Guass Weapons

[Rigel Stardin]

Okay, I like the idea of a linear acclerated weapon. It is my opinion that they would make the ultimate sniper rifle and sub machine guns. Since it's a matter of power and barrel length you could have pistol, sub machine gun (SMG) and rifle versions of this weapon.

Pistol = 9mm round Snub or auto pistol
SMG = 9 mm round auto pistol
Rifle = any Carbine and up.

Supressing the sound of the weapon is not a problem since the velocities of the weapon would be simular to the rounds I have discribed so far. The acception here is when you get above deer rifle or standard military sniper rifle. .50 cal as far as I know have never been supressed.

So the question comes down to power supply and number of rounds per mag. As the technology progresses the power requirements go down but the dart these weapons fire would be designed for maxium damage and ballistic flight characteristics. At what point, does the miniturazation stop on the dart and what type of rounds could you fire from this weapon.

The one story I have been working on deals with Warbots. The Guass rifle has a thousand round mag like the Calico assualt rifle, it can also fire four armor pericing rounds. The selector switch allows it to fire single, auto and burst. And yes it is suppressed.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter....

 

[Border Reiver]

Alternate Gauss weaponry was discussed in great detail from T4 onwards. Mostly they kept the same 4mm standard rifle round but also had larger rounds. There were pistols, SMGs, carbines, SAWs and more.

I personally like the idea of a 20mm plus gauss autocannon. Can anyone think of a reason why gauss rounds couldn't have explosive warheads?

 

[Vile]

GURPS Ultra-Tech has a lot of neat ideas for non-needler gauss weaponry. In fact, you've got two theories to choose from, coil guns (which is what gauss guns are) or rail guns. I'm not sure what effect electromagnetic propulsion has on the rounds themselves - do they get really really hot? If so I suppose you might need very stable explosive warheads.

Now, though, a Calico is a SMG, and it comes with 50- or 100-round helical magazines for 9mm and 100-round magazines in .22".

 

[Rigel Stardin]

GURPS Ultra-Tech has a lot of neat ideas for non-needler gauss weaponry. In fact, you've got two theories to choose from, coil guns (which is what gauss guns are) or rail guns. I'm not sure what effect electromagnetic propulsion has on the rounds themselves - do they get really really hot? If so I suppose you might need very stable explosive warheads.

Now, though, a Calico is a SMG, and it comes with 50- or 100-round helical magazines for 9mm and 100-round magazines in .22".

Calico have a 9mm verison as well. The soviet Bison also uses that sort of drum magazine.

I have always consided railguns as larger verisons of Guass or as I call them LAG=Linear Acelerator Guns.

Heat is not an issue (I think), what is an issue is the EM signature of the weapon. Powering up those magnets would give off a EM sign that could easily be detected unless the weapon is sheilded. That is why I classify it as an energy weapon.

 

[sabredog]

GURPS Ultra-Tech has a lot of neat ideas for non-needler gauss weaponry. In fact, you've got two theories to choose from, coil guns (which is what gauss guns are) or rail guns. I'm not sure what effect electromagnetic propulsion has on the rounds themselves - do they get really really hot? If so I suppose you might need very stable explosive warheads.

Now, though, a Calico is a SMG, and it comes with 50- or 100-round helical magazines for 9mm and 100-round magazines in .22".

Yup, they get hot...friction, velocity, all that still come into play even if the round isn't touching the rails...plus the power is going to heat the "barrel".

As for stable HE warheads, they would only need to be able to withstand the force of the initial firing from the breech - same as any cannon round does today. The gun could even have a lower velocity setting for the HE rounds to ensure that they are slow enough that when they hit the target they actually explode instead of just blowing through like a regular bullet, or crushing the detonator. Maybe something like a mini-squash head type roud like some tanks use?

 

[sabredog]

I personally like the idea of a 20mm plus gauss autocannon. Can anyone think of a reason why gauss rounds couldn't have explosive warheads?

None at all, I started this thread after coming up with a couple of early man-portable railguns to fill the gaps in Trav. And one of them uses HE rounds.

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=21236&highlight=early+railgguns

 

[Rigel Stardin]

Superconductive material in the maganets wouldn't be the issue of heat except when multiple rounds are fired, tranfer of the air friction of the rounds passing down the barrel may produce the same ammount of heat a normal rifle.

