Future of Firearms

[HankB]

In terms of recoil reduction . . . IMHO, rather than a laser/microwave or whatever beam weapon, a Gauss rifle would be a good candidate for the next real advance, assuming practical batteries could be developed. (Talking about personal weapons here, not fixed or vehicle mounted.)

For example, consider a typical .30/06 which fires a 180 grain projectile at 2700 ft/sec. A substantial part of the recoil impulse is due to the ejection of the gasses formed by combustion of the powder.

A Gauss rifle would propel a projectile magnetically - no combustion products to add to either recoil or weapon signature. And velocity would no longer be limited to the rate at which combustion gasses could expand; in principle that 180 grain projectile could be made (for example) 1/6 the weight - 30 grains - and have the velocity kicked up to 16200 ft/sec with no increase in recoil, since the momentum would be the same. And since energy is a product of the square of velocity, kinetic energy would go from ~ 2900 ft/lbs to over 17,000!

With a projectile impacting at over 3 miles per second, I think we could start talking about hydrostatic shock realistically!

[TLE2]

IMHO, a portable rail gun is more likely than a "ray" weapon.

As battery technology advances, it may be able to get velocities comparable to firearms in a sufficiently small package to carry. I would expect rifle-sized weapons to appear first, or at least first after larger scale military weapons. Then as electromagnetic and battery technologies advance, pistol sized packages should appear.

And who's to say you couldn't tinker with them? Polish the "barrel", upgrade the magnetics, higher voltage system, etc.

Just remember that any sufficiently advanced technology appears to be magic... until you understand it.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

HankB said: kinetic energy would go from ~ 2900 ft/lbs to over 17,000!

It seems that this upgrade in power would always result in over-penetration through
the BG's body, resulting in the deaths of innocents.

SIA

[chabouk]

HankB said: kinetic energy would go from ~ 2900 ft/lbs to over 17,000!

It seems that this upgrade in power would always result in over-penetration through
the BG's body, resulting in the deaths of innocents.

That would be a function of projectile design, not energy.

[Ashlar]

IMHO, a portable rail gun is more likely than a "ray" weapon.

As battery technology advances, it may be able to get velocities comparable to firearms in a sufficiently small package to carry. I would expect rifle-sized weapons to appear first, or at least first after larger scale military weapons. Then as electromagnetic and battery technologies advance, pistol sized packages should appear.

And who's to say you couldn't tinker with them? Polish the "barrel", upgrade the magnetics, higher voltage system, etc.

Just remember that any sufficiently advanced technology appears to be magic... until you understand it.

Another line of thought is to include a single-use battery per projectile, similar to a modern round incorporating ignitor and propellant (primer and powder). It doesn't matter that the battery is destroyed through the discharge.

Regarding tinkering- it's just another skill set. Your basic tool kit goes from a set of hand tools to a soldering iron and a radio shack catalog. Your top-of-the-line tool for an armorer goes from a metal lathe / mill to a PIC programmer and 3D metal printer.

[Keith B]

[
Another line of thought is to include a single-use battery per projectile, similar to a modern round incorporating ignitor and propellant (primer and powder). It doesn't matter that the battery is destroyed through the discharge.

Let's see, a D-cell battery traveling at even 2,500 fps would be a NASTY projectile!!!!

[MechAg94]

I guess I am thinking closer to current Tech. I figure someone will either come up with a true caseless ammo type or come up with a cheap/strong polymer case that can be more easily discarded after use. I'm not sure what that does to reloaders. IMO, the reason we use brass with primer, powder, and bullet is because it works and works well. All other materials we have to use require compromises of some sort.

With the improvements in nanotechnology and computers, I have to wonder what that will do. Imagine a pistol or rifle with a compact built in aiming system that accounts for distance and all sorts of other factors.

[seamusTX]

Imagine a pistol or rifle with a compact built in aiming system that accounts for distance and all sorts of other factors.

Some kind of electronic ranging system would be useful with rifles, though I have to think the U.S. military has already spent millions on research that didn't work out.

At practical handgun distances, the sighting systems that we have are more than adequate. I know some people shoot handguns 100 yards or more, but that is a specialized hobby.

- Jim

[karl]

How about this: digital target acquisition. We already have cameras that can detect faces, what if the new digital soldier could have a HUD that would identify friendlies and BGs and aim the weapon accordingly. Kind of like the cannon on the AH-64.

Maybe I play too many video games.

[marksiwel]

How about this: digital target acquisition. We already have cameras that can detect faces, what if the new digital soldier could have a HUD that would identify friendlies and BGs and aim the weapon accordingly. Kind of like the cannon on the AH-64.

Maybe I play too many video games.

One EMP blast and all those Gee Whiz weapons are toast

[karl]

One EMP blast and all those Gee Whiz weapons are toast

Very true. That would also nullify a lot of the suggestions here too.

[seamusTX]

One EMP blast, and modern society is toast.

BTW, a certain large, Communist country in Asia demonstrated its ability to shoot down missiles yesterday.

Here I go with the thread drift again.

- Jim

[rzym20]

I think steerable ammo is the next major revolution. We already have armor piercing incendiary, time delay explosive, etc. The main problem is hitting the target, especially at long ranges, or where the target is moving erratically. Guidance systems have already impacted every other major weapon system...bombs became JDAM's, artillery became CopperHead, rockets became Mavericks and Hellfires, bazookas became Javelins and TOW's, AA flak became Phalanx and Standard, V-2 became Tomahawk, torpedoes became MK48 ADCAP Mod 7 (CBASS) . The ONLY major weapon system that hasn't experienced the guidance revolution is small arms. Think about a SR-25 .50cal sniper rifle round cruising at 3,000fps and able to course-correct on it's way to the target. Scary.

[rzym20]

One EMP blast, and modern society is toast.

BTW, a certain large, Communist country in Asia demonstrated its ability to shoot down missiles yesterday.

Here I go with the thread drift again.

- Jim

Respectfully, that's only partially true. I used to do RadHard work at Motorola Semiconductor. Radiation-hardened electronics are perfectly capable of surviving an EMP attack. Military communications grids were designed with this in mind. As for the rest of society, yeah they'd be having a bad day.

[rzym20]

Imagine a pistol or rifle with a compact built in aiming system that accounts for distance and all sorts of other factors.

Some kind of electronic ranging system would be useful with rifles, though I have to think the U.S. military has already spent millions on research that didn't work out.

At practical handgun distances, the sighting systems that we have are more than adequate. I know some people shoot handguns 100 yards or more, but that is a specialized hobby.

- Jim

Automated ranging and fire control...that's perfectly reasonable. Kind of a portable Phalanx CWS.