Voere VEC-91
| VEC-91 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Bolt-action rifle |
| Place of origin |  Austria |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Voere |
| Manufacturer | Voere |
| Produced | 1991 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 3.2 kg |
| Length | 1000 mm |
| Barrel length | 520 mm |
|
|
|
| Cartridge | 5.56, 5.7 mm or 6 mm UCC (Usel Caseless Cartridge) |
| Action | Bolt-action |
| Muzzle velocity | 930 m/s |
| Feed system | 4- or 5-round magazine |
The Voere VEC-91 is a rifle made by Voere and was the first commercial sporting rifle to combine caseless ammunition and electronic firing. Depending upon its chambering, it fired a 5.56 (0.223"), 5.7 mm or 6 mm projectile at speeds of up to 930 metres per second (3,051 feet per second). The rifle was first exported to the United States in 1993, but was not a commercial success.
Contents
Design
Caseless ammunition has been a popular military rifle concept since the end of World War 2, but has never met with public approval due to its sole source nature. Voere attempted an introduction of this type of ammunition to civilian shooters in 1991 with the VEC-91.[1]
When chambered for 5.7 mm the rifle used a 5-round magazine, and it used a 4-round magazine when chambered in 6 mm. Two 15-volt dry cell batteries, located in the pistol grip, allowed it to fire approximately 5,000 rounds before the batteries needed to be replaced.[1][2]
The bolt contained no firing pin or striker, just a ceramic cap that would electronically detonate the primer via the battery charge. The cartridge was designed by Hubert Usel and is known as the Usel Caseless Cartridge (UCC). The round was encased in a block of solid nitrocellulose and because it was a bolt-action rifle it did not have the problems with cook-off that plagued earlier military attempts such as the Heckler & Koch G11.[2]
The VEC-91 was capable of great accuracy due to several factors inherent to the design, and several factors due to its implementation. First, the trigger activated a button, requiring little pressure. Second, the electronic ignition meant that there was no latency due to lock time, the firing sequence was instantaneous.[2] With respect to the implementation, the rifle came with a 20" match grade premium barrel. Lastly, all ammunition came from one source, with the result that all rounds were identical within manufacturing tolerances.[citation needed]
Voere built the rifle with a walnut stock in the Monte-Carlo design with a high cheek rest, schnabel forend, checkered grip and sling swivels intended for the hunting market. The trigger was adjustable from .5 oz to 5 lbs. The barrel was 20" in length and the rifle 39" overall.[1]
The proprietary nature of the rifle's caseless ammunition and supply chain problems prevented it from being successful in the United States, but Voere still produces the rifle for the European market, as of 2007.[2]
See also
References
External links
- Basic info about the rifle (Archived with The Wayback Machine; Original page offline)
- Firearms blog discussion, with pictures,[1] - accessed 9 April 2014.
