and having a copyright.[2]

Description[edit]

SMc cartridges were developed in an attempt to produce an efficient cartridge combining low recoil, low heat, and high velocity.[3] The 5 mm/35 SMc has produced velocities in excess of 4,800 ft/s (1,500 m/s) shooting a 30-grain (1.9 g) molybdenum disulfide-coated Berger bullet from a 28 inches (71 cm) Pac-Nor barrel, far higher than its commercial counterpart the .204 Ruger.

Although it is a wildcat, rifles chambered for 5mm/35 are available from the custom shop at Savage Arms.[4]

The patents for the cartridge are US 7210260, US 7086336 and US 2003079639.

[6pt-sika]

About 20years ago I had a pair of Winchester Pre 64 Model 70 Varmints in 220 Swift and 243 both had factory stainless barrels the 243 was made in 56 and the Swift was made in 60 . I tried and tried to get that Swift to go 4000 with the Nosler 50 Ballistic Tip pushed with RL-12 never could get more then 3950-3975 . About that time Nosler brought out the 6mm 55 grain Ballistic Tip and I had no problem getting that one up to 4150 in the HB 243 . I will say that Swift shot very nicely at max but the 243 was opening up much past 4000.

[Chuck 100 yd]

In the mid 60`s I was stationed at the US Army,Aberdeen Proving Grounds.
The museum there had a Hyper Velocity gun that at one point was being tested.

The bullet had a head on it like a rivet and was placed in the barrel. The chamber behind the bullet had a sliding piston that was driven by an explosive like dynamite. The explosive drove the piston forward compressing the air in the chamber until the head of the bullet sheared off allowing the bullet to travel. I was told that those projectiles were able to go over 10,000 fps in testing.
A totally impractical gun but much was learned from those experiments I am told.

The weapons museum at Aberdeen Proving Grounds is mind boggling.

[AJMD429]

The 243 Win and 6mm Rem necked to 22 caliber can spit out the little bullets well over 4,000 fps consistently, and the 308 Win necked to 22 caliber can, as well...

http://ammoguide.com/cgi-bin/ai.cgi?sn= ... &catid=558

There are some kinds of electromagnetic guns I think in the tens of thousands of fps, though, but kinda 'bulky' (as in semitrailer size).

[Malamute]

I think the Russian cartridge is fastest at 26,400 fps.

[CowboyTutt]

'Mute, what is this Russian pistol cartridge you refer too? I want to know about it!!!!

-Tutt

[Malamute]

OK. This is a link to information about it. It's a 3 barrel gun, a double 32 ga shotgun, over a single 5.45x39 barrel, in a break action pistol with detachable shoulder stock that doubles as a machete. The rifle/pistol cartridges were special soft point hunting loads, the gun is part of the old Russian/Soviet cosmonaut gear and intended for protection from wild animals and foraging for food in event they landed in a wild area and didn't get picked up right away. When in orbit on the space station or the Soyuz vehicles, the average speed the cartridges would be moving is approximately 26,400 fps. This is not even pulling the trigger, so potential velocity of a fired bullet could be higher depending on which direction it was pointed when fired.

http://www.jamesoberg.com/russiangun_tec.html

[CowboyTutt]

I don't think there are any bullets that could handle that velocity without being vaporized by atmospheric friction in a very short distance. In a vacuum however, maybe such a thing is possible. I think the OP was referring to terrestrial cartridges. -Tutt

[Malamute]

Yeah, it was sort of cheating. I had to look up the numbers, but recalled that when on the space station, they'd see a sunrise about every 90 minutes. I knew they had to be going really fast. I'd also heard of the Russians sending guns with their cosmonauts for protection when they landed in wild areas. The best part is the cartridges are going really really fast, without even firing them.

Theyd all be going that fast if they sent them up into orbit. The Russian survival guns were the only known guns/cartridges sent up into space.

[CowboyTutt]

The best part is the cartridges are going really really fast, without even firing them.

I was kind of wondering about that statement!!! -Tutt

[Malamute]

Well, that was the title of the thread. "fastest cartridge"

[CowboyTutt]

I'm seriously laughing my butt off right now!

-Tutt

[Rusty]

Is Malamute a lawyer or a career politician?

[Old Savage]

Fastest I have chronographed is 4300 fps with a 30-06 Accelerator.

The earth is traveling about 20 miles/sec in its orbit.

[cshold]

Fastest I have chronographed is 4300 fps with a 30-06 Accelerator.

The earth is traveling about 20 miles/sec in its orbit.

Speed varies with location

[cshold]

Was the Jim Carmichael .22 Cheetah ever commercially made?
If I remember right it was hitting 4,300 fps.