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Aspitzer bullet (from German Spitzgeschoss 'point shot') is amunitions term, primarily regardingfully-powered andintermediatesmall-arms ammunition, describingbullets featuring anaerodynamicallypointed nose shape, called aspire point, sometimes combined with a tapered base, called aboat tail (then aspitzer boat-tail bullet), in order to reducedrag and obtain a lowerdrag coefficient, resulting in an aerodynamically superior torpedo shaped projectile, which decelerates less rapidly and has improvedexternal ballistic behaviour,[1] at the expense of some potential weight andkinetic energy relative to blunterogive/round/flat-nose flat-base projectiles.
The type was developed for military purposes in the late 19th and early 20th century and was a major design improvement compared to earlier rounder or flatter-tipped bullets in terms of range and accuracy. Its introduction, along with long-rangevolley sights for service rifles, changed military doctrines. Area targets at ranges up to 1,420–2,606 m (1,550–2,850 yd) could be subject to rifle fire. With improvements inmachine guns at the turn of the 20th century, the addition ofclinometers meant that fixed machine gun squads could deliverplunging fire orindirect fire at more than 3,000 m (3,280 yd). The indirect firing method exploits the maximaleffective range, that is defined by the maximum range of a small-arms projectile while still maintaining the minimum kinetic energy required to put unprotected personnel out of action, which is generally believed to be 15 kilogram-meters (147 J / 108 ft⋅lbf).[2]
Spitzer bullets greatly increased the lethality of the battlefields ofWorld War I. Before, during and after World War I, militaries adopted even more aerodynamically refined spitzer projectiles by combining a pointed nose with a slightly tapered base at the rear, a so calledboat tail, which further reduced drag in flight.[3] These projectiles were known asspitzer boat-tail bullets which increased the terminal maximum ranges of fully-powered rifle cartridges to between 4,115 and 5,500 m (4,500 and 6,010 yd).
The name "spitzer" is an anglicized form of the German wordSpitzgeschoss, literally meaning "point shot".
From the mid to late 19th century, European military research had started to examine how to maximise available small armsmuzzle velocity through improved projectile design. Stronger metal casings were being used to contain cartridge propellants, making small arms more powerful but not any more accurate. Designers knew that bullets with a lowerdrag coefficient (Cd) would decelerate less rapidly and therefore travel further. A lower drag coefficient also flattens the projectile'strajectory, making it more stable in flight and less susceptible to lateral drift caused by crosswinds. By retaining a higher impact velocity, bullets with highballistic coefficients would retain morekinetic energy and be lethal at greater ranges. It was these requirements that drove military thinking in the years prior to the First World War.
The spitzer bullet design was first introduced in 1898 as theBalle D by theFrench Army. TheBalle D bullet was designed by Captain Georges Raymond Desaleux, in order to improve the ballistic performance of the existing French8×50mmR Lebel service cartridge of 1886.
The original 1886 pattern 8×50mmR Lebel cartridge was an innovative service cartridge design, since it was the first military cartridge to use single-base smokeless,nitrocellulose based, (Poudre B) gunpowder as developed byPaul Vieille in 1884. The original 1886 pattern 8×50mmR Lebel was loaded with a 15.0 grams (231 gr) cupro-nickel-jacketed lead-cored flat-nosedwadcutter-styleBalle M bullet designed by lieutenant colonelNicolas Lebel achieving a muzzle velocity of 628 m/s (2,060 ft/s).
The new 1898 pattern 8×50mmR Lebel cartridge loaded with Desaleux's new lighter 12.8 grams (198 gr)Balle Dbrass mono-metal spitzer bullet achieved amuzzle velocity of 700 m/s (2,300 ft/s), providing a somewhat flattertrajectory and a greatly improved maximum effective range. Besides having a pointed nose section theBalle D was also the first military rifle projectile that had aboat tail – a streamlined tapered base – to further minimize air resistance in flight.[4]
The 1898 pattern 8×50mmR LebelBalle D spitzer nose profile combined with the boat tail resulted in aballistic coefficient (G1 BC) of 0.568 to 0.581 (ballistic coefficients are somewhat debatable). Fired at 700 m/s (2,300 ft/s) muzzle velocity theBalle D bullet retainedsupersonic velocity up to and past 800 m (870 yd) (V800 ≈Mach 1.13) underICAO Standard Atmosphere conditions at sea level (air density ρ = 1.225 kg/m3) and had a maximum terminal range of approximately 4,400 m (4,812 yd). Even by 21st century standards, 800 m (870 yd) typical effective supersonic range is regarded as normal for a standard military rifle round (seeMaximum effective rifle range).
| Distance (m) | 0 | 200 | 400 | 600 | 800 | 1000 | 1500 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trajectory (m) | 0 | 0.14 | 0.81 | 2.39 | 5.27 | 9.83 | 31.71 | 75.61 |
| Velocity (m/s) | 628 | 488 | 397 | 335 | 290 | 255 | 197 | 160 |
| Distance (m) | 0 | 200 | 400 | 600 | 800 | 1000 | 1500 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trajectory (m) | 0 | 0.12 | 0.54 | 1.43 | 3.01 | 5.60 | 18.30 | 44.0 |
| Velocity (m/s) | 700 | 607 | 521 | 448 | 388 | 342 | 278 | 240 |
The downrange performance tables above show the superior velocity retention of theBalle D compared with itsBalle M predecessor
Note: The air density ρ used to correlate these tables is unknown.
