Posted on 10/19/2015 10:56:22 AM PDT by anymouse
If you think the image above looks frightening, you’re right. The crazy contraption pictured in the image is the first portable railgun, a futuristic projectile launcher associated most commonly with the military or NASA. The man in the image above isn’t in the military, and he’s not a NASA engineer. Instead, he’s a civilian who used some engineering smarts, some widely available parts and a 3D printer to create a functioning weapon that can fire graphite, aluminum, tungsten and even plasma projectiles at speeds of more than 560 mph.
And then there’s the best part: There are videos of this homemade railgun in action.
Little is known about Imgur user “NSA_Listbot” beyond the fact that he’s just short of being a wizard with AutoCAD and a 3D printer. The man took to Imgur over the weekend to share what may very well be one of the most amazing and terrifying DIY projects that has even been attempted. And he didn’t just attempt it, he built it.
Using a combination of 3D printing and widely available components, the man built a functioning handheld railgun that houses six capacitors and delivers more than 3,000 kilojoules of energy per shot. What does it shoot, you might be wondering? So far he has tested the gun using metal rods made of graphite, aluminum and copper-coated tungsten, like the ones pictured below.
It can also fire carbon projectiles and teflon/plasma rods. That’s right, this guy built a plasma gun.
The portable device works just like a full-size railgun, using electromagnetic technology to fire projectiles. But it’s important to note that this portable railgun isn’t quite as lethal as a military-grade railgun. While 560 mph projectiles can certainly do some damage, a military railgun can accelerate a projectile to speeds exceeding 13,000 mph in just 0.2 seconds.
Here’s a video of the man test firing a graphite rod at an aluminum-backed plywood target:
3D printing used to make first real handheld railgun, which fires plasma projectiles at 560 mph
handheld railgun
If you think the image above looks frightening, you’re right. The crazy contraption pictured in the image is the first portable railgun, a futuristic projectile launcher associated most commonly with the military or NASA. The man in the image above isn’t in the military, and he’s not a NASA engineer. Instead, he’s a civilian who used some engineering smarts, some widely available parts and a 3D printer to create a functioning weapon that can fire graphite, aluminum, tungsten and even plasma projectiles at speeds of more than 560 mph.
And then there’s the best part: There are videos of this homemade railgun in action.
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Little is known about Imgur user “NSA_Listbot” beyond the fact that he’s just short of being a wizard with AutoCAD and a 3D printer. The man took to Imgur over the weekend to share what may very well be one of the most amazing and terrifying DIY projects that has even been attempted. And he didn’t just attempt it, he built it.
Using a combination of 3D printing and widely available components, the man built a functioning handheld railgun that houses six capacitors and delivers more than 3,000 kilojoules of energy per shot. What does it shoot, you might be wondering? So far he has tested the gun using metal rods made of graphite, aluminum and copper-coated tungsten, like the ones pictured below.
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It can also fire carbon projectiles and teflon/plasma rods. That’s right, this guy built a plasma gun.
The portable device works just like a full-size railgun, using electromagnetic technology to fire projectiles. But it’s important to note that this portable railgun isn’t quite as lethal as a military-grade railgun. While 560 mph projectiles can certainly do some damage, a military railgun can accelerate a projectile to speeds exceeding 13,000 mph in just 0.2 seconds.
Here’s a video of the man test firing a graphite rod at an aluminum-backed plywood target:
And here’s a second video of an aluminum rod being test fired:
The latter reached its target and the impact can be seen, while the former “probably just vaporized” before reaching the plywood.
A few more images of the incredible project follow below, and the full gallery is linked down in our source section.
What’s 560 MPH in FPS, for us mathematically challenged individuals?
The Gun Control Act defines "firearm" as:
A) any weapon (including a starter gun) which will or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive; (B) the frame or receiver of any such weapon; (C) any firearm muffler or firearm silencer; or (D) any destructive device. Such term does not include an antique firearm.
It doesn't use an explosive propellant -- it is not a firearm, and the ATF has no authority to regulate it.
Given his Imgur username, I'm sure he already was.
~ 820 fps. Faster than a .22, much slower than most anything else. When it gets over 3000 fps, color me interested. Would like to know approximate weight of projectile also; if they are heavy enough then it might be interesting sooner.
821 fps
about 800 fps, but what difference does it make for a mathematically challenged person ;)
Actually, slower than a .22, even subsonic (1025 fps).
So does this violate any laws? Gun manufacturing laws/permits? Does it meet the definition of a gun?
What’s 560 MPH in FPS, 821.3 FPS, same as .45 ACP.
Needs more calibrations.
I think it might qualify as D) a destructive device.
What I want to know, is how does non ferrous projectiles, such as aluminum, work.
in Kalifornia, all of the above are probably true
I like the one video I saw a few weeks ago where this guy made a homemade flamethrower that could shoot ignited fuel 50 feet which to me at least, looked like it could burn 100 people alive in a few seconds which I can guess would greatly please liberals as obviously they would prefer a psycho use that instead of a gun.
Looks like something outta Ghostbusters.
A more useful measurement for a weapon is ft/second. In this case, that would be 821 ft/sec. Not really very fast. Good pellet rifles regularly exceed 1000 ft/sec. Of course, this is a first iteration. Subsequent ones should be able to improve on this.
821 fps
At least someone could yell “Fire!” if they used that in a theater...
How heavy was the projectile? An arrow traveling at 800 fps is a formidable projectile, for instance. Mass matters.
Aside - google has a little known feature that you can put such questions in the search bar.
560 mph = ? ft/s
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