Why did the bolt catch go extinct?

it does move forward like a mag lev, infact multi-stage coil guns are linear motors just like mag lev trains. the thing is even a mag lev still applies force to the track, how else do you think it can move? the force is created by repelling magnetic fields, and applies force to both the track and the train. The track just happens to be bolted to the ground so it doesn't move and the train does, the ground effectively absorbed the apposing force of the train pushing off of it.

in a coil gun you have the same sort of system, but instead the coils are pulling a mass, this still applies force to the gun, that force has to go somewhere as was already pointed out many times.

Oh hey, I have those exact same capacitors.

To be fair, a crossbow bolt at close range has a crapton of kinetic energy. It'll do more physical damage to you than anything but a very large bullet. Velocity * mass, and a crossbow bolt has comparatively a lot of mass. I've seen crossbow bolts (not the training kind) penetrate through decently thick steel plates. You'd need a rifle (I'd bet a .30-06 or larger/faster would work) or a monster handgun to do the same, though admittedly they could do so at much, much further ranges.

There's a reason crossbows were a dominant weapon for so long. A proper one at close range went through heavy plate armor like a hot knife through butter. I'm pretty sure they are the reason why plate armor pretty much went away.

in a choice between a 9mm and a modern crossbow in close range against a soft armored target that doesn't know I am there, I will take the cross bow.

Probably because they include Gaussian mechanics in addition to those of a traditional firearm. They fire like a normal gun but are then accelerated with coils along the barrel.

First question: Pass. No idea.

Second question: Rapid Recharge Capacitors. To heat and fire the plasma the gun needs to spend a lot of power in a short amount of time. The battery cannot deliver enough power fast enough to make this work. So it charges capacitors to do the firing. This is also why you don't fire a continuous beam of plasma but rather fire in bursts. When the capacitor is charged you don't actually need to wait for the charge to build before firing. (faux science =))

Third question: I don't understand what you mean.

Fourth question: Heat is the same thing as light just a shorter wavelength. As such they are bent just like the visible light is.

Fifth question: No idea. A stealthy option? Make his enemies question his sanity? Perplex investigators?

Sixth question: If the shield protects against kinetic strikes it is likely it absorbs kinetic energy rather than evaporating projectiles. As such a heavy bolt, fired slowly from a crossbow, may have the same or similar kinetic energy as a bullet fired from a gun. As for the plasma... no idea... maybe the shield only slows it even further and the ceramic coating of the enemy armour just absorbs the heat.

Huh. My history teacher from way back when was wrong about the plate armor thing then.

I'm not sure I'd take a crossbow over a firearm, since they'd be bulky and can't put out a high volume of shots, but yeah, there's no doubt if you landed a bolt that it would be effective.

I wonder why they couldn't consistently defeat plate armor, then. I've seen them go through steel plates personally. I suppose a flat steel plate isn't the same thing as plate armor, which would probably be designed to deflect in addition to resisting impacts. Hm.

Answer to question one: Gauss Rifles theoretically can use a specialized cased round. The magnetic coils simply amplify it's velocity.

Answer to question two: They aren't firing a frictionless bolt, they're simply using magnetic fields to amplify a fired round's velocity.

Answer to question three: I don't ******* know but I like 'em. They're supposed to be based off the Vanu themselves.


Notes: There's a difference between a Gauss Gun and a Rail Gun. Look it up.

the mag on the pdw-7 how does it get bullets to the action? (i mean it looks great for making mix tapes)

if all light type waves are bent around the infiltrator, how does he see out of this field, since vision is the product of the very same waves striking the infiltrators eyes?

Tahts part of it, most plate armor is designed to deflect blows not just tank them. I'm sure you could get a bolt through plate if you hit it just right, but it isn't going to be reliable at long range. the real plate killer is a mace and a knight off his horse, nothing like using someones own armor against them by crushing it into their ribs.

Heyo!

heat is a LONGER wavelength than visible light.
not shorter.

I was looking for an excuse to post this...

I was playing around in the warpgate one day and noticed this





Looks like old fashioned bullets to me...

There is a gun that fires Dubstep, there is a gun loads Dubstep, we only need a gun that sounds Dubstep

looks like brass painted hot dogs.

I can't find the post about it... But on the pseudo science of VS recoil, it was presented as something along the lines of a gas blow back effect. The Plasma charge is built in a chamber, contained and stabilized by a magnetic field. When the field breaks down, the plasma starts expanding and is expelled out of the barrel from the pressure. But this is where it gets fuzzy... the actual kick is produced by super heated air from the chamber, or by rapid heating of the air around the muzzle as the plasma exits.

Its also the original explanation as to why VS weapons had longer fall off curves, as plasma cohesion breaks down, the energy gets lost as heat.

That crossbow has Magpul stock and pistol grip on it...
I've seen a Magpuled crossbow. *cries*

One thing to remember of course is that that the full plate you are not just talking about the plate, but the plate on the outside, followed by a layer of chain and then leather. It's a multifaceted system built up through a lot of lot of improvements over years. Longbows and Crossbows both could pierce through the armor which is why these weapons continued to be used. The big advantage of a crossbow is it's very easy to train someone to use it compared to a longbow. The crossbow's only really failing compared to the longbow was that it took longer to load than a longbow. As time went on though crossbows improved and you say heavier crossbow designs and soon heavier armor. And then the first firearms came, and suddenly any yahoo who can wave a stick can suddenly propel a ball of lead death down the battlefield. And naturally being a battlefield, you would draft large groups of stick-waving yahoos to propel balls of lead death down the battlefield. It basically was all the problems with the heavier crossbow, but even worse, and it killed full plate armor because the armor was already about as heavy as it could be to deal with the larger crossbows.

From all my experience with assault rifles, that 'bolt catch' used to work unreliable at best and the bolt would not close the chamber if even a little bit of dirt was present. It was mostly regarded as a toy function as it was faster and safer to simply manually pull and close the rack in field conditions.

As for gauss rifles and recoil, every object being pushed in one direction (bullet) exerts a force on the object doing the pushing (gun) in the opposite direction. It's literally rocket science

I guess the same reason why the prototype h&k G11 had an ejection port.

Recoil isn't a frictionless thing. Your guns applies force to a bullet to accelerate it, this creates an equal and opposite force in the opposite direction (recoil).
It's the whole throwing a basketball while on a skate board thing (the basketball is the bullet).

Because the designers have a sense of humour. That said i am surprised at the similarities between the Beamer and and the Nerf Proton (change the iron sights and make it a bit thinner and it could be the same thing xD).