Sakura Fubuki, and breaking my arm Options

[Inu]

Lotta vague and badly-used terminology going on with the metal storm. One thing that springs to mind is the claim that it can't jam. I very much doubt this: it can't jam mechanically, but it's guaranteed to have introduced new fun and exciting ways to jam (I keep thinking what happens if the barrels aren't packed just right and some of the explosion for the first bullet reaches the explosive for the second...). Plus, if the electronics fail, you can't fix it in the field like you can most mechanical jams.

The 'fires a million rounds a minute' is dead wrong: that's actually a lie. A million rpm cyclic, sure. That is NOT the same as 'fires a millinon rounds a minute'. I've also never heard anyone go into how long it takes to reload. I'd imagine it'd be a while.

As for the 'no recoil', that's an exaggeration: no recoil on that burst, but plenty of recoil after you fire. So the three-round burst is REALLY nicely grouped, but then you get the recoil of three shots all at once. Translated into rules, I'd call this 'no recoil on burst fire, but can only fire one burst a round'.

Metal Storm is a really nice technological jump... but I do get tired of the marketing hype being reported straight.

[The Jopp]

Hmm...

Sakura Fubuki with an underbarrel Sakura Fubuki and both modified for FA... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wobble.gif)

[The Jopp]

Translated into rules, I'd call this 'no recoil on burst fire, but can only fire one burst a round'.
straight.

so the firing mode would be SSBF

[Chainsaw Samurai]

Metal Storm is a really nice technological jump... but I do get tired of the marketing hype being reported straight.

I'm not sure I'd call it a "technological jump." I get what you're saying, but it seems too gimmicky and too much trouble to reload and deal with in the field.

Admittedly I don't know how things work the world over, but if things don't get picked up by the American Military or Law Enforcement you can expect any of those innovations to sort of peter out here in the states. I really doubt this sort of thing would be adapted to even law enforcement use, and certainly not field use now that we have such a hardon for traipsing around in the desert.

I think the real innovations, and the ones we can expect to see adopted for future use are things like the downward action bolt used in the Kriss .45 SMG. I would be really excited to see it pick up a contract somewhere here, or at least to hear about more research done in that sort of bolt design.

[KarmaInferno]

Honestly, Metal Storm works much better as a grenade or mortar launch system, rather than anything for standard firearm ammunition.

Especially if space is at a premium on whatever you're mounting the weapon into. Standard multi-shot mortars and grenade launchers require pretty bulky ammo storage and feed mechanisms. A Metal Storm grenade launcher is... a tube. With some electrical connections.



-k

[The Jopp]

I'm not sure I'd call it a "technological jump." I get what you're saying, but it seems too gimmicky and too much trouble to reload and deal with in the field.

It is really only usefule when you want a crapload of ammunition in the air at the same time and nom moving parts that can jam. Instaload grenade launchers that can fire off 20 filled barrels with grenades in a synchronized pattern where they all strike at the same time is more likely.

A gimmick that is mostly useful in military applications, and in those cases larger weapons than firearms since you dont want bulky and cumbersome firearms. An X amount of barrels standard rifle will not be fun.

[Chainsaw Samurai]

Honestly, Metal Storm works much better as a grenade or mortar launch system, rather than anything for standard firearm ammunition.

Especially if space is at a premium on whatever you're mounting the weapon into. Standard multi-shot mortars and grenade launchers require pretty bulky ammo storage and feed mechanisms. A Metal Storm grenade launcher is... a tube. With some electrical connections.



-k

Now I would speak out against a grenade system. If you need an automatic grenade launcher, you need something that can reload. There really isn't a lot of wiggle room on this, mostly because of the range of grenade launchers and what sort of immediate threats something like a Mk 19 implies. I can't think of many realisitic situations where I need exactly 12 grenades right now, and then no more after that (or more if we're talking a crapton of barrels).

However your assessment of a Mortar system is probably spot on. Getting 3-4 Mortar Rounds "time on target" from only one tube sounds like a fairly plausible use of this technology. The problem being that a standard mortar team can do this by manually loading quickly. That is of course assuming a relatively modern mortar team setup without thinking about THE FUTURE (UTURE... UTURE... uture...)

Since a Mortars have significantly longer range than a Grenade Launcher, they can be used defensively or in offensive situations which don't imply an immediate "ohshitohshitohshit" situation. A troop could load the 3-4 mortars into the tube, and just let it chill out. Once a forward observer makes a call for fire, the automated tube recieves the data from the Fire Direction Control, a mechanism moves the mortar to match the correct firing arc -- boom boom boom boom -- you have rounds in the air. Mortar goes to standby, one guy reloads the rounds, then goes back to twiddling his thumbs as the mortar awaits further firing orders.

That covers base defense. It is a bit more complicated to get the same rig on the back of a small vehicle as the mortar needs to know precisely where it is at and what sort of leveling situation it has before it can make accurate fire. As GPS evolves it would be pretty easy to see Mortar teams transitioned away from a typical Infantry setting and moved towards a sort of "indirect fire quick reaction force." Small teams of vehicles could move to a supporting position far enough to be out of harms way but close enough to provide fire when needed, and do so moving from base to their location relatively quickly (which matches the current US operational strategy). Figure a Driver, a Gunner (small automatic weapon on the vehicle for covering fire or defense), and an NCO who loads the Mortar, monitors communications, and shuts it down if there are any faults.

Metal Storm? No. I think that idea is a failure.

Mortar Storm? Might have a serious future if they can work the kinks out.

[KarmaInferno]

As it turns out, the guys behind Metal Storm pretty much came to the same conclusion, and have mostly focused on developing arrays of mortars and the like, rather than personal scale weapons.




-k

[Yerameyahu]

Luckily, this is SR, so we're not bound by dumb reality. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) The Fubuki is a novelty, but not a totally worthless one. You do get 40 rounds, by which time the combat is probably over.

[CanRay]

It's a "Good" weapon for the rich people that read magazines and drool over "New and unique" weapons.

A hostile extraction gets even more hostile when the target pulls one of these puppies out from under his bed.