In the last post, I threw in the comment about rail guns for sci-fi and technogeeks... I suspect those will never become practical, just like mecha and powersuits will never become practical.
Some YouTube videos:
I don't really care about its applications for missile defense--perhaps the US Navy might worry about it if they were ever engaged in operations in the Persian Gulf or in the Taiwan Strait, but I just see another sinkhole for taxpayer dollars. Applying it to an anti-tank weapon, on the other hand... but how many tank battles do we really foresee for the near future?
Wrt to handguns and rifles--how does one reload the weapon? Magazines certainly make reloading convenient. If a speed reloader is developed, how much would that weigh? And carrying a bunch of speed reloaders in order to have sufficient ammunition doesn't really cut down on weight. And if one doesn't want the weapon to jam, one should implement higher standards during the rifle selection process. I don't see HK worrying about gun jams. As for accuracy--that's what time on the shooting range is for, and the U.S. military should not be reducing training time either for regular Army or the NG.
official company website
Popular Mechanics
Defense Review article; another
Student research paper.
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