Technology Marches On: Real World Personal Railgun

[SSWarlock]

No, I'm not kidding. Someone has actually designed and produced a functioning man-portable railgun using 3D-printing technology.

http://futurism.com/links/this-amateur-maker-created-the-first-ever-fully-functional-3d-printed-railgun/

 

[dragoner]

While rail gun tech has a ways to go, even the article states it is about 1/10th the m/s of a military test model; I think anything that could deliver a long range stunner, or more effective stunner, would sell well.

 

[SSWarlock]

What I want to know is how the thing shoots plasma. Copper-encased projectiles, ok. But plasma?

 

[Condottiere]

Anti-drone weapons system.

Installed on your roof, to stop your neighbour taking pictures of your topless sunbathing wife by shooting down his drones.

 

[dragoner]

What I want to know is how the thing shoots plasma. Copper-encased projectiles, ok. But plasma?

The one test video looked like nothing happened. Maybe by "plasma" they mean just electrical current, but that's not really what plasma is, so I don't know.

 

[FallingPhoenix]

What does a railgun do with compressed CO2? I thought a railgun used magnetic acceleration.

 

[Jeraa]

What does a railgun do with compressed CO2? I thought a railgun used magnetic acceleration.

If you propel the round into the rails with something else (compressed co2 in this case) you get more power from the round. This particular one can fire without the rails being used, though not as well of course. Youtube link

 

[simonh]

I like this one. More a cannon than a 'rifle', and the capacitor bank is so big it's kept in a car boot and not built into the launcher.

http://imgur.com/a/GrAiE

It also uses CO2 to propel the projectile into the rails, but they say that if it isn't powered up the round gets stuck in the rails and doesn't exit the muzzle. It's really just a feeding mechanism.

Simon Hibbs