3 ms·
Non-firearms guy reading, was just looking at muzzle velocity, ~245fps (75m/s), where a .45ACP round goes ~500fps. - but joules would be the way to compare the
by motohagiography 5y ago
Non-firearms guy reading, was just looking at muzzle velocity, ~245fps (75m/s), where a .45ACP round goes ~500fps. - but joules would be the way to compare the physics. In terms of energy/silence, for hunting, it seems like you can buy more powerful crossbows at a camping store.
Additional energy just seems like an optimization problem that could be solved with an external power pack source.
However, the real game changer may be in the economics of EMP shielding and weapons, where if all legal civilian firearms are electronic, they are also remotely manageable via DRM and less user servicable. The analogy could be like what electronic fuel injection did to carbeurators and the autonomy of drivers to service their own vehicles.
This rifle seems like a bit of a gimmick, but from a political perspective I could see some people saying, "let them hunt with coilguns, nobody needs gunpowder anymore," which will be a new leverage point on 2A limitations whereby this product is a managed substitute. Independent of where one stands on that issue, the product is a technology that could change the dynamic of that discussion.
- graderjs 5y agointeresting diverse take, particularly about EMP, DRM and R2R. i appreciate the political/2nd-order effects perspective!
- nradov 5y agoI don't know where you're getting those numbers but nominal .45ACP muzzle velocity is more like 800fps.
- jakearmitage 5y agoCorrect. Depends on ammo, though: https://www.federalpremium.com/handgun/premium-personal-defense/personal-defense-hst/11-P45HST2S.html https://www.federalpremium.com/handgun/premium-personal-defe... https://www.scribd.com/document/342603372/45-ACP-Ammunition-Velocity-Results-in-FPS-by-Gun#from_embed https://www.scribd.com/document/342603372/45-ACP-Ammunition-... So he could have sourced that info from a subsonic load out of a short barrel? But even then, it would be in 600 zone.
- GravitasFailure 5y agoSubsonic is anything under 1125fps, with some variance for local weather conditions, and .45 ACP is popular to use with a silencer because standard loads are almost always subsonic. 500fps seems consistent with the absolute low end of some target loads.