6.45×48mm XPL Swiss (or 6.45×48 GP 80) is an experimental intermediate rifle cartridge.

6.45x48mm XPL Swiss
TypeRifle
Place of originSwitzerland
Production history
DesignerSwiss Army
Designed1979-1980
Specifications
Parent case7.62×51mm NATO
Case typeRimless, bottleneck
Bullet diameter6.65 mm (0.262 in)
Neck diameter7.56 mm (0.298 in)
Shoulder diameter10.95 mm (0.431 in)
Base diameter11.82 mm (0.465 in)
Rim diameter11.81 mm (0.465 in)
Rim thickness1.55 mm (0.061 in)
Case length47.72 mm (1.879 in)
Overall length65.06 mm (2.561 in)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
6.3 g (97 gr) 900 m/s (3,000 ft/s) 2,550 J (1,880 ft⋅lbf)
Source(s): quarryhs.co.uk[1]

Development

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It was developed as part of the WEIZE trials (Weiche Ziele, lit. "soft target") in conjunction with the SIG SG 550 rifle, as a potential successor to the 7.5×55mm Schmidt–Rubin cartridge.[1]

Description

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The rimless cartridge has a base diameter of 11.82 mm (similar to the 7.62×51mm NATO) and a case length of 47.72 mm.[2]

The bullet is an unusual 6.65 mm diameter (6.45mm refers to the bore diameter), fractionally smaller than the common 6.5 mm (bore diameter) bullet.

The 97 gr (6.3 g) bullet was fired at a muzzle velocity of 900 m/s (3,000 ft/s) with 2,550 J (1,880 ft⋅lb) of muzzle energy.

Production

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The cartridge was not adopted, the SIG SG-550 went into production with the 5.6×45mm GP 90 round.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Assault Rifles and Their Ammunition". Archived from the original on 2017-11-05. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  2. ^ "6.45x48 XPL Swiss / MUNICION.ORG". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2013-02-11.