What is a Flechette? - The Firearms Forum

ryan42 · 06-21-2012, 08:47 PM

I might of spelled it wrong,I was watching NCIS and Ducky had a guy in the morgue with all these things stuck in him and he said he was 4ft away when the gun went off they were about 1 inch long black pointy things.

ShawnDow · 06-21-2012, 08:58 PM

They are small steel darts.... about 1 inch long... i suppose they were to be used in shot gun loads. Cool in concept, and probably had a practical use, but i don't think you can get them in a "loaded" round.

bobski · 06-21-2012, 09:01 PM

yep. a nasty special weapon.

ryan42 · 06-21-2012, 09:02 PM

Ok they do look nasty.

bobski · 06-21-2012, 09:06 PM

theres a lot of special rounds for shotguns.
too many to list.
my favorite are tracers and flock boomers. (flash bang!)

joncutt87 · 06-21-2012, 10:00 PM

Cheaper then dirt sells them by the pound (950 pieces). I did find a specialty ammo company that loaded shot gun shells with them for "upland bird hunting in dense brush"

bluesea112 · 06-21-2012, 10:29 PM

Flechettes were created during Vietnam by a special weapons group within the army. One of the guys assigned to that group used to work for me, so he was very well versed on the subject of Flechette. He said they found them to be extremely effective, because they would easily penetrate body armor when fired from a shotgun, and vehicle armor when delivered as the payload from a high velocity rocket. Their small size allowed thousands of them to be packed into rocket payloads. He said they were never put into service because the brass was concerned that they would violate some treaty by being to destructive to the human body.

To answer your question about what they are, they are small steel darts with a shaft about the diameter of a pencil lead. They are ground to a point on one end and have 4 steel vanes molded on the opposite end. Total length of each dart is about 1 1/2" - 2". They look like a miniature arrow. They are currently sold in bulk by the pound to be hand loaded into shotgun shells. As Joncutt stated, you can buy them from Cheaper than Dirt.

howlnmad · 06-22-2012, 03:12 AM

Yep, tiny steel darts.

jack404 · 06-22-2012, 05:34 AM

http://www.firequest.com/G12-410.html

http://www.antipersonnel.net/sdllc/007.html

carver · 06-22-2012, 05:54 AM

I see these flechette rounds for shot guns, at the gun shows form time to time. I bought some once to see what they would do, and I was not impressed when shooting them into a piece of plywood. If you used them for SD you would most probably end up in jail.

DixieLandMan · 06-22-2012, 07:18 AM

Like others have said before, they are tiny steel darts. Used in Vietnam mainly and was they were very effective. A buddy of mine told me about firing them from tanks.

Little Rooster · 06-22-2012, 07:23 AM

http://oldsargesdropzone.com/index.p...ttes&x=27&y=11

carver · 06-22-2012, 07:24 AM

They also made a hollow flechette that would carry posion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flechette

After work by Johns Hopkins University in the 1950s there was a concept for Direct Injection Antipersonnel Chemical Biological Agent (DIACBA) where flechettes were grooved, hollow pointed, or otherwise milled to retain a quantity of chemical biological warfare agent to deliver through a ballistic wound.[1] The initial work was with VX, but found that it had to be thickened for the flechette to deliver a reliable dose. Eventually this was replaced by a particulate carbamate. The US Biological Program also had a microflechette to deliver either botulinum toxin A or saxitoxin, the M1 Biodart, which resembled a 7.62 mm rifle cartridge.

Ledslnger · 06-22-2012, 12:41 PM

Yep, they are nasty. Supposedly would go against the Geneva Convention and were deemed inhumane to be used in Vietnam for that reason. Me, I think anyone that tortures our POWs or cuts off prisoners heads with swords, etc. deserves whatever weapon we can find to use against them. I would still be using them and napalm against whoever stepped across the line.

al45lc · 06-22-2012, 02:43 PM

The add for antipersonnel .net claims a maximum effective range of 300 meters from a 12 gauge.
I'll throw the B.S. flag on that one.

