4.85×49mm
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The 4.85×49mm is an experimental intermediate
firearm cartridge A cartridge or a round is a type of pre-assembled firearm ammunition packaging a projectile (bullet, shot (pellet), shot, or shotgun slug, slug), a propellant substance (usually either smokeless powder or black powder) and an ignition device ( ...
made by the United Kingdom for the Individual Weapon Project, which became the
SA80 The SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a British family of 5.56×45mm NATO service weapons used by the British Army. The L85 Rifle variant has been the standard issue service rifle of the British Armed Forces since 1987, replacing the L1A1 Se ...
series of small arms.


Design

The 4.85×49mm cartridge is based on the 5.56×45mm NATO, but uses a 5 mm bullet and has a longer neck than the 5.56mm does. Muzzle velocity is better than the M193 5.56mm loading, which this cartridge was designed to compete against. The 4.85×49mm cartridge weighs .


History

During the 1960s, the United Kingdom experimented with creating a lightweight but effective replacement for the 7.62×51mm NATO round. Their original experiments focused on a
.280 British The .280 British was an experimental rimless bottlenecked intermediate rifle cartridge. It was later designated 7 mm MK1Z, and has also been known as 7 mm NATO, .280/30, .280 Enfield, .280 NATO, 7 mm FN Short, and 7×43mm. Li ...
(a British 1950 intermediate cartridge) round necked down to 6.3 mm. However, in the 1960s, a West German study proposed that an ideal cartridge would have a 5 mm or smaller calibre. The results of this study encouraged the UK to research and develop bullets that were 5 mm, and smaller calibres, for their experimental cartridge. This resulted in an official decision that the round for the rifle that would become the
SA80 The SA80 (Small Arms for the 1980s) is a British family of 5.56×45mm NATO service weapons used by the British Army. The L85 Rifle variant has been the standard issue service rifle of the British Armed Forces since 1987, replacing the L1A1 Se ...
was to be 5 mm, or slightly smaller. The cases of these experimental 5 mm rounds were reformed 5.56 mm NATO cases, although the shape of the bullet was a scaled-down version of an earlier experimental round, measuring 6.23×43 mm. A round measuring 5×44 mm at the neck, made in 1970, was effectively the prototype of the round eventually adopted, although under the name 4.85×49 mm. The diameter of the round did not change. It was decided to rename it "4.85 mm", to match the diameter of the barrel's lands, rather than the diameter of the bullet neck. Continued tests showed that there were problems with bullet seating. To fix this, the round's neck was elongated 5 mm to create a 4.85×49mm round. However, before the production lines were fully retooled for the new round, RSAF Enfield required a batch of ammo for testing. Existing 4.85×44mm rounds had their necks manually stretched out 5 mm in order to qualify for the test. Tests with both the 4.85×49mm round and the
L64/65 The L64 (also called the ''Enfield Individual Weapon'') was an intermediate calibre British bullpup layout prototype assault rifle developed in the 1970s. At one time it was known as the 4.85 Individual Weapon, a reference to the calibre of the ...
continued throughout the 1970s. In 1976, the L64/L65 weapon system was officially announced. In 1977, trials to find a new cartridge and weapon for NATO standardisation were underway. The United Kingdom submitted the IW weapon a 4.85×49mm. Lots of both the XL1E1 ball and XL2E1 tracer round were created in order to provide enough ammunition for the tests. The UK hoped that the United States and NATO would see the inherent advantages the 4.85×49mm round had over the 5.56×45mm NATO round and adopt it. The 4.85mm's lifespan came to an end when the ending results of the NATO tests concluded that the
FN Herstal Fabrique Nationale Herstal (), trading as FN Herstal and often referred to as Fabrique Nationale or simply FN, is a leading firearms manufacturer based in Herstal, Belgium. It is currently the largest exporter of military small arms in Europe. F ...
SS109 bullet for the 5.56mm had the best performance. In 1979, British testers formally scrapped the 4.85 mm round in favour of the 5.56 mm round. The IW system was subsequently rechambered to 5.56 mm. No other countries have used the 4.85 mm round.


Variants

Several variants of the 4.85 mm round were made over its lifetime.


Ball

The most common type of 4.85 mm round is the XL1E1 ball, which was used in NATO trials. This round has a 55.3 grain bullet that has a muzzle velocity of 3,115 ft/s and a muzzle energy of 1,210 ft/lbf.


Tracer

Several tracer types were made for the 4.85mm, but the most common one is the XL2E1, which was used in NATO trials. It has an orange tipped head. Up to ten other variants were produced, but never made it into full production.


Short Range

A 4.85 mm variant designed for short range used the same case that the standard round used, but fired a round and white plastic bullet.


Dummy

Several dummies were produced for the 4.85mm during its lifetime. Early dummies were simply a blank 4.85×44mm round with a 5 mm longer neck, but later models include a round with three holes drilled in its base, and a chrome-plated case that has several vertical flutes on it. A special plastic training dummy version of the 4.85mm was also made. it consisted of a sawed-off 4.85mm cartridge with a blue plastic head on it. When the gun is fired, the plastic head flies off.


Blanks

Early blanks were made out of, but later ones used a standard-shaped cartridge with a rosecrimp blank shape where the head would be. The rosecrimp blank was also used for blanks used to fire rifle grenades.


Armour piercing

Armour-piercing rounds were developed for both the 4.85×44mm and 4.85×49mm rounds, but never went into large-scale production, like the ball and tracer variants had. The AP rounds have a black band just under the bullet tip.


Gallery

File:485andtracer.png, Xl1E1 ball cartridge on left and XL2E1 tracer round on the right File:485and223.png, XL1E1 cartridge on the left and a
.223 Remington The .223 Remington (designated as the 223 Remington by the SAAMI and 223 Rem by the CIP) is a rimless, bottlenecked rifle cartridge. It was developed in 1957 by Remington Arms and Fairchild Industries for the U.S. Continental Army Command ...
cartridge on the right


References


External links


Overview and pictures of the 4.85×49mm cartridge and its variants
{{DEFAULTSORT:4.85x49mm Pistol and rifle cartridges Military cartridges Experimental cartridges British firearm cartridges