Post by farside on May 10, 2013 1:06:50 GMT -5
For the most part weapons come in three "flavors", each with specific advantages and disadvantages. Special operations soldiers usually have their pick in which weapons they choose to carry and use. Usually they each have some particular favorites, but will often change if the weapon doesn't suit the mission.
The main types of weapons available are energy (invariably lasers, though some plasma weapons are around, and the old ion weapons), standard smokeless powder, and gyrojet (these are real, look 'em up).
Lasers have the advantage of being not only frighteningly accurate, but also have amazing armor penetration ability. The main drawback is they tend to do little damage, only making a small hole through the target. They completely lack the hydrostatic shock effect and against soft targets (us squishy living things) they actually cauterize the wound immediately stopping any bleeding (though a luck shot could cut off blood supply to a limb). They also tend to leave an ionized trail along the beam path making them an unsubtle weapon.
Smokeless powder, the old standby that's been around for ages. Relatively cheap and easy to produce these are making a comeback in the armament industry. With advanced rounds that allow for greater penetration they can still be of use against hard targets. They have the advantages of not only being cheap and plentiful, but also extremely durable a bonus to any soldier in the field. With various rounds available (at least in the larger calibers) they are also adaptable. The main disadvantages are, while not being as obvious as a laser, they tend to make a bit of noise (a real suppressor can only muffle the sound down to a firecracker level) and are quite inaccurate compared to the other types of weapons.
Gyrojet, basically a micro-rocket bullet. These weapons are in some ways a lesson in contradictions. The weapon itself is even cheaper and more durable, and even lighter than a regular firearm. The problems lie in the ammunition. The gyrojet round is very difficult to mass produce and is somewhat susceptible to the environment. They have the advantages of being more accurate than a standard firearm, though less than a laser, and being extremely quiet and stealthy. In equal calibers they do almost the same amount of physical damage to soft targets and can have the almost all the specialty round types as a conventional firearm. They also produce almost no recoil making them a much better choice than a firearm in zero gravity. The disadvantages are the aforementioned fragility of the rounds themselves along with doing less damage at close range, as the rocket has not gained full speed yet.
The main types of weapons available are energy (invariably lasers, though some plasma weapons are around, and the old ion weapons), standard smokeless powder, and gyrojet (these are real, look 'em up).
Lasers have the advantage of being not only frighteningly accurate, but also have amazing armor penetration ability. The main drawback is they tend to do little damage, only making a small hole through the target. They completely lack the hydrostatic shock effect and against soft targets (us squishy living things) they actually cauterize the wound immediately stopping any bleeding (though a luck shot could cut off blood supply to a limb). They also tend to leave an ionized trail along the beam path making them an unsubtle weapon.
Smokeless powder, the old standby that's been around for ages. Relatively cheap and easy to produce these are making a comeback in the armament industry. With advanced rounds that allow for greater penetration they can still be of use against hard targets. They have the advantages of not only being cheap and plentiful, but also extremely durable a bonus to any soldier in the field. With various rounds available (at least in the larger calibers) they are also adaptable. The main disadvantages are, while not being as obvious as a laser, they tend to make a bit of noise (a real suppressor can only muffle the sound down to a firecracker level) and are quite inaccurate compared to the other types of weapons.
Gyrojet, basically a micro-rocket bullet. These weapons are in some ways a lesson in contradictions. The weapon itself is even cheaper and more durable, and even lighter than a regular firearm. The problems lie in the ammunition. The gyrojet round is very difficult to mass produce and is somewhat susceptible to the environment. They have the advantages of being more accurate than a standard firearm, though less than a laser, and being extremely quiet and stealthy. In equal calibers they do almost the same amount of physical damage to soft targets and can have the almost all the specialty round types as a conventional firearm. They also produce almost no recoil making them a much better choice than a firearm in zero gravity. The disadvantages are the aforementioned fragility of the rounds themselves along with doing less damage at close range, as the rocket has not gained full speed yet.