# Piezoelectric Gun **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 25, 2004, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piezoelectric-gun/276573 "2004-11-25T01:05:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ricksummon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ricksummon/32/3333_2.png) [@ricksummon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricksummon)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piezoelectric-gun/276573/1 "2004-11-25T01:05:52Z")
Would it be possible to make a gun that used a piezoelectric crystal to create a spark that ignites the gunpowder instead of the percussion detonators used in normal bullets? If so, would the gun still need a hammer to hit the crystal, or would just squeezing the trigger suffice? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piezoelectric-gun/276573/2 "2004-11-25T01:15:16Z")
Possibly but what’s the point? Percussion detonation seems (to me) to be much more reliable and less involved than something that has to generate an electrical spark reliably under all sort of adverse conditions. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piezoelectric-gun/276573/3 "2004-11-25T02:08:46Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Possibly but what’s the point? Percussion detonation seems (to me) to be much more reliable and less involved than something that has to generate an electrical spark reliably under all sort of adverse conditions. Perhaps instead as a technological precursor (or a dead end) to percussion? Like a really exotic Wheellock? Either that, or for some reason being unable to produce the chemicals needed to make percussion explosives. (Which I’m guessing would never really be a problem, unless you were on a resource poor alien world, or something.) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piezoelectric-gun/276573/4 "2004-11-25T02:33:16Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > Either that, or for some reason being unable to produce the chemicals needed to make percussion explosives. Those came on the scene in [a little after 1800](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussion_cap), while the peizoelectric effect was first [demonstrated in 1880](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectricity). Had Benjamin Franklin investigated piezoelectricty in the 1740’s, rather than messing with lightning rods, the revloutionary war might well have been won with ‘Franklin’s Electric Rifle.’ ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piezoelectric-gun/276573/5 "2004-11-25T04:38:46Z")
I remember one of the characters in the G.I. Joe toy line had some kind of piezoelectric weapon … a rocket launcher, I think. The reason I remember is that this was the first time I had ever seen the word “piezoelectric.” ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piezoelectric-gun/276573/6 "2004-11-25T13:31:33Z")
Electric ignition is used in larger projectile weapons, such as the main guns on tanks, and in artillery. There’s no physical reason it couldn’t be used in small arms, too. Actually, the folks at [MetalStorm](http://www.metalstorm.com/) use electronic ignition on their quixotic creations. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piezoelectric-gun/276573/7 "2004-11-25T14:53:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Actually, the folks at MetalStorm use electronic ignition on their quixotic creations… - - - **MetalStorm** is not a good exmaple of anything, except maybe of “a great invention that nobody wants”. :rolleyes: They have no production, no contracts, and no interest from any major military or any consumer market. Saying that “MetalStorm is going to make guns” is like saying that “Moller is going to make hovercraft”. - An example of a fairly-modern firearm that does use electronic ignition is the [Voere VEC-91](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=voere+vec-91&btnG=Search), but I have never read any good technical description of the charge, or why they chose to use electronic ignition. My two best guesses would be that they were concerned about impact-ignitions from handling the ammunition, or the regular type pf priming compounds were not chemically-compatible with being in concact with the propellant they used. ~ ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piezoelectric-gun/276573/8 "2004-11-25T15:16:57Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > I remember one of the characters in the G.I. Joe toy line had some kind of piezoelectric weapon … a rocket launcher, I think. The reason I remember is that this was the first time I had ever seen the word “piezoelectric.” Was it an [AT-4](http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/infantry/antiarmor/AT4.html)? > [@astro](#): > > Possibly but what’s the point? Percussion detonation seems (to me) to be much more reliable and less involved than something that has to generate an electrical spark reliably under all sort of adverse conditions. There’s actually a very good point to designing such a system. First, it would allow for caseless ammunition. This could more than triple the amount of ammo carried without increasing weight. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2004, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piezoelectric-gun/276573/9 "2004-11-25T17:25:01Z")
> [@DougC](#): > > - > - > - **MetalStorm** is not a good exmaple of anything, except maybe of “a great invention that nobody wants”. :rolleyes: They have no production, no contracts, and no interest from any major military or any consumer market. Hence my description of their creations as “quixotic.” Comparing them to Moeller, though, is just a _tad_ unfair - MetalStorm _has_ managed to build and fire weapons. Tactically useless weapons, true, but lethal for all that, and they use electrical ignition, which the OP was asking about. I know, MetalStorm is a joke, but I was feeling lazy and grabbed the first example to cross my feeble mind. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piezoelectric-gun/276573/10 "2004-11-26T02:51:21Z")
There are already electronic triggers in use on some free target pistols and a few rifles. The primer, .22 rimfire, is still fired mechanically but there is no mechanical connection from trigger to firing pin so the trigger break weight is extremely light with one ounce being typical. I’ve fired one of these pistols once and it took a good twenty rounds of practice just to be able to touch the trigger without firing. The pistol cannot be pointed upwards as the weight of the trigger shoe fires it. I think Remington has an electronically fired rifle with special ammunition and there is the Voere (sp?) rifle that uses caseless ammunition that is electrically fired.