http://cs-people.bu.edu/aaron/turret/turret.htm

Discuss.

I want one. I want one so bad!

So, that could probably mouth a real P90, as well. Real bullets make it more fun.

holy cow I am so building one of these.

Heh. Cool.

Yeah, that tripod setup doesn't look like it would take a lot of recoil. The P90 really doesn't recoil that much anyway, but at 900 rpm, and as fast as that turret is made to whip around, it's an easy bet that you'd need a much more stable platform.

Still, cool idea. A turret head retrofitable to a standard firearm. Kind of like the TRAP, only automated.

Yeah, to handle a real weapon, something like this would have to be built far sturdier.

In real life, you wouldn't even waste your time building something like this with a P90, for that matter. Something belt fed would be most likely, and an LMG would probably be your best bet (something like, say, an M249 or M240). For interior applications, one might prefer something in a pistol cartridge to minimize penetration, but that'd likely take some heavy modification or even a new weapon entirely, as I'm not aware of any belt fed weapons chambered for pistol rounds.

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Curses, instaposted.

Aaron's turret is barely a proof of concept, much less a prototype. I think it is awesome what he has been able to do with the resources he has put into it.

Give him a thousand bucks to play with, and he could probably make something that could _really_ knock our socks off. (His brother's too.)

Fixing the tripod to withstand recoil is a simple matter of bolting it to the ground. Alternativle, it could be attached to a wall or a ceiling without the tripod. It would just requires altering the orientation of the x and y axis in the software if that.

So long as it only fired in semi-auto mode the recoil shouldn't damage the mechanism in the short term.

That's quite debatable. The parts used are very far from durable.

http://world.guns.ru/smg/smg62-e.htm


Technically a submachinegun, but even though it's chambered in .22 LR - that's right, caliber 22 Long Rifle - the ammo cap (275 ROUNDS !!!!!11!!oneoneeleven!!) would make it seem ideal for the job. Even firing at a high RoF, a .22 long rifle's recoil is not much. In a long, heavy gun like this, it'd be negligable; probably no more than that airsoft FN-P90 knock-off.

Since it's a pan-loader, it's easy to just drop and go.

The entire point of a mounted weapon is that recoil is a relatively negligable factor compared to a human platform. No sense whatsoever in something chambered in .22LR. Just about as much sense to be found in using something as antiquated as a Thompson for this, good weapon as it once was.

I thought the point of a mounted sentry gun was to get another source of outgoing lead, especially in places where it's difficult to ask a human to man the post.

This would be a relatively lightweight, easily portable and set-uppable system. I'll bet ordinary tent posts could nail a good tripod down and hold it fast.


And depending on the situation, the Thompson might not be a bad idea, especially if you're a citizen working with what you got, not a person or a corp working with an R&D budget. .45 ACP is good for urban environments, as it's not that bad of a penetrator.

The point of mounting a weapon is that the mounting can absorb much more recoil than a human. The point of adding a camera and servos is to allow for telepresance opperations so that humans don't have to be put in danger. The point of automating the weapon is to provide an accurate fireing platform that doesn't require a human presence. It is cheaper that way.

You will notice that the page stated that the .22 ammo handily dug through kevlar weaves with speed. Sure, against any form of hardened armor it's gonna be useless, but most people are NOT walking tanks.

Most people don't wear body armor. A modern auto-turret would be ideal for stopping burglars and other nighttime trespassers. The chance of a thief wearing kevlar is very small. Of course, many jurisdictions have laws against death-traps so it is best to consult an evil lawyer in your locality before installing one.

If you have an extraterritorial lair of some sort, such as a volcanic island fortress, they are perfect for keeping out intruders and wild animals. Concerns aboout recoil or penetration could be remedied by replacing the firearm with a laser gun.

In the Sixth World, armor is more common. More powerful weapons are necessary. However, lasers work even better in the 2060's than they do now.

A single round won't. Repeated hits will.

That is rather questionable with even a level II vest, let alone more common level III and above.

Wow. This got stupid fast.

I agree, I don't think it would go through level III armor. For a good reason; level III has a steel backing. A .22 LR just can't penetrate a hardened armor, but enough hits on a weave should dig through.

Very fast indeed.

Yes, I am familiar with the box. That does not mean 5.56x45mm will not penetrate indoors; all it means is that the specific ammunition they tested, fired from that weapon (notably, that barrel length), will not penetrate very well through drywall. Plenty of other variable involved, and 5.56x45mm is notoriously screwy when it comes to penetration.

As for 5.7x28mm, it will penetrate armor better; however, it is questionable whether this is necessary in a sentry weapon, and its terminal potential is really quite lacking compared to the other two pistol cartridges. Also, it's two fucking dollars a bullet.

Make the hardware ballsy enough and you can just use a 20mm Vulcan.

I can think of several advantages to using a sentry gun to defend some area.
1) It's emotionless. It doesn't freak out over stress, fear or anger. It never gets bored and stops to take a smoke, etc.
2) It's tireless. As long as its got its power source and whatnot, the thing won't fall asleep. It can stay on duty 24/7 which a human sentry can't do very well.
3) It's always on its "A" game. This thing will shoot with predictable precision - while a human varies in performance from shot to shot.
4) It can be hardened. You could put a stationary gun under enough armor to stop 7.62x39mm armor piercing. At that point, it takes a direct hit from an RPG for most light guerilla forces to handle. Difficult to do at any range, while getting ripped up by a sentry gun.
5) It's scary. The sentry gun is totally merciless. It won't ever back down or give up. Man, I'd hate to have to deal with that.
6) Depending on the hardware, it may be able to draw a bead, calculate the shot and fire a hit much faster than a human. That would let it reliably outdraw potential opponents and nail fleeting or intermittent targets. No popping up, loosing your RPG and ducking before the Marines on duty can whack you - the sentry gun gets you before you pull the trigger.
7) With infrared, it may be possible to have some kind of "IFF" that would invisibly inform the sentrygun that you are a friendly. Thus, it would discriminate nicely.
Imagine it on a helicopter mounting, if they can make it work.

The only problem is that you run the risk of splashing friendlies without tags, (police, civilians, etcetera,) Clyde. Or did you mean putting the IFF on the chopper mounts we already have, non-Sentry?

The military is working upa prototype similair to this, but on a remote vehicle. The gun is a modified SAW IIRC, and allows even a novice user to qualify as Marksman on the range.

Sucks for the people who haven't seen this yet. It just got Greenlighted to the front page of Fark.com

Thier web server is about to be pwned.

Casull is chambered in .454 IIRC. Least the revolver I'm thinking of does.

Casull is a name. .454 Casull is a caliber, based on the old .45LC. The Casull Cats is talking about is a pan fed Thompson variant in .22LR. To my knowledge, both developed by the same Richard Casull, hence the name. I don't believe I've ever heard of any Casull anything chambered in the cartridge of the same name.

Yep, same guy. The Freedom Arms revolver was designed by him (and incidentally, it was used by James Caan in the movie Alien Nation), and chambered in .454 Casull. Some people refer to that combo generally as a "Casull".