9mm VS 45ACP for Shooting in Outer Space?

[32winspl]

MDeVinney, I seldom actually laugh out loud when reading stuff, but nearly busted a gut when I read the thread title! The 9 vs 45 argument has now been given a new platform from which it can be resurrected and continue ad infinitum. Though I'm not sure if you are to be congratulated or kicked in the backside, I DO appreciate the humor.

 

[Kind of Blued]

MDeVinney, I seldom actually laugh out loud when reading stuff, but nearly busted a gut when I read the thread title! The 9 vs 45 argument has now been given a new platform from which it can be resurrected and continue ad infinitum. Though I'm not sure if you are to be congratulated or kicked in the backside, I DO appreciate the humor.

WONDERFUL! I advocate laughter in any context. I'm not sure which is less plausible via the internet; you kicking me in the backside or everybody catching any and all sarcasm and humor, but alas, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

 

[the naked prophet]

If I was in a space war (haha), I would pick a rifle or pistol in .17 HM2 - little recoil, light weight, enough velocity to punch a hole, and shouldn't heat up the barrel too awful much. Of course, I'd want it full auto, and with blackened aluminum cooling fins (maximum radiative cooling).

I'm not sure what to do for lube. Oils and greases would evaporate off very quickly and/or freeze, graphite is only a lube because it cushions air between the microscopic flakes so in space it would be nothing but an abrasive. Teflon bearing surfaces?

 

[littlegator]

Weight is a measurement of the force of gravity. It is measured (typically) in avoirdupois pounds (imperial), or newtons (metric). Mass is a derived measurement by multiplying density by volume, and as such it stays the same regardless of prevailing gravitational forces.

Exactly... Which is why I went to law school and not physics school.

 

[627PCFan]

"The Russians put a 20 or 40mm gun on a space station in the 70's, and it shot down a satellite." -true-

And your max velocity will be at the end of your barrel. No faster.

 

[MT GUNNY]

The guy in Armageddon Was not slow witted, He asked "Why do you HAVE a Gun in Space".

The slow witted guy was the one ridding the Nuke '' NO NUKES .........."

 

[Officers'Wife]

Hi MDeViney,

The barrel would have to be sealed to the muzzle and filled with air so that the powder can burn until the bullet exits the muzzle. I would think powder would not burn properly.

Uh, the propellant NG/NC has it's very own oxygen supply within it's own molecule and doesn't need outside air. As does the fuliment of Mercury or Lead Azide in the primer. If O2 was a consideration how do you explain powders working underwater or for that matter within a sealed cartridge?

Your main problems would be the reduced sensitivity of your powder and primer in the low temperatures of space and the danger of the high heat when exposed to the sun causing spontanious detonation.

As for the recoil- assume you have a 240 grain ball pushed out at 600 ft/sec. Since E=MA you would have (240/7000)/32.2 * 600 or .639 slugs. Which would be a hefty amount of delta V.

Now add the consideration that everything in space is in orbit and the period of orbit is based on speed. The higher the speed the greater the period the greater the distance from the gravity well. Consider two bodies in orbit at the same elevation from the center of gravity mass. If you fired a projectile from one body in a direct line of sight to the second it's greater speed would cause the projectile to move further from the center in effect shooting over the target's head. In the meanwhile the recoil would cause delta V of the first body putting it in a higher or lower orbit unless compensated.

Ya gotta admit though, target shooting in space would be a challenging sport!

Selena

 

[Officers'Wife]

Hi General Geoff,

Actually I'm wrong, the pound is also a measurement of mass. The pound-force is the imperial unit of measuring weight by force.

I don't believe so, the measurement of mass is pound/gravity and called a slug. In metrics the kilogram is a measurement of mass not weight. If my profs can be believed anyway.

Selena

 

[steak-knife]

Carl Sagan

Alright, I'll play along.

The real question should be what would Carl Sagan carry, if he had a CCW permit, were still alive, and was some where in space in need of a pistola?

 

[Brian Dale]

...what would Carl Sagan carry, if he had a CCW permit, were still alive, and were somewhere in space in need of a pistola?

I don't know; which pistol has the most annoying fanboys? Whatever he carried would probably shoot billl-yuns and billl-yuns of times without cleaning, lubrication or maybe even reloading.

 

[steak-knife]

Glock Fanboy

I don't know; which pistol has the most annoying fanboys? Whatever he carried would probably shoot billl-yuns and billl-yuns of times without cleaning, lubrication or maybe even reloading.

