Hypervelocity Flechette weapons?

[LAK]

Third Rail

2mm dart guns firing VERY high speed projectiles are already possible. It's getting the dang barrel to last longer than a few dozen shots that's hard.

Sabot projectiles solve this problem to a degree, but of course the problem of extreme heat at very high working pressures remains. They (they?) have been working on this for a long time, and most answers have or will come with new materials. Special ceramics for example might not have the tensile strength for receivers and whole barrels - but as a lining material for steel barrels might solve the barrel erosion problem quite easily. Higher yield propellants that burn at lower temperatures is another avenue.
---------------------------------------------

http://ussliberty.org
http://ssunitedstates.org

 

[GrammatonCleric]

slightly OT

Have any of you guys read the "Legacy of the Aldenata" by John Ringo? It's pretty good military sci-fi IMO. In this particular series the Terran ACS (Armored Combat Suit) battalions blast hostile aliens (Posleen) with 3 mm. grav guns that use anitmatter to propel 3mm. depleted uranium pellets at a sizable fraction of lightspeed. There is also a cool gun-nut character in the novels that some of you might identify with. I like it a lot.