Reply #12: The new ultra-capacitors being developed might help quite a bit, too [View All]

[krispos42]

There is a lot of talk about them being used to power cars in place of nickel-metal-hydride or lithium-ion battery packs, but no reason i can think of they can't be used for artillery.

These things can work up to some seriously high velocities. The most I've heard about from a gun was hunting rifles chambered in .223 Winchester Super-Short Magnum. Handloaders loaded up their brass really hot, then fired a lighweight 40-grain bullet from it. The muzzle velocity of the bullet was so high that the high rate of spin would literally rip the bullets apart from centrifugal force as soon as they left the barrel!

IIRC, some handloaders were exceeding 4,300 feet per second with the .223 WSSM. Maximum theoretical muzzle velocity of a rifle is about 5,000 ft/s. This railgun is capable of nearly 9,000 ft/s.

Man, if they ever get that down to man-portable size... you could have 3 power levels for your small-caliber magrifle. About 2,700-3,000 ft/s for full-auto fire at close range, about 4,000 ft/s for medium-range aimed semi-automatic fire, and 5,000 ft/s for long-range sniper work.

And no brass casings or gunpowder to tote around, just bullets and a battery pack.