4.6 x 30 mm

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The 4.6 x 30 mm cartridge is a type of ammunition used in the H&K MP7 submachine gun and by the H&K UCP pistol. It is designed to minimize weight and recoil while increasing penetration for body armor.

1 Summary
2 Weapons
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Summary

It features a bottlenecked case and a pointed, steel-core, brass-jacketed bullet.

Projectile weight: 24.7 grains (1.6 g)
Muzzle velocity: 2,378 ft/s (725 m/s)
Muzzle energy: 420 J.
Effective range: 200 m

Test results provided by hkpro.com:

Penetration of a ballistic gelatin block at 50 m (20 % gelatin block 300 mm long) - 280 mm (11 in)
Energy transfer through body armor at 50 m (1.6 mm titanium + 20 layers of Kevlar) - 220 J
Energy transfer through body armor at 100 m (1.6 mm titanium + 20 layers of Kevlar) - 115 J

The same tests were performed on the 5.7 x 28 mm round:

Penetration of a ballistic gelatin block at 50 m (20 % gelatin block 300 mm long) - 230 mm
Energy transfer through body armor at 50 m (1.6 mm titanium + 20 layers of Kevlar) - 140 J
Energy transfer through body armor at 100 m (1.6 mm titanium + 20 layers of Kevlar) - 65 J

The round was designed as a competitor to the 5.7 x 28 mm round developed by Fabrique Nationale. In head-to-head comparison of the two rounds, 4.6 x 30 mm fired out of the MP7 is slower and offers slightly shorter range and reduced terminal ballistics than the 5.7 x 28 mm fired out of the PS90. SS195LF, with a 28 grain projectile, fired out of the PS90 can achieve muzzle velocities of approximately 2500 ft/s.

The 4.6mm caliber has been criticized for its supposedly low terminal effectiveness, but in real use this is not a problem. Because of its accuracy and low recoil the 4.6mm cartridge is deadly in the hands of any competent shooter.

The latest version ("Ultimate Combat") uses a 2g steel projectile at the same velocity, giving it a significant edge both in terminal effectiveness and perforation over the 5.7 x 28 mm cartridge.