4.6×36mm

4.6×36 mm

Type

Rifle

Place of origin

West Germany

Production history

Designer

Gunther Voss

Designed

early 1970s

Manufacturer

Heckler & Koch

Produced

1970s

Specifications

Case type

Rimless, bottleneck

Bullet diameter

4.65 mm (0.183 in)

Neck diameter

5.27 mm (0.207 in)

Shoulder diameter

8.48 mm (0.334 in)

Base diameter

8.94 mm (0.352 in)

Case length

35.61 mm (1.402 in)

Overall length

49.16 mm (1.935 in)

Maximum pressure

353 MPa (51,200 psi)

Ballistic performance

Bullet mass/type	Velocity	Energy
2.70 g (42 gr) FMJ	857 m/s (2,810 ft/s)	976 J (720 ft⋅lbf)
3.5 g (54 gr) FMJ	780 m/s (2,600 ft/s)	1,065 J (786 ft⋅lbf)

Test barrel length: 381 millimetres (15.0 in)
Source(s): Jane's Infantry Weapons 1975 ^[1]

The 4.6×36 mm is a cartridge developed by Heckler & Koch for its experimental HK36 assault rifle of the 1970s. When the rifle was not taken into service by any military force, its ammunition was not used for any other weapon design. The main feature that set the bullet apart from its contemporaries was the use of a so-called "spoon tip" (German: Löffelspitz): the tip had a concave area on one side^[1] which was intended to make the bullet "tumble" after hitting a target, in order to give it greater stopping power than such a small, high-velocity bullet would otherwise have.

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Transcription

Development

In the 1970s, ammunition for military rifles saw a reduction in calibre, largely inspired by the American 5.56×45mm round used in the M16 assault rifle. In an effort to create a weapon with low recoil, low weight, a flat trajectory and a high chance of incapacitating its target,^[1] Heckler & Koch designed the HK36 rifle together with the 4.6×36 mm ammunition.

Cartridge Types

Two variants of the round were developed, one with a soft core and another with a hard core, the former being intended for use against personnel, the latter against hard targets and to penetrate cover. Both were full-metal-jacketed rounds, the soft-cored bullet having a lead core while that of the hard-cored bullet was made from tungsten carbide.^[1]

Gallery

4.6x36mm cartridge next to a .223 Remington cartridge.

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Hobart, Major F.W.A. (1975). Jane's Infantry Weapons 1975. London: Jane's Yearbooks. pp. 239–241.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 4.6 x 36 mm cartridges.

Cartridges with bullet diameter between 4 mm (0.16 in) and 5 mm (0.20 in)

Rimfire cartridges

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Pistol and PDW cartridges	4.25mm Liliput 4.38×30mm Libra 4.5×40mmR 4.6×30mm HK
Revolver cartridges	.17 Bumble Bee
Rifle cartridges	.17 Hornet .17 Mach IV .17 Remington .17 Remington Fireball .17 Ackley Bee 4.6×36mm 4.85×49mm