Electromagnetic Signature (EM) is a bigger concern for me. You're basically operating a bunch of magnetic (rather small in scope on the man portable level) which must be charged and (No other term comes to mind) then pulse down the length of the barrel. It is at this point the EM Sign would be very high, the second factor is charging device for the magnets would also being throwing off a EM sign as well.

 

[Palidian]

With gauss weapons the heat will be generated in the coils due to electrical resistance. There will be very little heat due to friction.

There will be little weapon noise, however there will be a sonic boom, that travels with the projectile, it is a different noise, than the expanding gas from firearms, and makes locating the shooter harder, as the noise will appear to be coming from two directions.

Any weapon can be silenced, however you must slow the projectile down to below the speed of sound.

The power to operate come from batteries that are in the magazine, 100 rounds would need 100 rounds of batteries. The best thing about gauss weapons is there is no muzzle flash.

 

[Vile]

With gauss weapons the heat will be generated in the coils due to electrical resistance. There will be very little heat due to friction.

That would be one advantage of coilguns vs. railguns. Railguns propel their rounds via contacts, while coilgun rounds 'float' through the coils.

 

[Selandia]

well, while we are dealing with details, remember to stabilize your round, it pose no problem really, just been picky.

If you can pack the energy required for hi-vel gauss in small package (like a practical "100rds magazine") as oppose to a back pack power pack why not use "lightning" projectile (like a aaa bty) that would discharge upon contact?

More to the point of explosive gauss ammo, I always found weird that zero-G conscious people would give so little concern to ammo that were not speed dependant for their terminal effect: Heat, HE, HESH outside energy weapons.

Selandia

 

[iron warrior]

I had an idea for a gauss based weapon that accelerated a gyrojet type round to high velocity then the round's solid fuel rocket ignited, giving it incredible range

 

[Andrew Boulton]

A bit like the accelerator rifle.

 

[Selandia]

gauss/rocket

It is brilliant and actually akind the RPG-7. The initial expulsion is a small "recoilless" charge, then the rocket propulsion take over. You have a longer acting rocket because you do not need to burn the whole rocket when it is in the tube. Aiming and the initial forward and rotative inertia (you can't stabilize with fins in vacuum) is done with the gauss gun and sustained forward motion with the rocket.

Selandia

 

[iron warrior]

It is brilliant and actually akind the RPG-7. The initial expulsion is a small "recoilless" charge, then the rocket propulsion take over. You have a longer acting rocket because you do not need to burn the whole rocket when it is in the tube. Aiming and the initial forward and rotative inertia (you can't stabilize with fins in vacuum) is done with the gauss gun and sustained forward motion with the rocket.

Selandia

Or the rocket could have angled exhausts for spin.

BTW, on this topic, the original gyrojets made in the 60's gave the whole idea a bad reputation because ONE batch had a defect in one of the nozzles that threw it off in accuracy terms.

A properly made gyrojet round is just as or more powerful then an equivalent normal round, much quieter (The sound of a gyrojet being fired was described as 'being like a shaken beer can overflowing after being opened.) and has a lot less recoil.

 

[Jame]

I keep being surprised that there are no gauss heavy weapons beyond the VRFGG. There should be gauss mortars, gauss RPG launchers, gauss cannon and the like.

 

[aramis]

There are, Jame... the "Gauss Cannon" are called railguns.

 

[Jame]

There are, Jame... the "Gauss Cannon" are called railguns.

Ahh, but in which Traveller books can I find them?

 

[Selandia]

Or the rocket could have angled exhausts for spin.

BTW, on this topic, the original gyrojets made in the 60's gave the whole idea a bad reputation because ONE batch had a defect in one of the nozzles that threw it off in accuracy terms.

A properly made gyrojet round is just as or more powerful then an equivalent normal round, much quieter (The sound of a gyrojet being fired was described as 'being like a shaken beer can overflowing after being opened.) and has a lot less recoil.

Cheap mass produced ammo may have that kind of problem. If we postulate that we should use gauss (and may be that postulate is wrong, may be laser or gyrojet solve every problems) why not a fool proof method of stabilizing? Of course, nothing wrong with a player that want gyrojet.

Selandia

 

[aramis]

Ahh, but in which Traveller books can I find them?

Striker, MT RM, FF&S.

Oh, I forgot to mention, there are also mass drivers, another name for magnetically accelerated heavy projectiles.

 

[Jame]

Striker, MT RM, FF&S.

Oh, I forgot to mention, there are also mass drivers, another name for magnetically accelerated heavy projectiles.

Ah. So they're in the ones I've never seen then?:smirk: