http://www.sammlermunition.de/huelsenlose.htm
There are also some good books the the G11, including:
Seel, Wolfgang. 1993. Die G11 Story: Die Entwicklungsgeschichte Einer High-Tech-Waffe: The G11 Story: The Development Story of a High-Tech-Weapon. Journal Verlag Schwend GMBH.. Schwäbisch Hall, Germany. 161p.
And several good books on caseless developments over the years, including:
Dmitrieff, George. 1994. Caseless Ammunition for Small Arms. Zebrowski Historical Services Publishing Company. New York, U.S.A.. 108p. ISBN: 1880484072
Caseless had been around long before the G11 project, and the G11 focused on the development of an assault rifle that would use caseless ammunition. It stemmed from a Bundeswehr proposal/desire to have a rifle with a 3 round burst feature that would, as mentioned above, see the third round leaving the barrel before the recoil of the first round began to have effect on the shooter, in an attempt to retain accuracy and reduce muzzle rise, so common in most three and five round bursts.
HK felt that the this meant a RPM rate of 2100 for the three round burst, and then you would only need 600rpm for normal full auto fire.
The engineers came to the conclusion that in order to attain a 2100RMP cycle that they would need to short step the normal firing cycle and decided that ejection was a step to avoid. To get ejection out of the loop they opted for caseless.
On the ammunition side there was alot of work with Dynamite Nobel, and various designs. Personally I preffer the 4,7X21, as it was the most cosmetically pleasing round of them all, with the later 4,7X33 looking much more soul-less.
The cookoff problem was pretty much dealt with, and one needs to bare in mind that development lasted over 2 decades. Various compounds were used and I am surprised to hear CZs are not holding up well. My 4,7X21s are doing amazingly well, and most of the rounds from then on are holding up quite well indeed. (As folks at the last CGN Maritimers shoot can attest, my old 4,7X21s look practically brand new).
As mentioned by Reaper the Bundeswehr just did not want to go through the cost of adopting the G11 fullscale, though it saw some use with some smaller more elite units. Cost wise it was too much to adopt, particularly when the rest of NATO showed no interest in leaving the 556.
Ultimately they have become curios, and yes the G11s are on the Prohib list :roll:
As for durability of caseless rounds they are reasonably durable, and the G11s were not meant for soldiers to handle. They were intended to be issued in chargers, and to avoid people needlessly handling them. That said, as mentioned they are quite durable. Additionally they represent a truely innovative step in caseless munitions, with the internal booster, the protective coatings, etc, etc.
Additionally Voere still sells thier caseless 223s, and IIRC they are the last.
As development proceeded, HK tried to sell the idea to other nations based on the rapid fire, and weigh savings. Repeatedly advertising the weight difference in 4,7 vs 5,56 vs 7,62 but no one else ever really seemed impressed. Ultimately I personally would describe it as innovative German engineering, for the sake of innovative German engineering.
Ballistically, I can only add that upon pressing Bartok5 for his opinion of going into battle with the 4,7 rather than the already puny 5,56 he was less than enthused with the idea :wink: :lol:
