Do you ever worry about the evolution of firearms?

[CypherNinja]

That's the future of warfare. If a human is to survive even five minutes in such a battlefield, they'll need powered armor.

So..... does anybody have any updates on the BLEEX project.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Do you ever worry about the evolution of firearms?

No. Guns do not evolve. Guns are created by their creators (eg, JMB).

 

[tellner]

In other words, they undergo both Lamarckian and Darwinian evolution through artificial selection.

 

[Cromlech]

Like what has been mentioned already, fancy high-tech stuff may open up new possibilities, but there are more things to go wrong with them. Simple mechanical weapons (that harness chemical reaction power from ammo) are pretty darn rugged and simple.

 

[MinScout]

I find firearms and technology endlessly interesting and I think we are indeed living in "interesting" times. What I find disturbing is when too much technology is brought into the hunting field. I think modern hunting has already become too high tech. How long before we have metal-storm hunting rifles using digital game-finding scopes? (Or some such thing) What then will become of hunting as we've known it?

 

[hankdatank1362]

I found my guns in the trees on my property grooming each other. They have just started to walk upright. When the guns evolve language, I will be greatly concerned.

Bah ha ha ha ha!

 

[kd7nqb]

my thoughts

1. Bring on the lighsabers

2. The less people that have guns like mine make mine more valuable assuming there is a demand

3. I think it will act as an insentive for quality. Once guns get to be 2nd on the totem pole then the ones around will only the best of the best. IE no more Jennings clogging my drawers.

 

[benEzra]

I find firearms and technology endlessly interesting and I think we are indeed living in "interesting" times. What I find disturbing is when too much technology is brought into the hunting field. I think modern hunting has already become too high tech. How long before we have metal-storm hunting rifles using digital game-finding scopes? (Or some such thing) What then will become of hunting as we've known it?

Considering that the percentage of gun owners who hunt is now down to roughly 1 in 5 and falling, with deer populations going through the roof, the argument could be made that gee-whiz optics on cool-looking rifles might attract more of us Gen-X and Gen-Y nonhunters to the sport--who knows.

I don't see Metalstorm going ANYWHERE in personal firearms, though. As others have pointed out, a gun that you can only reload by replacing the whole barrel, and which has different ballistics for every shot, isn't an advance; it's closer to a throwback.

What I do see in the future of hunting is more people hunting with more modern-looking rifles. I think an AR-15 with a 6.8mm upper and an Eotech or Aimpoint would be a nifty deer rifle for hunting the eastern NC woods here, even if a Savage 110 bolt-action with a 4x scope would do just as well.

I think the real problem for gun-owning nonhunters wanting to get into hunting can be summed up in a word: ACCESS. You can't hunt if you (A) don't have a clue where you could hunt, (B) your friends don't hunt, so they can't take you, (C) you wouldn't know what to do with the animal if you killed it, and (D) even if all of the above weren't a problem, you can't afford $500 or $1000 a year for the hunting club membership.

 

[1911 guy]

I can see a time coming when...

A 1911 will be referred to as "an elegant weapon for a more elegant time."

All SW fans please forgive me if I got the quote wrong, but blindndead's post inspired me.

I do worry about the silliness that seems to be creeping into firearms. We've got ideas for magnetic rings to activate a pistol, electronically fired rifle ammo (Remington a few years ago), and the last couple years have seen no real work on improving function, just outside appearance. Since 1911 the design has been similar, but refinements have been made. Not so for a couple years. Then there's the whole serialized bullet thing.

In short, I don't worry about the progress of arms developement from within, I worry about the misapplication of boneheaded technology in an industry where simpler is better.

 

[Novus Collectus]

The French came up with a "Metalstorm" type weapon about 100 years ago.

It was a State Secret for a while.

It was also about as useful as the Metalstorm....

Which is to say, barely....

Regards,

Have to go back a lot further than that to find the first one. There was a flintlock that utilised a barrell filled with sequential rounds and had touch holes for each charge along the length of the barrell and the frizen and pan slide along the side to be positioned at each touch hole for each shot.

(H.W. Mortimer of London c. 1800)

 

[Alexey931]

I'm more worried that laws will be written to automatically ban any new technology before its created ... for example there are already laws on the books in a couple of states banning "directed energy weapons" ... so Blasters are already illegal before they are even invented.

Zundfolge - could you give chapter and verse?

Best regards, Alexey

 

[10-Ring]

I'm not too worried about it because even if it does happen, it would be soooo expensive as to price me out of that market...besides, I have enough now to keep me happy as long as I got the ammo to enjoy them

 

[rudolf]

If you open the drawer where you store your Luger, and there's a Glock lying in there, THEN you could start worrying

 

[CornCod]

What I worry about is the banning or excessive regulation of firearms that provide leaps in technology. There is no reason in the world why I should not be able to own a selective fire weapon or machine gun. Regulations banning the manufacture of new machine guns are wrongheaded. Attempts to ban other new technology like the FN FiveseveN pistol and its round ar also wrongheaded. If we should even have to fight off the tentacles of an oppressive regime, I want the same weapons available to the police and military.

 

[Wes Janson]

If you open the drawer where you store your Luger, and there's a Glock lying in there, THEN you could start worrying

Wouldn't that be an example of de-evolution?


