Re: Metal Storm

B Lin wrote:

> There are a couple of factors that make the barrel lighter.
>
> 1) Unless you are re-loading barrels, it only has to survive 5-30
firings, not the 1000+ that most assault rifles or MG's have to survive
before barrel change, so heat dissipation, metal integrity and barrel
thickness can be manufactured to lower requirements.

My understanding is that most of the barrels' weight is to keep it from
bursting when the first round is fired and the next million are almost
free.  For most firearms it is the rifling that wears out, not the
barrel (ie: it is not replaced because it is unsafe).  For weapons
larger than sidearms, the guntube must be rigid or the weapon is
inaccurate.

>
>
> 2) There is no breechblock or receiver, it's just a tube sealed at one
end.  As each bullet is fired, the propellent squishes the bullet
beneath it, and in a unique technique, the bullet is expanded slightly
forming the base of the firing chamber and consquently sealing the
bullet for the next propellent charge.	Therefore, the back end of the
tube doesn't see the full force of each bullet, probably only force from
the last few closest to the end.  So there is no need for a massive
breech block.

The breech must be at least as massive as a conventional weapon firing
similar projectiles, as the conventional breech only experiences the
pressure of one firing at a time.