An improved small caliber armor piercing projectile (10) having a fin stabilized sub-caliber high density rod penetrator (11) and an adequately large tracer cavity (23). The tracer cavity does not degrade the armor penetrating capability of the projectile. The rod penetrator core is supported structurally during gun launch by a minimum weight segmented sabot (13) which engages the barrel rifling, followed by a solid plastic obturator (15) which provides an uninterrupted gas seal and holds the segmented sabot components together around the rod penetrator prior to launch. The solid obturator is made from a low ductility homogenous plastic or plastic reinforced composite and is blown apart upon muzzle exit by entrapped propellant gas pressure retained in an internal aft cavity (19). The plastic obturator are located behind the structural sabot so that the propellant gas pressure will maintain the obturator under hydrostatic compression while in the barrel to ensure projectile in- bore stability. Upon muzzle exit, the fractured obturator and segmented sabot components freely discard from the flight projectile without introducing trajectory disturbances.
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