Popular Science takes a look at the Lund Variable Velocity Weapons System, which is able to alter its muzzle velocity to accommodate both lethal and "less than lethal" rounds.It's not a bad report, except for this clanger:
But in reality, a weapon like the LVVWS is likely a long way away from being service ready. For one, gunpowder is a time-tested portable, combustible that, if kept dry, has reliably served infantrymen for centuries; we're not so sure the same can be said for compressed gas cartridges. But more importantly, while range is usually a big factor when less-lethal rounds turn deadly, it's certainly not the only one.A little update here, gunpowder hasn't been used by the infantry since cordite and its variants hit the market over a century ago.
4 comments:
I appreciate you being the only person in media pointing out the difference.
There's enough bad info about firearms in the press as it is, usually the only consensus is that guns are uniformly "evil".
I do however like the little lightning bolts on the plastic stand holding the LVVWS.
If guns that don't do any damage are going to be the new rage, how about reintroducing the GyroJet? It didn't work either but it sure was fun to watch
Hmm. If HMMWV became "Humvee" in the colloquial, then this LVVWS thingy is sure to become "Elvis".
Compressed gas or gas combustion? The article says one and then the other. The first is an air gun, the second, maybe like a potato gun? I would also have questions about reliability. Not because a gas system is inherently unreliable (though a leak anywhere would kind of make the gun into a club), but because it is not as well tested. Brass cartridge with the primer in the base is simple, and if one misfires you can eject it and load another. Gas systems with regulators have lots of moving parts. Also, if I were facing a mob, I would consider it an advantage that the closer the range the more lethal my gun becomes. At long range, you can afford to be gentle, but when the mob is close, lethal is your friend.
Small quibble: cordite. Black powder for centuries, brass cartridges for close to 200 years, smokeless powders for around the last 100. Cordite fits into the last category, but I don't think it's used any more.
Quite right. Cordite is obsolete. That's why I included "variants".
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