# A Super Weapon? A Million Rounds/Minute?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 1, 2003, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657 "2003-07-01T21:09:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2003, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/1 "2003-07-01T21:09:06Z")
I saw an article somewhere ([MSN.com](http://MSN.com), [CNN.com](http://CNN.com), [ABCNEWS.com](http://ABCNEWS.com)) a few days ago that talked about some new super weapon that was designed by a guy in Canada. The US has their eye on it. For the life of me I can’t find the article to read in more detail. Anyone out there see it? Many thanks.
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### Author:  [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/2 "2003-07-01T21:27:39Z")
Fire Storm? Metal Storm? Something like that…
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/3 "2003-07-01T21:35:08Z")
[Metal Storm](http://www.cnn.com/TECH/9706/28/super.gun/).
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### Author:  [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/4 "2003-07-01T21:38:54Z")
It’s [Metal Storm](http://www.metalstorm.com/), based in Brisbane, Australia.
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### Author:  [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/5 "2003-07-01T21:38:57Z")
Fire Storm? Metal Storm? Something like that…
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/6 "2003-07-01T22:06:33Z")
Finally, we can destroy [Jared-Syn.](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0085935)
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### Author:  [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2003, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/7 "2003-07-01T22:43:43Z")
You know, this metal storm looks a lot like the “Reason” or “Final Argument of Kings” weapon in Neal Stephenson’s _Snow Crash!_
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### Author:  [@Sock\_Munkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sock_Munkey)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/8 "2003-07-01T22:44:38Z")
Imagine if they upgraded the A-10 with one of those…
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### Author:  [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/9 "2003-07-01T22:58:49Z")
How could you get Canada and Australia confused??
There was a [doco about the inventor, Mike O’Dwyer](http://www.abc.net.au/austory/Austory2000archives_Thursday31August2000.htm) on the box a little while ago. He is a sort of back-yard inventor.
Story relates the huge effort he went to to have the weapon developed, and the lack of interest by potential investors in the weapon, including the Australian and US military.
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### Author:  [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2003, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/10 "2003-07-01T22:59:46Z")
Metal Storm isn’t anything especially new…IIRC it was mentioned on these boards a year or so ago. I wonder why all the sudden interest from the media now?
Also, and maybe this is just me, it seems like Metal Storm is kind of a trick. They claim a million rounds a minute but to me they are just firing multiple barrels nearly at once. What’s the big deal…the rate may be a million rounds per minute but in practice it can only fire a few dozen rounds. The particulars are different but it seems like a fancy shotgun.
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### Author:  [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2003, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/11 "2003-07-01T23:27:17Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Whack-a-Mole \*
> \*\*They claim a million rounds a minute but to me they are just firing multiple barrels nearly at once. What’s the big deal…the rate may be a million rounds per minute but in practice it can only fire a few dozen rounds. The particulars are different but it seems like a fancy shotgun. \*\*
I agree. Sure, in theory you can shoot 1M rounds a minute, but just remember, that’s 1 _million rounds_ you have to reload.
Tripler
And we all know that reloading that sorta system ain’t too damn quick.
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### Author:  [@Panzerfaust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panzerfaust)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/12 "2003-07-01T23:32:33Z")
The big issue with Metal Storm and its military application, as far as I know, is the caseless rounds it fires. The caseless-vs-cased ammunition debate rages on.
And on.
And on.
I guess someone’s hoping that Metal Storm will show the effectiveness of caseless ammunition (like the G11 didn’t already do that), enough that the US Armed Forces will switch. Given the cost of refitting an entire military, I find this unlikely. Frankly, I don’t see any real, tangible benefit to the Metal Storm over other forms of vehicle-mounted miniguns. More bullets isn’t really much of an improvement.
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### Author:  [@radar\_ralf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radar_ralf)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2003, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/13 "2003-07-01T23:54:11Z")
How about point missile defense? Sort of a “no moving parts” version of CIWS (Phalanx). Would that be a possible application?
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### Author:  [@Panzerfaust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panzerfaust)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/14 "2003-07-02T00:30:54Z")
Actually, that might be a great use for it. Good idea.
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### Author:  [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/15 "2003-07-02T00:39:05Z")
Yes, point missile defense is what the US military is looking into using it as. It’s not really practical in any other role.
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### Author:  [@Xgemina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xgemina)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/16 "2003-07-02T00:42:42Z")
**radar ralf**
> [@](#):
>
> How about point missile defense? Sort of a “no moving parts” version of CIWS (Phalanx). Would that be a possible application?
It could be, however, there would be 2 large problems (IMHO):
1. Due to the high rate of fire, you would only get a very, very short burst. If you want more bursts, you would have to have more barrels as the rounds are loaded one after the other done the barrel.
2. The whole reloading process with even one, let alone multiple barrels would be a bitch.
While I’m sure that there will be a handy dandy fire selector that will allow you to adjust the amount of rounds fired, the whole system seems rather, well, clunky. The recoil of so many rounds heading down range would have to be enormous as well.
John Ringo uses this system in his books _When the Devil Dances_ and _Hell’s Faire_ mounted on a M-1 chassis. Imagine a M-1 firing with 12 105mm barrels, each with 16 rounds loaded. The results are rather interesting in the books.
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### Author:  [@MrTuffPaws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrTuffPaws)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/17 "2003-07-02T00:55:25Z")
Actually, the metal storm guns are better than the standard personal arms the military uses.
I remember seeing something on a designed assault rifle that used 4 barrels. The thing was lighter, carried more ammo loaded, was faster to reload, and it would not jam. Plus the soldier would be able to carry more ammo into combat. I am too lazy to search for the report now.
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### Author:  [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/18 "2003-07-02T02:54:57Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by antechinus \*
> **How could you get Canada and Australia confused??**
I’m gunna guess he’s American. For many Americans, the universe is divided into two approximately equal parts, the USA and everywhere else.
In this case he has a mental category of “countries that speak English which aren’t the USA” which all merge into each other 🙂
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### Author:  [@Panzerfaust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panzerfaust)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/19 "2003-07-02T02:55:44Z")
**MrTuffPaws** , I’d like to see your criteria for “better”.
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### Author:  [@hutchley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hutchley)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2003, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-super-weapon-a-million-rounds-minute/185657/20 "2003-07-02T04:21:40Z")
Well…speaking as the consumer, I may not fully understand what MetalStorm is, but I WANT one !!!
Just for personal use, around the home, you understand…
I think they were also developing a pistol that used fingerprint recognition technology or something so that only the real owner could fire it - an excellent idea.
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