Only after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the media began to leak sensational information about the mysterious weapon, which began to develop in the 60s of the last century, domestic experts. Until now, no one knows whether this was a "duck", or the notorious "atomic bullets" actually existed.
The main substance for making nuclear bombs is uranium-235 or plutonium-239. For an explosion to occur, the projectile must have a so-called critical mass. For uranium and plutonium, it must be at least 1 kilogram. Meanwhile, nuclear ammunition intended for heavy machine guns had a caliber of 14.3 mm and 12.7 mm. And then it was all about bullets with a caliber of 7.62 mm for a Kalashnikov machine gun. It is believed that to this day there are no such miniature atomic shells. If you believe the sources, the Soviet physicists made a nuclear charge for bullets from the transuranic element California. The atomic weight of this substance is 252 units, while its critical mass is only 1.8 grams. But the most important advantage of CA-252 is that its decay produces from 5 to 8 neutrons, while uranium and Pluto can only generate from 2 to 3. Scientists have found that two methods can be used to obtain data. The first is considered the simplest: it is the explosion of a plutonium bomb. The second is the creation of isotopes using a nuclear reactor. Meanwhile, the first method is considered the most effective, since it has a neutron flux density much higher than that which can be obtained in the reactor. However, it is necessary continuously to conduct nuclear tests. They were allegedly held at the famous landfill in Semipalatinsk. So, at the heart of the atomic bullet is a tiny piece made of metal weighing no more than 6 grams, shaped like a dumbbell, consisting of two hemispheres connected by a thin bridge. The explosive inside the projectile is a compact ball with a diameter of 8 millimeters (a bullet with a standard caliber of 7.62 millimeters). These parameters are enough to trigger a nuclear explosion. Tests have shown that one such pellet can completely melt the tank armor or turn into dust brickwork.
However, in the early 80's, shortly before Brezhnev's death, the project was curtailed. The fact is that during the disintegration of the earth there was an intense release of heat and the projectiles were very hot. Each bullet produced up to 5 watts of thermal energy and this changed the properties of the explosive and the fuse itself, which could cause the bullet to get stuck in the chamber or barrel, and even spontaneous firing of the charge. Therefore, the bullets had to be stored in a specialized refrigerator, which was a copper plate 15 centimeters thick with sockets for 30 rounds. The coolant was liquid ammonia, supplied under pressure through a channel in the space between the shells. The unit maintained a temperature of -15 degrees Celsius. At the same time, the installation weighing 110 kilograms had an increased energy consumption (200 Watts) and special transport was required to move it. In addition, it was necessary to use the bullet within half an hour after it was removed from the refrigerator. If the projectile was out of the refrigeration unit for an hour, it had to be destroyed, and this also required separate equipment... in short, all this created a lot of inconvenience. Another serious drawback of atomic bullets was that the energy released during the explosion was unstable. They could range from 100 to 700 kilograms in TNT equivalent. This created a weak blast wave, but a high level of radiation. As a result, these mini-bombs were most effective for hitting targets at the farthest possible distance, but the shooter was exposed to significant radiation. Therefore, snipers were not allowed to fire long bursts during the tests, and they had to fire no more than three shots at a time. Also, the explosion could not occur if the charge fell into the water: the liquid medium slowed down and reflected neutrons. Finally, the energy reserves obtained by nuclear explosions were quickly exhausted, and getting them using the reactor was very expensive, and the stock of nuclear raw materials at the output was small. All these factors together led to the suspension of work on the project.
However, there is a version that for the first time small atomic charges were invented in the 60s in the United States, when the cold war was in full swing. The development involved the destruction of living beings within a certain range of the projectile with the help of a special striking gas released during a nuclear reaction. The USSR, in turn, began to develop atomic bullets in contrast to the potential enemy. But, one way or another, these projects did not take place. Is it possible to find samples of these legendary bullets somewhere now? Researchers believe that they may be somewhere in museums or private collections. But the shelf life of such pellets-no more than six years, so use it for its intended purpose will not work. Recently, in the us state of Texas, a bomb was tested, the filling for which is an isomer of hafnium, the destructive capacity of which is equal to the equivalent of 50 kilograms of TNT. To obtain this substance, the core of the element was exposed to x-rays. As a result, a huge amount of energy was released, consisting of the gamma spectrum, which is harmful to living organisms. Quite powerful types of weapons have been developed in Russia. Perhaps they will even surpass the Soviet atomic bullets, which we have not seen.