Brass Tacks · 06-22-2012, 04:07 PM

they were (are?) used in 105mm artillery rounds. for SHTF situations

their first cousin is the Lazy Dog Bomb. nasty buggers both

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazy_Dog_(bomb)

a battlefield souvenir

Clipper · 06-22-2012, 07:08 PM

The Lazy Dog concept was developed for use in Vietnam, one canister load was 2.75" rocket war heads fuzed to explode on contact, another was bomblets that were random fuzed, and still another was a canister full of the .45 cal projectiles seen in the post above. When properly utilized, the canister would open at about 5.000' and would put a projectile in every foot of an acre size area. Deadly stuff! Not used much to my knowledge.

06-21-2012, 08:47 PM	#1
ryan42 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: marion indiana Contributor Posts: 1,549	What is a Flechette? I might of spelled it wrong,I was watching NCIS and Ducky had a guy in the morgue with all these things stuck in him and he said he was 4ft away when the gun went off they were about 1 inch long black pointy things. __________________ Tommorrow is promised to know one! Ryan Stevens -->

06-21-2012, 08:58 PM	#2
ShawnDow V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Tawas City, Michigan Posts: 395	Re: What is a Flechette? They are small steel darts.... about 1 inch long... i suppose they were to be used in shot gun loads. Cool in concept, and probably had a practical use, but i don't think you can get them in a "loaded" round. __________________ You can't prevent the inevitable.. only alter its time span!

06-21-2012, 09:01 PM	#3
bobski Former Guest Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: va., conn., & mo. Posts: 948	Re: What is a Flechette? yep. a nasty special weapon.

06-21-2012, 09:02 PM	#4
ryan42 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: marion indiana Contributor Posts: 1,549	Re: What is a Flechette? Ok they do look nasty. __________________ Tommorrow is promised to know one! Ryan Stevens

06-21-2012, 09:06 PM	#5
bobski Former Guest Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: va., conn., & mo. Posts: 948	Re: What is a Flechette? theres a lot of special rounds for shotguns. too many to list. my favorite are tracers and flock boomers. (flash bang!)

06-21-2012, 10:00 PM	#6
joncutt87 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Kannapolis, NC Contributor Posts: 1,419	Re: What is a Flechette? Cheaper then dirt sells them by the pound (950 pieces). I did find a specialty ammo company that loaded shot gun shells with them for "upland bird hunting in dense brush" __________________ Four words to live by: aequitas, veritas, decus, sacrificium

06-21-2012, 10:29 PM	#7
bluesea112 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: West, TX Contributor Posts: 1,257	Re: What is a Flechette? Flechettes were created during Vietnam by a special weapons group within the army. One of the guys assigned to that group used to work for me, so he was very well versed on the subject of Flechette. He said they found them to be extremely effective, because they would easily penetrate body armor when fired from a shotgun, and vehicle armor when delivered as the payload from a high velocity rocket. Their small size allowed thousands of them to be packed into rocket payloads. He said they were never put into service because the brass was concerned that they would violate some treaty by being to destructive to the human body. To answer your question about what they are, they are small steel darts with a shaft about the diameter of a pencil lead. They are ground to a point on one end and have 4 steel vanes molded on the opposite end. Total length of each dart is about 1 1/2" - 2". They look like a miniature arrow. They are currently sold in bulk by the pound to be hand loaded into shotgun shells. As Joncutt stated, you can buy them from Cheaper than Dirt. Last edited by bluesea112; 06-21-2012 at 10:45 PM..

