3 ms·
Gunpowder-based gun technology has kinda plateued too. We pretty much hit the practical limits of size during WWII with Schwerer Gustav and battleship cannons,
by tomatotomato37 7y ago
Gunpowder-based gun technology has kinda plateued too. We pretty much hit the practical limits of size during WWII with Schwerer Gustav and battleship cannons, and the fastest firing guns still use the basic design of Richard Gatling from 1861. Most recent innovations have been in the work of pointing the gun in the right direction moreso than the gun itself.
Then again, I guess caseless could be the next big innovation if they figure out the heat problem...
- catalogia 7y agoCaseless ammunition, or telescoping ammunition (or both at the same time.) Either could conceivably increase how much ammunition soldiers can carry, but I'm not holding my breath for either. The status quo seems firmly in "good enough" territory and I'm pretty sure some of the other supposed benefits of caseless will fail to manifest. In particular, advocates of caseless ammunition have on occasion claimed that guns would be simplified by not having to eject brass, but I don't think that's true since said guns would still need a reasonable way to eject chambered but unfired ammunition (even if it was open-bolt.)