In 1932, 8×50mmR LebelBalle N ammunition was introduced, which featured a lead-cored, cupro-nickel-over-steel-jacketed, pointed boat-tail bullet weighing 15.0 g (232 grains). It had been designed to improve the long-range performance of the issuedHotchkiss Mle 1914 machine guns.
In Germany the Gewehr-Prüfungskommission (G.P.K.) (Rifle Testing Commission) was responsible for improving the accuracy and performance of the 1888 pattern militaryM/88 ammunition and Germany's weapons chambered for M/88Rundkopfgeschoss ("round head shot") ammunition like theGewehr 1888. During a late 19th and early 20th century improvement program tasked with remedying the M/88's propellant compression and excessive barrel (grooves) wear problems, the German ordnance authority began to prefer spitzer bullets by 1898.
A new aerodynamic bullet, theSpitzgeschoß orGeschoß S.,[7] credited to the independent ballistician Arthur Gleinich, was tested in 1902 and officially adopted on 3 April 1903. After several shape revisions it entered mass production in 1904. TheSpitzgeschoß nose was externally pointed like the French design and its shape waspatented, but thefull metal jacketSpitzgeschoß differed internally.[8][9][10]
The Gewehr-Prüfungskommission program resulted in theS Patrone or 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridge, which was loaded with a relatively lightweight 9.9 grams (153 gr) spitzer bullet with a slightly increased diameter of 8.2 mm (0.323 in) that had aballistic coefficient (G1 BC) of approximately 0.321 to 0.337 (ballistic coefficients are somewhat debatable), along with a dimensionally redesigned chambering and bore (designated as "S-bore") and new double-base (based on nitrocellulose andnitroglycerin)smokeless powder loading, which delivered a greatly improved muzzle velocity of 878 m/s (2,880 ft/s) from a 740 millimetres (29.1 in) barrel.
TheS Patrone was adopted by the German Army and Navy in 1903 and had a maximum terminal range of approximately 3,700 m (4,050 yd).[11][12] The combination of increased muzzle velocity and improved bullet aerodynamics provided a much flatter bullet trajectory, which increased the probability of hitting an individual target at most typical combat distances.
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At the onset of World War I, Germany developed an aerodynamically further refined bullet, theschweres Spitzgeschoß ("heavy spitzer") orGeschoß s.S.).[7] This 12.8 grams (198 gr)full metal jacket spitzer boat-tail projectile had a ballistic coefficient (G1 BC) of 0.557 to 0.593 (ballistic coefficients are somewhat debatable) and was loaded in thes.S. Patrone. At 760 m/s (2,493 ft/s) muzzle velocity thes.S. Patrone had a maximum terminal range of approximately 4,700 m (5,140 yd) and retainedsupersonic velocity up to and past 1,000 m (1,100 yd) (V1000 ≈Mach 1.07) underICAO Standard Atmosphere conditions at sea level (air density ρ = 1.225 kg/m3).
From its 1914 introduction thes.S. Patrone was mainly issued for aerial combat and as of 1918 in the later stages of World War I to infantry machine gunners. Fifteen years after World War I theS Patrone was phased out and thes.S. Patrone became the standard issue ball ammunition for the German military.[13][14]
In 1906, United States ordnance authorities arranged to purchase the production license for theSpitzgeschoß bullet design from Gleinich. Now referred to as a 'spitzer' design, the new 9.7 grams (150 gr) flat base projectile that had aballistic coefficient (G1 BC) of approximately 0.405 with a cupro-nickel alloy jacket was incorporated into the M1906.30-06 Springfield cartridge adopted by U.S. armed forces in 1906. The ball, M1906 rounds had a muzzle velocity of 823 m/s (2,700 ft/s) and had a maximum terminal range of approximately 3,117 m (3,409 yd) and can be identified by their silver-colored bullets. The cupro-nickel alloy was found to foul the bore quickly.
 | Examples of US military bullets, from left:
| The four spitzer bullets used in the .30-06 Springfield cartridge case were loaded with a nearly identicaltangentogive exposed for reliable functioning in self-loading firearms, while the earlier M1903 bullet is positioned to illustrate the longer neck of the preceding.30-03 cartridge. |
In 1908, theRussian Empire adopted a new7.62×54mmR service round variant loaded with the "L" 9.61-gram (148.3 gr) Лёгкая Пуля (Lyogkhaya pulya, "Light Bullet") spitzer bullet that had aballistic coefficient (G1 BC) of approximately 0.338. The 7.62×54mmR M1908 Type L cartridge had a muzzle velocity of 865 m/s (2,838 ft/s).