\joking, just joking

 

[GW]

I do see some possible uses for Metal Storm, aside from point-defense implementations (which would be a very good use IMHO). They are testing a metal storm system that fires volleys of 40mm grenades at thousands of rounds per second, which would be mind-bogglingly devestating especially in urban warfare

Sure, but so would a 500 lb bomb and you don't have to sneak a box close enough to the bad guys to use it.
I saw a metal Storm video and an interesting use for this launcher was as a booby trap
Its sensors detect a convoy coming down the road The box sends an alert to the command post and someone there gives it the launch order.
The video also showed sims of aircraft flying over troop concentrations/camps/refueling depots etc and with downward directed launchers, they rained death on all of the BG's.
Cool vid

back on subject, though
Firearms development is something I look forward to
Look at the FN 57 for instance Its sleek, modern and cool BUT I still like my 1911 and both still do the same thing ie launch a piece of metal.

Weapons technology development is scarier
sound, radiation, light and chemical weapons that are being developed are of much more concern because these are "crowd control" devices meant to be used by gov't agencies against the people

 

[Barr]

Gun locks are my latest number one pet peeve. Specifically ones that are built into the gun. An external lock is a great thing for kids etc. Any kind of internal lock is just one more piece of hardware to fail at a crucial time. Same thing for a safety on a revolver.

Another concern of mine is if a state like California gets hold of an idea such as guns that only work with a certain palm or fingerprint a la James Bond. Not sure if the technology is totally worked out yet, but I would say that it is possible.

 

[Sharps-shooter]

1690. Battle of the Boyne, just a ways outside Dublin, Ireland. James II versus William of Orange. William of Orange's guys had a 150-barrel device, that fired bunches and bunches of ammunition, lots faster than ye olde flintlock. Long time ago. Wasn't worth much then either, so people shelved the idea, until someone new came up with it and thought they had invented something revolutionary.

Another interesting thing about gun evolution.

Several years ago, a friend who is a member of an ethnic minority (the Uighurs, known in former times as the Huns) in China told me a story. She and about 60 or 70 other merchants, in a caravan, were overtaken by people in the chinese army (not sure how many), with trucks. One of the trucks had a machine gun mounted on it. They forced the merchants into a valley and detained them there, with their trucks blocking the only exit from the valley.

So the merchants were detained there for most of a day, and they felt pretty sure they were going to be slaughtered. Then four men came, riding down into the valley from the back, out of the mountains. They were members of the same ethnic group as the merchants, but a different tribe. There were four of them, they had black powder rifles, and they were immediately perceived as a threat by the Chinese. Apparently a lot of the soldiers wanted to retreat when they first saw them, but were told not to.

The guys on horses stayed in constant movement, and made absolutely sure that any soldier attempting to approach the machine gun was shot. They also picked off the other soldiers one by one, until they broke and ran.

Then they followed the soldiers, on horseback after the soldiers' trucks (which probably gave them an advantage, as it was very mountainous terrain with bad roads). The riders caught up with the caravan later to tell them that they had routed the retreating soldiers and left none of them alive. None of the horsemen were harmed, and neither were their horses.

so... Sometimes, it's not about the gun.

 

[Dr.Rob]

When you are an ewok with a pointy stick a shiny boom stick looks pretty wicked.

Stormtroopers are crunchy if your stick is big enough.

Low-tech often trumps high-tech.

 

[jeepmor]

They have evolved

We have polymer frames now, not just phenolic resin type grips. We have striker fired pistols now, not just SA/DA guns with hammers. But the function is the same, the gun is built around a cartridge with either revolver or semi auto in mind. The rest is simply physics and it's application.

Like the new Israeli gun that pivots in the middle and has a camera on it for urban settings. All simply new applications, but nothing revolutionary in my opinion. That said, tell that to the Israeli being able to pick off perps from around a corner. Pretty sweet as long as the batteries are charged on the camera.

jeepmor

 

[mindwip]

I think the one great invention would be a new way to fire bullets from a gun. Hopfully one thats not so loud. That would be great.

 

[profshadow]

What we will need then are bullets that can read intent....of course, then they'd probably have their own lawyers and wouldn't do anything.


Now me, I'd like one of those "personal force fields" since carrying is for self-defense. That would be the trick! (Though I'm all for spidey powers too!)

I'd think we could say the same about how knives have evolved. The "cheap" ones are better than very old ones...and the nice ones are significantly advanced...hold edge, design, hand grip, etc.

 

[Keith Wheeler]

Now me, I'd like one of those "personal force fields" since carrying is for self-defense. That would be the trick!

Remember, the slow blade penetrates the shield.

As far as firearms evolution goes....just what about a P90 doesn't look like a whole lotta fun?

 

[MBane666]

Like minScout, I find firearms development to be completely fascinating. I've been lucky enough to spend time talking to individuals who've driven firearms development like Ronnie Barrett, Gaston Glock, Mikhail Kalashnikov; people who helped shape the firearms market, like Col. Jeff Cooper; top gunsmiths who, in essence, push firearms up the new product J-curve (increased functions, features, accessories...think AR rail systems or 1911 thumb safeties) and engineers who work for both major and minor firearms company.

It's totally obvious, but breakthroughs tend to come from individuals — JMB! — and refinements from the dual drivers of the military and the consumer market. The consumer market tends to demand more innovation that the military quickly picks off and drives into the larger mainstream.

+1 on the P90, but it has been around for a while and the jury's still out as to whether it's a "direction" or a "dead end."

Michael B

 

[CoachVince]

"When you are an ewok with a pointy stick a shiny boom stick looks pretty wicked. Stormtroopers are crunchy if your stick is big enough. Low-tech often trumps high-tech." - Dr.Rob
Words you'll never hear cops say...
"S'okay guys, you can put your guns away. All the perp has is a cannon!"