http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:PaintBallMarker.jpg
Now, change the “hopper” to a high tech multi functional optics system, move the “tank” to the rear of the receiver and change it to a high tech recoil absorbtion device(possibly hydraulic) and you have a silouette of what I envision to be the future battle rifle. The magazine is missing however.
Notice that an M16 with about a 12” barrel would come awfully close to that silouette.
For magazine type and location, I’m partial to the calico.
http://world.guns.ru/smg/smg57-e.htm
The reason I like the calico magazine is it permits the foreward grip to be very close to the trigger, as in the painball gun. The bottom eject would need to be changed to a forward eject, like the new FN rifle has.
The Calico eject out-the-pistol-grip arrangement wasn't so bad for a pistol caliber case, but I don't know if that arrangement was used on the 5.56mm version under development before the company relocated from California [CALifornia Instrument CO.] after California passed their assault weapons ban. Though a folding stock was available on some of the .22 and 9mm CALICO *rifles* and the CALICO SMG, I was always pretty happy using the 100-round magazine of the 9mm pistol as a *cheekweld* buttstock substitute.
So long as the ejection isn't to either side, either outward or downward seems to work, though the in-line feed is hardly unique to the CALICO, found previously on the caseless H&K G11 caseless design and the Hill submachinegun of the 1950s.
Short barrels reduce bullet speed with current loadings. We need guns that can withstand twice the chamber pressures currently common, or more. I’m thinking 4 to 6 thousand ft/sec from a 12” barrel.
Ow. Hurts my ears just thinkin' about it. But with about 6 inches of suppressor on the end, I guess it'd be managable indoors in a bullpup configuration.