In 1910, the United Kingdom officially adopted the.303 British Mark VII cartridge variant loaded with an 11.3 grams (174 gr) flat base spitzer bullet that had aballistic coefficient (G1 BC) of approximately 0.467. The .303 British Mark VII cartridge had a muzzle velocity of 744 m/s (2,441 ft/s) and a maximum terminal range of approximately 2,743 m (3,000 yd).[15][16]
In 1911, Switzerland adopted the7.5×55mm GP 11 cartridge loaded with a 11.3 grams (174 gr) spitzer full metal jacket bullet. Besides a pointed nose, the GP 11 bullet also had a boat tail to further lower the drag coefficient (Cd). The GP 11 projectile had aballistic coefficient (G1 BC) of 0.505 to 0.514 (ballistic coefficients are somewhat debatable) and had a maximum terminal range of approximately 5,500 m (6,015 yd) under Swiss chosen atmospheric conditions (altitude = 800 m (2,625 ft), air pressure = 649 mm (25.55 in) Hg, temperature = 7 °C (45 °F)) equaling ICAO Standard Atmosphere conditions at 653.2 m (2,143 ft) (air density ρ = 1.150 kg/m3). At 780 m/s (2,559 ft/s) muzzle velocity the standard GP 11 ball spitzer bullet retainedsupersonic velocity up to 800 m (870 yd) (V800 ≈Mach 1.1) underICAO Standard Atmosphere conditions at sea level (air density ρ = 1.225 kg/m3).
The GP 11 bullet set off the militaries of countries like Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom at the onset of and after World War I to develop and field similar full metal jacket boat tail spitzer bullets to improve the maximum effective range and long range performance of the full metal jacket flat based spitzer bullet designs they used. The useful maximum effective range is defined by the maximum range of a small-arms projectile while still maintaining the minimum kinetic energy required to put unprotected personnel out of action, which is generally believed to be 15 kilogram-meters (147 J / 108 ft⋅lbf).[2]
In 1913, the ordnance authorities of theKingdom of Spain issued a redesigned7×57mm Mauser cartridge (7mm Cartucho para Mauser Tipo S).[17] It was loaded with a 9 grams (138.9 gr) spitzer bullet fired at a muzzle velocity of 850 m/s (2,789 ft/s) with 3,251 J (2,398 ft⋅lbf) muzzle energy from a 589 mm (23.2 in) long barrel. It had a maximum terminal range of 3,700 m (4,050 yd).[18]
In 1932, Sweden introduced the8×63mm patron m/32 loaded with 14.2 g (219 gr) spitzer bullets with a boat tail fired at a muzzle velocity of 760 m/s (2,493 ft/s) bullets. The 8×63mm patron m/32 ammunition was not developed as general service ammunition but for anti-aircraft andindirect fire and had an effective range of approximately 3,600 m (3,937 yd) on which the impact energy was 20 kilogram-meters (196 J / 145 ft⋅lbf), and a maximum terminal range of approximately 5,500 m (6,015 yd) when fired from aKulspruta m/36 machine gun.[19]
Sweden and Norway loaded their6.5×55mm m/94 service ammunition with a 10.1 grams (156 gr) long round-nosed B-projectile (trubbkula/ogivalkula, "blunt/ogive bullet") fired at a muzzle velocity of 725 m/s (2,379 ft/s) up to the early phase of World War II and Norwegian occupation by German in 1940. From 1941 onwards Sweden, which remained neutral during World War II, adopted m/41 service ammunition loaded with a 9.1 grams (140 gr)spitzer boat-tail D-projectile (spetskula/torpedkula, "point/torpedo bullet") fired at a muzzle velocity of 800 m/s (2,625 ft/s).[20][21]
In the 21st century, plastic-tipped bullets are a type ofrifle bullet meant to confer the aerodynamic advantage of the spitzer bullet (for example, seevery-low-drag bullet) and thestopping power of ahollow-point bullet, by equipping the hollow-point cavity and tip with a plastic ballistic tip (compareballistic cap). This plastic tip stays rigid during trajectory, giving the hollow-point similar aerodynamic properties to a spitzer projectile, but is crushed upon impact, allowing the hollow-point to petal out as per design.
The dictionary definition ofspitz at Wiktionary