ArcFlash Labs' GR-1 Anvil Portable Gauss Rifle

[Bikebreath]

This came across my Facebook page, (for all you Facebook haters )

I don't understand why they can't or don't rifle the barrel. Otherwise, this is totally bitchin'.

 

[budman93]

This came across my Facebook page, (for all you Facebook haters )

I don't understand why they can't or don't rifle the barrel. Otherwise, this is totally bitchin'.

I'm guessing the projectile is somewhat loose fitting in the barrel. If it was rifled and the projectile was sized so it had to cut into that rifling it would create a lot more resistance and it might not have the power to get the projectile to sufficient speed right now. Its currently very low powered and very heavy. Since it fires via electromagnets ferrous barrels are probably out too. Looks like the barrel is some sort of durable clear plastic. He said it never contacts the bore so it is kind of levitated in place in the center by the magnets.

 

[Bikebreath]

I'm guessing the projectile is somewhat loose fitting in the barrel. If it was rifled and the projectile was sized so it had to cut into that rifling it would create a lot more resistance and it might not have the power to get the projectile to sufficient speed right now. Its currently very low powered and very heavy. Since it fires via electromagnets ferrous barrels are probably out too. Looks like the barrel is some sort of durable clear plastic. He said it never contacts the bore so it is kind of levitated in place in the center by the magnets.

That's a very helpful answer. Thanks!

 

[ToolAA]

I just thought about a way to introduce spin to the projectile. If the projectile was actually designed like an electric motor rotor perhaps they could introduce some sort of rotating differences in the pulse that propels the projectile forward and introduces spin at the same time.

 

[MaxVO2]

I just thought about a way to introduce spin to the projectile. If the projectile was actually designed like an electric motor rotor perhaps they could introduce some sort of rotating differences in the pulse that propels the projectile forward and introduces spin at the same time.

*****Yes. This could be done. A big advantage to this would be the potential for essentially altering the "spin" as would be done by lands/grooves with different pulses. This is a huge advantage in a sense as you could basically alter the result of what would normally be done by the "rifling" of a barrel to accommodate different size projectiles (grain weight) for optimum accuracy and ballistic performance. Essentially altering the "rifling" by moving a selector switch based on projectile weight without having to swap barrels or end up with sub optimal performance, etc..

The weapon has potential, for sure. I bet Q is already working along these lines for the next James/Jane Bond movie, but perhaps also real real life..

A weapon of the future perhaps - just like the phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range. It's coming..

 

[ToolAA]

*****Yes. This could be done. A big advantage to this would be the potential for essentially altering the "spin" as would be done by lands/grooves with different pulses. This is a huge advantage in a sense as you could basically alter the result of what would normally be done by the "rifling" of a barrel to accommodate different size projectiles (grain weight) for optimum accuracy and ballistic performance. Essentially altering the "rifling" by moving a selector switch based on projectile weight without having to swap barrels or end up with sub optimal performance, etc..

The weapon has potential, for sure. I bet Q is already working along these lines for the next James/Jane Bond movie, but perhaps also real real life..

A weapon of the future perhaps - just like the phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range. It's coming..

That’s a great twist on the idea. (no pun intended). Since you are no longer cutting into the jacket of the projectile I would assume you could spin projectiles considerably faster, without them flying apart. There would no longer be a “Twist Ratio”.

Time to sell some of your AMD and NVIDA stock and fund my new Space Ammo startup venture.


More thoughts…Are these things even considered “Firearms”? Would they be protected under the 2A. Could a fully automatic version really fire a true continuous stream of projectiles? I’m thinking a stream of 1mm projectiles traveling at 6500FPS firing at a rate of 1000 per sec would be pretty frightening from the business end.

 

[budman93]

Demo ranch had a full auto rail gun that launched flat discs. He said it is legally not a gun, as you would expect. Smaller but a lot more refined than this one.

 

[calicojack]

As we are able to miniaturize electronics and are able to shove more power into smaller batteries more quickly, which is going to happen as we strive for "carbon neutral" energy, these will become even more practical. Kind of ironic.

 

[jrumann59]

As we are able to miniaturize electronics and are able to shove more power into smaller batteries more quickly, which is going to happen as we strive for "carbon neutral" energy, these will become even more practical. Kind of ironic.

Suppressors will be the least of their worries, all the ammo is off the shelf at your local home depot, lowes or grainger

 

[lazarus]

I just thought about a way to introduce spin to the projectile. If the projectile was actually designed like an electric motor rotor perhaps they could introduce some sort of rotating differences in the pulse that propels the projectile forward and introduces spin at the same time.

