With no moving parts, Metal Storm weapons can lay down a million-plus rounds per minute!

Popular Mechanics ^ | FR Post 9-30-2002 | BY SCOTT GOURLEY

[vannrox]

Where can I get one?

[vannrox]

I want one!

[billorites]

Maybe we can get a special deer season for these here in NH.

Like between bow and muzzleloader season?

[Vidalia]

Will it function after being "immersed in water"?

What's the result when you get one of those pesky internal short-circuits?

[Sinner6]

I saw some footage of these things on TechTV(probally) and oh my god. These things are amazing. I was physically aroused after the footage. Wow does not even begin to describe it. In one part they showed a "metal storm" gun with 8 barrels and they shot off 80 rounds faster then I blinked. The 80 rounds only sounded like one it was so fast.

[Lexington Green]

How much does a million rounds weigh?

[tlrugit]

They are listed on the NASDAQ, symbol MTSX. Homepage: http://www.metalstorm.com

[fogarty]

Here's a question. Can you achieve anywhere near the max rounds per minute without melting the barrel down from the sheer heat of friction? I've fired a fifty cal fast enough that the barrel glowed red hot and had to be changed manually. Seems to me that after a few thousand rounds this thing would melt the barrels to slag.

[IronJack]

Surely you jest! If and when this technology is ever made feasible, you can be assured that the peasants will never be permitted to use it. It will be reserved for our betters, you know, those highly trained folks like police, weigh station attendants, crossing guards, Diane Feinstein ...

[BushMeister]

Useful against incoming missiles, I assume.

[Doomonyou]

Where can I get one?

The only ones who will ever have one legally are your friendly local Feds.

[Charles Martel]

This is far from a new idea, Metalsorm has just repackaged the stacked-charge concept with electronic ignition.

This version is impractical for a number of reasons, the first being that you have to replace the barrel to reload. There used to be matchlock rifles that literally had a sliding lock and trigger mechanism, which would align with three or four flash-holes on the barrel. The shooter started and the front and worked back, firing the stacked charges just like in this new version. Once in a while, some combustion gas would leak rearward and *all* of the charges would detonate at the same time. I hope Metalstorm has world-class insurance; they're marketing a high-tech pipe bomb.

[philetus]

The only ones who will ever have one legally are your friendly local Feds.

darn, I wanted one to hang on my wall under my
ACME Tactical Nuclear Missle Launcher Pro
(home version)

[taxcontrol]

The barrel is single use. Once all the rounds in the barrel have been fired, barrel replacement is required. Think of the barrel as being combined barrel/magazine.

On other interesting idea on their web site was to use this in a fire suppression role. In theory, 40mm grenades that produce chemical fire suppressant could be unloaded into an area rather rapidly. Had a helicopter been armed with such a system in NYC, it might have been possible to extinguish the fire in the WTC by simply flying up to the breach and firing into the hole created by the airplane.

All in all, interesting technology but it does have some rather 'big brother' posibilities. For example, everytime it is discharged, using a GPS chip (1" x 1") a cellphone chip (also 1" x 1") embedded in the grip and powered by the recoil, dials the police and reports the discharge, the number of rounds fired, location and 64 digit security code. All within a second of the weapon's discharge.

Heck, if you serial number the barrel and the barrel has to be returned to the factory, you could even determine the type of ammo and who bought the ammo. Of course, this would help police find a killer, but it would also create a level of privacy invasion against gun owners.

Real nice way for the cops to know who did what when where. I'll bet the liberals will be DEMANDING that gun owners have this type of firearm. (see we don't want to take away your guns).

[Doomonyou]

darn, I wanted one to hang on my wall under my ACME Tactical Nuclear Missle Launcher Pro (home version)

Me Too!

I was gonna keep it under my pillow for home defense.

[Sir Gawain]

Think of how many more innocent people will be killed when some untrained cop starts firing wildly at a criminal.

[humblegunner]

Cool gun ping!

[tracer]

And the good news is that it's available in high-impact polystyrene!!

[discostu]

Over sharing dude.