How is a Gauss Pistol better than a regular gunpowder type pistol?
It isn’t. Firearms are in no danger of being supplanted by coil guns anytime soon. Coil guns weigh more, cost more, are far more complex and far less reliable than ordinary firearms. The limitations of modern batteries are one major obstacle. So what good are they? There is an inherent speed limit on the muzzle velocity in an expanding gas powered gun (such as a firearm, cannon). This is due to the high temperatures and pressures created in the explosion, which effectively places a speed limit of around 2km/s for this type of system (earth’s escape velocity is >11 km/s, for reference). It is theoretically possible to achieve much higher velocities than that with a coil gun, (maybe one day approaching a significant fraction of the speed of light!) since there is no explosion involved. NASA is working on putting payloads into space using big coil guns.
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- How is a Gauss Pistol better than a regular gunpowder type pistol?