The easiest method would be projectiles with fletching. Fire actual darts. Not steel cylinders. That’ll stabilize it. Projectiles would be more expensive of course. But it also allows you to streamline the entire thing to make it more aerodynamic. Better penetration also. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to get hit with a 300gr chunk of steel moving at ~70 meters a second. But unless maybe it hit you in the skull, that’s pretty unlikely to be lethal. A good chance it won’t break your skin as flat as it is, and especially if it hits side on (or at least not penetrate, it might still break the skin). Might have enough energy to break some ribs or an arm or leg.

But a rounded tip hitting head on would penetrate. And of course way more accurate.

If the fins are design to introduce rotation, like an arrows fletching is, then the asymmetrical ferrous shape would likely introduce a spin from the magnetic fields of the coils.

What is primarily needed here are more efficiency capacitors. Until you get to about 10x the energy density of capacitors you aren’t going to have a practical coil gun.

Despite some taking down of rail guns, that would be a better implementation. They are more efficient than a coil gun and you have no worries about magnet timing/suck back, etc. all you need to do is design the rails to be easily replaceable. At rifle velocities rail erosion wouldn’t be that much of a concern. Maybe not thousands of firings, but at least hundreds before the rails would need replacing. Handgun velocities a heck of a lot more than that!

And that added efficiency means you get more energy delivered to the projectile and less wasted in magnetic flux heating.

A rail gun where you can easily disconnect the rails and insert/retain new rails shouldn’t be an impossible engineering challenge. The rails themselves aren’t necessarily expensive and wouldn’t be bulky (for something man portable). You’d still have the issues of portability on the power supply as well as cycling time.

 

[lazarus]

That’s a great twist on the idea. (no pun intended). Since you are no longer cutting into the jacket of the projectile I would assume you could spin projectiles considerably faster, without them flying apart. There would no longer be a “Twist Ratio”.

Time to sell some of your AMD and NVIDA stock and fund my new Space Ammo startup venture.


More thoughts…Are these things even considered “Firearms”? Would they be protected under the 2A. Could a fully automatic version really fire a true continuous stream of projectiles? I’m thinking a stream of 1mm projectiles traveling at 6500FPS firing at a rate of 1000 per sec would be pretty frightening from the business end.

The issue is coil guns efficiency is dependent upon the weight of the projectile. Think of it like throwing something. You can’t throw a quarter ounce ball much faster than a one ounce ball or a 4oz ball.

Eventually something gets heavy enough it’ll significantly reduce how fast you can throw it. A 1lb ball you’ll throw slower than that 4oz ball. And an 8lb bowling ball a lot slower than a 1lb ball.

It is due to the magnetic fields. The coils are using power to generate the magnetic fields regardless if a projectile is passing through and being accelerated. The energy is lost in the generated magnetic field. A rail gun works on a different principle of how the magnetic field is generated and projectile accelerated. Coil guns are based on the size and ferromagnetic properties of the projectile interacting the magnetic field.

A rail gun accelerates based on how much current passes through the projectile/armature itself. Voltage of the system and resistance of the projectile/armature. A smaller projectile can pass less power through it. But the rail gun would use less power. You can just increase the voltage to make up for that. You wouldn’t get a bunch of extra wasted power because it is a smaller projectile.

Now depending on the acceleration you want, you increase rail erosion the higher the acceleration you want as you have to pass a higher voltage/current, which turns some amount of the projectile (and also the rails) in to plasma.

Anyway, yes, you could make a rail gun that kicked out small 5 grain aluminum pellets at 6000fps. You’d probably suffers a fair amount of rail erosion at those power levels with something that small. Maybe a few hundred rounds between rail replacements?

A coil gun would be horribly inefficient trying to do that with small projectiles. You might as well kick out 1000gr projectiles instead at those velocities. Recoil of course would be massively higher. Power levels needed aren’t much different…

 

[lazarus]

Demo ranch had a full auto rail gun that launched flat discs. He said it is legally not a gun, as you would expect. Smaller but a lot more refined than this one.

That is because the demotion ranch “gun” was a railgun. A railgun is significantly more efficient.

At least for man-portable weapons, I highly doubt we will see coil guns. Rail guns I could see replacing chemical firearm at some point as batteries and capacitors improve. A coil gun is more likely to replace a tank main gun. But even then, coil gun inefficiencies might just not make it ever practical.