06-22-2012, 03:12 AM	#8
howlnmad Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Harriman, Tn Contributor Posts: 2,569	Re: What is a Flechette? Yep, tiny steel darts. __________________

06-22-2012, 05:34 AM	#9
jack404 Former Guest Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Australia Contributor Posts: 17,622	Re: What is a Flechette? http://www.firequest.com/G12-410.html http://www.antipersonnel.net/sdllc/007.html

06-22-2012, 05:54 AM	#10
carver TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: DAV, Deep in the Pineywoods of East Texas, just west of Shreveport, LA Contributor Posts: 11,274	Re: What is a Flechette? I see these flechette rounds for shot guns, at the gun shows form time to time. I bought some once to see what they would do, and I was not impressed when shooting them into a piece of plywood. If you used them for SD you would most probably end up in jail. __________________ Y'all be safe now, ya hear! Lamentations Chapter 5: 1. Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. 2. Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. 3. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers [are] as widows. 5. Our necks [are] under persecution: we labour, [and] have no rest. 16. The crown is fallen [from] our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! 21. Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

06-22-2012, 07:18 AM	#11
DixieLandMan Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Alabama Posts: 607	Re: What is a Flechette? Like others have said before, they are tiny steel darts. Used in Vietnam mainly and was they were very effective. A buddy of mine told me about firing them from tanks.

06-22-2012, 07:23 AM	#12
Little Rooster Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Old Dominion Posts: 564	Re: What is a Flechette? http://oldsargesdropzone.com/index.p...ttes&x=27&y=11 __________________ "Far better it is to dare mighty things, than to take rank with those poor, timid spirits who know Victory Nor Defeat" Teddy Roosevelt

06-22-2012, 07:24 AM	#13
carver TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: DAV, Deep in the Pineywoods of East Texas, just west of Shreveport, LA Contributor Posts: 11,274	Re: What is a Flechette? They also made a hollow flechette that would carry posion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flechette After work by Johns Hopkins University in the 1950s there was a concept for Direct Injection Antipersonnel Chemical Biological Agent (DIACBA) where flechettes were grooved, hollow pointed, or otherwise milled to retain a quantity of chemical biological warfare agent to deliver through a ballistic wound.[1] The initial work was with VX, but found that it had to be thickened for the flechette to deliver a reliable dose. Eventually this was replaced by a particulate carbamate. The US Biological Program also had a microflechette to deliver either botulinum toxin A or saxitoxin, the M1 Biodart, which resembled a 7.62 mm rifle cartridge. __________________ Y'all be safe now, ya hear! Lamentations Chapter 5: 1. Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. 2. Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens. 3. We are orphans and fatherless, our mothers [are] as widows. 5. Our necks [are] under persecution: we labour, [and] have no rest. 16. The crown is fallen [from] our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! 21. Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

06-22-2012, 12:41 PM	#14
Ledslnger V.I.P. Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: N Central, IA Posts: 415	Re: What is a Flechette? Yep, they are nasty. Supposedly would go against the Geneva Convention and were deemed inhumane to be used in Vietnam for that reason. Me, I think anyone that tortures our POWs or cuts off prisoners heads with swords, etc. deserves whatever weapon we can find to use against them. I would still be using them and napalm against whoever stepped across the line.

06-22-2012, 02:43 PM	#15
al45lc Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: colorful colorado Posts: 1,016	Re: What is a Flechette? The add for antipersonnel .net claims a maximum effective range of 300 meters from a 12 gauge. I'll throw the B.S. flag on that one. __________________ You are what you do, when it counts.

06-22-2012, 04:07 PM	#16
Brass Tacks Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: NW Arkansas Posts: 553	Re: What is a Flechette? they were (are?) used in 105mm artillery rounds. for SHTF situations their first cousin is the Lazy Dog Bomb. nasty buggers both http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazy_Dog_(bomb) a battlefield souvenir __________________ The Second Amendment, America's Original Homeland Security I don't know how I got over the hill without ever getting to the top.

06-22-2012, 07:08 PM	#17
Clipper V.I.P. Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Amarillo, TX Posts: 381	Re: What is a Flechette? The Lazy Dog concept was developed for use in Vietnam, one canister load was 2.75" rocket war heads fuzed to explode on contact, another was bomblets that were random fuzed, and still another was a canister full of the .45 cal projectiles seen in the post above. When properly utilized, the canister would open at about 5.000' and would put a projectile in every foot of an acre size area. Deadly stuff! Not used much to my knowledge.