Rifle bullet test. Quarterly report, October--December, 1971

HE test parts were fabricated of TNT, PBX 9404, LX-04, LX-10, Comp. B and Cyclotol 75/25 for future testing. Picatinny Arsenal test No. 2 was selected as the most suitable for Pantex. Naval Weapons Center has selected a similar test using larger weapons. It was chosen for best repeatability of results after many tests at NWC. HE holders have been fabricated accordingly and are ready to be loaded with the HE cylinders. Rifle alignment tooling is on order but was not ready during the quarter. This tooling will be tested on paper targets before attempting HE testing. Optical alignment was considered impractical after repeated trials. For this reason, a mechanical system was designed using machinist`s levels to assure the rifle is returned to the same position after each shot. With this method, a locating shot will be fired and then the He sample will be placed at the impact location for the test. Calculations indicate this method should produce no more than a 1-inch circle of error