Benelli CB M2
Encyclopedia
The Benelli
CB-M2 was a unique submachine gun
of Italian conception resulting from a joint venture between Benelli and Fiocchi Munizioni
, the biggest ammunition manufacturer of Italy
. The weapon itself was unremarkable, and operated by a simple blowback
system, which is very common for submachine guns. The unusual aspect of the weapon was the round itself.
The weapon was chambered for the semi-caseless 9mm AUPO round. The AUPO was a much simpler system than the expensive and complicated advanced caseless round for the Heckler & Koch G11
. The AUPO bullet had an elongated, hollow base that acted as the case. The propellant filled the hollow space, and was sealed into the bullet with a fulminate
plug. What made the AUPO round "semi-caseless" was that the hollow base of the bullet detached from the bullet itself after firing. However, it was not necessary to eject it from the side of the weapon as in a normal cartridge, because the base followed the bullet down the barrel and exited at the muzzle, similarly to a sabot
. This simplified the action of the weapon, allowing it to move back and draw another round from the magazine, since there was no case to eject. With the omission of the ejector mechanism and the ejection step in the action, there were fewer moving parts to jam and cause unreliable functioning of the weapon.
The CB-M2 has never found any customers and the project was shelved forever. The CB-M2 never went into any scale of production and never passed the functional prototype stage.
Benelli (firearms)
Benelli Armi SpA is an Italian firearm manufacturer founded in 1967, located in Urbino, Italy, best known for high quality shotguns used by military, law enforcement and civilians all over the world. Particularly famous is the Benelli M3 12 gauge, used extensively by American SWAT teams...
CB-M2 was a unique submachine gun
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
of Italian conception resulting from a joint venture between Benelli and Fiocchi Munizioni
Fiocchi Munizioni
Fiocchi Munizioni is one of Italy's largest and oldest manufacturers of ammunitions.The Company's headquarters and main production plant are in Via Santa Barbara in Lecco, Italy.-History:...
, the biggest ammunition manufacturer of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The weapon itself was unremarkable, and operated by a simple blowback
Blowback (arms)
Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gases created by the ignition of the propellant charge....
system, which is very common for submachine guns. The unusual aspect of the weapon was the round itself.
The weapon was chambered for the semi-caseless 9mm AUPO round. The AUPO was a much simpler system than the expensive and complicated advanced caseless round for the Heckler & Koch G11
Heckler & Koch G11
The Heckler & Koch G11 is a non-production prototype assault rifle developed during the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s by Gesellschaft für Hülsenlose Gewehrsysteme , a conglomeration of companies headed by firearm manufacturer Heckler & Koch , Dynamit Nobel The Heckler & Koch G11 is a non-production...
. The AUPO bullet had an elongated, hollow base that acted as the case. The propellant filled the hollow space, and was sealed into the bullet with a fulminate
Fulminate
Fulminates are chemical compounds which include the fulminate ion. The fulminate ion, is a pseudohalic ion, acting like a halogen with its charge and reactivity. Due to the instability of the ion, fulminate salts are friction-sensitive explosives. The best known is mercury fulminate, which has...
plug. What made the AUPO round "semi-caseless" was that the hollow base of the bullet detached from the bullet itself after firing. However, it was not necessary to eject it from the side of the weapon as in a normal cartridge, because the base followed the bullet down the barrel and exited at the muzzle, similarly to a sabot
Sabot
A sabot is a device used in a firearm or cannon to fire a projectile, such as a bullet, that is smaller than the bore diameter, or which must be held in a precise position. The term is also applied to a battery stub case, a device used similarly to make a small electrical battery usable in a...
. This simplified the action of the weapon, allowing it to move back and draw another round from the magazine, since there was no case to eject. With the omission of the ejector mechanism and the ejection step in the action, there were fewer moving parts to jam and cause unreliable functioning of the weapon.
The CB-M2 has never found any customers and the project was shelved forever. The CB-M2 never went into any scale of production and never passed the functional prototype stage.
See also
- HK G11
- Lightweight Small Arms TechnologiesLightweight Small Arms TechnologiesThe Lightweight Small Arms Technologies program is funded by the U.S. Joint Service Small Arms Program, with the goal of significantly reducing the weight of small arms and their ammunition...
- List of caseless firearms
- Gerasimenko VAG-73Gerasimenko VAG-73The Gerasimenko VAG-73 is a Russian pistol capable of firing caseless bullets from a 48 round grip-inserted magazine....