All Questions
Tagged with engineering weapons
43 questions
-3
votes
1
answer
120
views
How can a vehicle-mounted flamethrower be made hot enough to melt metal?
Flamethrowers have been a part of warfare for a long time, although they have been phased out now due to safety issues and assorted flaws. Several vehicle-mounted flamethrowers have been designed, ...
- 2,938
15
votes
5
answers
2k
views
With modern technology would it be possible to build an HG Wells style Martian tripod?
With modern technology would it be possible to build an HG Wells style Martian tripod?
It should approximate to one of the HG Wells war of the worlds style tripods at roughly 30m high and have a “heat ...
- 38.8k
1
vote
2
answers
98
views
Can one get some partial ammo compatibility or tooling simplification by developing a few weapons of caliber ~80mm together?
For a few weapons there is something akin to sweet spot around caliber ~80mm:
Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle (rifled)
81 mm mortar (smoothbore)
FIM-92 Stinger (72 mm) / 9K38 Igla (72 mm) (...
- 10.2k
2
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How could a man-portable EMP shotgun generate a pulse?
The Story
(this starts playing) The reactor core room is coated in black inky sludge, dotted with glowing blotches of cyan, with black tendrils laced up the hydraulic shocks and all around the reactor ...
- 1,994
4
votes
10
answers
2k
views
Necessities for a handheld electron beam weapon
So, since practically every science fiction writer under the sun has imagined some manner of handheld laser beam, I have been exploring alternatives for energy/particle weapons, one of which is an ...
- 8,771
6
votes
5
answers
840
views
Possible mechanism for telescoping barrels
Is it a good idea?
No. A very definitive no.
However, that's not stopping a young aristocratic terrestrial cuttlefish (long story) that lives on this world's equivalent of a highly mountainous and ...
- 5,053
6
votes
1
answer
224
views
What's the fastest a medieval projectile could go, if it was powered by human muscles?
How fast could a human-powered medieval projectile go?
Rules:
The weapon must be made of materials available in medieval times: wood, steel, catgut, bone, rope, etc. No modern composites or plastics.
...
- 9,406
-1
votes
1
answer
190
views
Shape for injector spikes that provide the best seal
In the near-future story I'm working on the protagonist is prepared for a wide range of possibilities, including getting outnumbered and surrendered.
For that possibility i though about a Banshee Box ...
- 1,319
3
votes
4
answers
964
views
Monomolecular wire bolo rounds: how to make it work?
In the near-future story I'm developing, I've tried to incorporate all kind of somewhat-credible technology into weapons and gadgets.
I had the idea of what's basically two shotguns fused together, ...
- 1,319
2
votes
2
answers
394
views
Would a gun that shoots subsonic depleted uranium/tungsten bullets require a muzzle booster for cycling reliability?
In the near-future story i'm developing the main character resorts to every trick in the book to improve the performance of her guns, including using subsonic cartridges for the sake of quietness, but ...
- 1,319
-1
votes
5
answers
191
views
Could a active rotational bullet increase accuracy?
I don't know where I should ask this, on History, Aerodynamics, Physics or here. But here we go.
So, from what I could see on youtube videos (not the best source, I know), the bullets on rifles and ...
- 491
15
votes
7
answers
3k
views
Can you build an auto turret with Victorian-era technology?
Auto turrets:
When you think of auto-turrets you probably imagine something along the lines of: high tech or state-of-the-art weapon systems. You'd be right as such technology is heavily computerized ...
- 10.8k
6
votes
9
answers
2k
views
Why would a tank have multiple main weapons or a main weapon with multiple barrels?
Fiction is filled with examples of tanks with multiple main weapons, from Command and Conquer's Mammoth to Warhammer 40,000's Baneblade to World of Tanks's IS-2-II (although the IS-2-II was based on a ...
- 13.2k
2
votes
4
answers
294
views
Mechanical-electric firearm ignition
For some time I've been thinking upon the concept of a firearm that uses a mechanical system to generate an electrical current for use in a electrically ignited firearm without the hassle of batteries....
- 5,053
4
votes
2
answers
187
views
Explosive flechette. Mechanism of detonation
In a world I am currently conceptualizing, the militaries of said world make use of flechette ammunition due to advance ballistic armor which has made all but the higher caliber conventional slug ...
- 5,053