An EV Firearm?

[swsig]

The EV thread has certainly generated a lot of interest. Since this is a firearms forum, how about an EV firearm? US aircraft carriers are moving to electromagnetic catapults. Could that technology be applied to launching bullets? These guys sort of have an answer:

$3,375 Electromagnetic Gun Declared "A Serious Weapon" During Expert Range Report (Updated)

I know it looks clunky now, but as technology advances, we can expect to see less clunky versions in the future.

What would be some of the advantages of an EV firearm?
Infinitely adjustable trigger pull settings.
No worn/broken springs to complain about.
Cheap ammo -- just buy bullets, not cartridges.
No hitting the shooter to your right with ejected shells.
No groveling on the ground collecting brass.
No hearing protection necessary.

Disadvantages?
Replacing the magazine holders on your belt with battery holders.
Not usable for those with pacemakers. (Sorry, Rusty)
May be a bit heavy.
No groveling on the ground collecting brass.
Not pocket carryable.
More easily controlled by government regulations. (For example, mandatory "safety chips".)

I'm sure you can think of others.

 

[Protocall_Design]

I can think of some bad disadvantages.

Dead battery when you most need to use it.
Have to keep it charged up all the time like a cell phone.
Tesla style battery fire on your belt or backpack.
Hidden geo locator so someone else can always know where your gun is, like they already do on your cell phone.
Remote control so they can fire, shut down, or disable remotely, like they already do on cars.

No thanks. I will leave the rail guns and laser guns to the military.

 

[The Last Standing Knight]

I have seen a few examples of these kinds of weapons. A guy at last NRA show in Houston demonstrated one.

At this point, they are still a novelty. Eventually, they will be mainstream although we are centuries away from Captain Kirk's phaser.

Caseless and rail guns are the next evolution of fire arms both in battery mount and personal weapons just like we went from matchlock to flintlock. I can see railgun and energy weapons on ships, shore and aircraft in my lifetime. But the grunts are going to be packing caseless long before those other weapons are small enough to be man portable.

Assuming we don't vaporize ourselves with what we already have first.

 

[Telecaster]

I'll take a Star Trek phaser, those always work.

 

[Rustyt1953]

Unless you slap some blued steel and wood on it it will never get past the carbon dated.

 

[johngalt]

Batteries miserably fail the comparison to gasoline for energy per unit weight. It won't do any better vs gunpowder.

 

[Ματθιας]

I, for one, cannot wait for the phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range to become available at my LGS!

 

[Protocall_Design]

I want a Noisy Cricket, but I'm not doing Appendix Inside the Waist Band carry with that!

 

[Rudi]

Hard to replace a nice Smith. Old school works good.

 

[delcrossv]

Built a 4' long railgun in college using old parts in the lab and some help from the lab machinists. Slug went through a 1/4" steel plate and the cinderblock machine shop wall.

Oops.

It definitely was not "portable". I'll bet the parts are still there in some back storeroom.

 

[DWalt]

My guess is that a man-portable directed energy weapon probably would not fire solid projectiles, but something like focused-beam gamma rays. I have no idea how that would be accomplished in a small package.

 

[Ματθιας]

I think the military is using lasers to down drones. Lasers can be used to blind, obviously, especially the IR ones.

Here's some footage of a drone being brought down by laser pointers:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIOh9-RoAaE[/ame]

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

My guess is that a man-portable directed energy weapon probably would not fire solid projectiles, but something like focused-beam gamma rays. I have no idea how that would be accomplished in a small package.

Your deer would be cooked by the time you walked up to it......If you miss would you set the woods on fire?

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Some of ya'll may remember........Years ago Remington came out with an electric model 700.....Using electricity for ignition.....Was out about 2 years then relegated to the dust bin of history.

 

[biku324]

Don't mess around with this stuff - we need a modern, repeating poison dart gun.

 

[A10]

I, for one, cannot wait for the phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range to become available at my LGS!

"Only what you see buddy...."

 

[cadmike]

Is it pinned and recessed? And do they make an ankle holster for it?

 

[jeffrefrig]

"Tesla style battery fire on your belt or backpack."
From Protocall_Design


I see someone beat me to it, but no appendix carry! (Pictures unavailable at this time.)

 

[03hemi]

For that price I could get another Daniel Defense 300 BO pistol and a suppressor plus a good 100 drum mag and a little ammo?

 

[DWalt]

Some of ya'll may remember........Years ago Remington came out with an electric model 700.....Using electricity for ignition.....Was out about 2 years then relegated to the dust bin of history.

The Etronix concept was just too big a technology jump for most customers. It had no tangible performance benefits over conventionally primed ammo, the rifle itself was premium priced, and the ammunition was around $5/round. I don't know if it was reloadable. Sort of the answer to a question that no one asked. I remember wondering about what kind of person would possibly want to buy such a rifle.