.280 British
The .280 British was an experimental rimless bottlenecked intermediate rifle cartridge. It was later designated 7 mm MK1Z, and has also been known as .280/30, .280 Enfield, 7 mm FN Short and 7×43mm.
| .280 British | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Various .280 Ball Cartridges. Orange-cased cartridge is made out of aluminium. | ||||||||||||
| Type | Rifle | |||||||||||
| Place of origin | United Kingdom | |||||||||||
| Service history | ||||||||||||
| Used by | British | |||||||||||
| Production history | ||||||||||||
| Designer | British Army | |||||||||||
| Designed | 1945 | |||||||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||||||
| Case type | rimless, bottlenecked | |||||||||||
| Bullet diameter | .284 in (7.2 mm) | |||||||||||
| Neck diameter | .313 in (8.0 mm) | |||||||||||
| Shoulder diameter | .448 in (11.4 mm) | |||||||||||
| Base diameter | .470 in (11.9 mm) | |||||||||||
| Rim diameter | .473 in (12.0 mm) | |||||||||||
| Rim thickness | .049 in (1.2 mm) | |||||||||||
| Case length | 1.71 in (43 mm) | |||||||||||
| Overall length | 2.54 in (65 mm) | |||||||||||
| Rifling twist | 1:8.66 in (220 mm) | |||||||||||
| Maximum pressure | 45,000 psi (310 MPa) | |||||||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||
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| Source(s): Cartridges of the World | ||||||||||||
Like most armed forces in the immediate post-World War II era, the British Army began experimenting with lighter rounds after meeting the German StG 44 in combat. The Army began development in the late 1940s, with subsequent help from Fabrique Nationale in Belgium and the Canadian Army. The .280 British was tested in a variety of rifles and machine guns including the EM-2, Lee–Enfield, FN FAL, Bren, M1 Garand and Taden gun.
Despite its success as an intermediate cartridge, .280 British was not considered powerful enough by the U.S. Army and several variants of the .280 British were created in an attempt to appease the U.S. Army. However, the U.S. Army continued to reject these variants, ultimately adopting the cartridge that was then designated the 7.62×51mm NATO.