Chemistry Guy
Member
If I had to list the 5 most important firearms innovations of the last 300 years, in no particular order, my list would include:
smokeless powder
rifling (I know this was invented earlier, but it wasn't adopted until 19th century)
breech loading small arms
self-contained cartridges
Interchangeable parts (more a manufacturing process than a firearms innovation, but it brought firearms to the masses)
Although you may disagree on the contents of this list, these innovations are clearly earth-shakingly major. Do you think that there will be future innovations that are as revolutionary as these? Will our grandchildren marvel at our 'obsolete' firearms? If so, what types of things will be common, if not standard, a century from now? Here's my guess:
practical caseless ammunition
Computer-enhanced optics (kind of like the stuff they are working on with advanced sniper rifles, but standard on every firearm)
Electrical energy used for propellant ( I guess not a firearm anymore)
computer controlled gyroscopically guided bullets
smokeless powder
rifling (I know this was invented earlier, but it wasn't adopted until 19th century)
breech loading small arms
self-contained cartridges
Interchangeable parts (more a manufacturing process than a firearms innovation, but it brought firearms to the masses)
Although you may disagree on the contents of this list, these innovations are clearly earth-shakingly major. Do you think that there will be future innovations that are as revolutionary as these? Will our grandchildren marvel at our 'obsolete' firearms? If so, what types of things will be common, if not standard, a century from now? Here's my guess:
practical caseless ammunition
Computer-enhanced optics (kind of like the stuff they are working on with advanced sniper rifles, but standard on every firearm)
Electrical energy used for propellant ( I guess not a firearm anymore)
computer controlled gyroscopically guided bullets