So good o'l Carl would be packing a Glock.

And, yes, I'll concede that Glock fanboys are the most annoying.:banghead:

 

[Chipperman]

Anti-Astronaut "Why do you carry a gun in space?"


Pro-Gun Astronaut "Because a cop has too much mass"

 

[Jimmy Dean]

there are lb-ft and lb-m lbs are used as both a mass and a force. end of that argument please.

 

[fchavis]

If you outlaw guns in space, only hostile aliens will have guns.

 

[Warren]

I don't know; which pistol has the most annoying fanboys? Whatever he carried would probably shoot billl-yuns and billl-yuns of times without cleaning, lubrication or maybe even reloading.

So....the SiG P210 then?

 

[RebelKangaroo]

/nerd

Neither! I'll take an E11 blaster any day of the week for space.

/endnerd....sorta

 

[Gingerbreadman]

I have pondered this question many times. While I can't offer any new input, I can guarantee that I would try it if I had the chance.

The only problem that I can think of is recoil either pushing the shooter away into space or turning the spacecraft if the shooter was anchored to it.

 

[cpttango30]

I want gravity boots to hold me in place. Then give me a
Unreal Torunament 2004
Flak Cannon

Primary Fire
9 fast-moving projectiles that spread in a shotgun-like pattern.

Secondary Fire
Grenade-type projectile that follows a downward arc and explodes on contact, releasing shards and dealing splash damage.


For a back up I would take the link gun.

Primary Fire
Plasma cells that deal high damage with a medium rate of fire.

Secondary Fire
A semi-straight, more or less ondulating stream of plasma, akin to Quake 3's Lightning Gun. Also allows "linking up" to teammates, doubling their damage.

Onslaught's trademark weapon isn't exactly as useful as it might appear in straight Deathmatch situations. The primary fire is ridiculously inneffective at long ranges, though it does deal 22 damage per cell. The secondary fire, although it does feature a weird sort of 'lockdown', is trumped by the minigun, which is easier to aim, therefore killing enemies faster. It's range is also limited.


I ain't messing with no sissy 9mm or a 45.
A spammer's dream come true, the Flak Cannon is the perfect weapon for close to medium range fighting. It even manages to perform better than the illustrious Rocket Launcher.

Capable of dealing high amounts of damage very rapidly and working as a sort of crowd-control in the hands of talented players, the Flak Cannon is a valuable tool.

If i can not have them. Then give me a couple of paser rifles from Star Trek TNG. or a So'na sub-space weapon. one shot and you can wipe out everyone everything. Now that there is a weapon.

 

[mrsig]

Would the rifling cause the shooter to twist as well?

- Sig

 

[Patrick_Henry]

I wonder how the zero gravity would affect an auto loading pistol for follow up shots in general. Is it possible that the recoil would all transfer primarily to the shooter and fail to properly rack the slide? In this case perhaps a DA revolver would be the way to go? If not most astronauts are scientists and deal mostly with metric so they'd probably take a 9mm...

 

[Carl N. Brown]

The oxygen necessary for the primer to spark

Priming compounds, nitrocellulose gunpowders and double-base
(nitrocellulose/nitroglycerin) gunpowders are chemical compounds
that "fire" by chemical decomposition and do not need outside oxygen.

Old fashioned black powder generates its own oxygen (BP is
about 75% KNO3) to "burn" the carbon and sulphur thus needs
no outside oxygen.

Guns, demolitions, etc "fire" underwater or in outerspace without
outside oxygen. They got that wrong even as late as the sci-fi
TV series Firefly (the Our Mrs Reynolds episode).

Now, recalling that old space station movie, what caliber for
"Green Slime"?

 

[fchavis]

Would the rifling cause the shooter to twist as well?

I haven't done the math, but I suspect slow fire would be controllable. I wouldn't tempt full auto from an unsupported position.

With a cool inertia compensating jetpack you should be good to go.

 

[Tribal]

Wow...some obvious things not mentioned yet, so I'll do the honors:

1. Nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
2. I call her Vera.

Mass guys... Mass. Think about it.

This thread's about space, not church. Let's try and stay on topic, eh?

 

[Warren]

Wow...some obvious things not mentioned yet, so I'll do the honors:

1. Nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
2. I call her Vera.

Sorry, I got there first. What are you a Purplebelly trying to steal my cred?

 

[ColinthePilot]

/nerd

Neither! I'll take an E11 blaster any day of the week for space.

/endnerd....sorta

That just made my night! I would probably have to go with the modified Broomhandle Mauser.