Variable-rate Machine Gun

[Jetex Kid]

I wonder if a machine gun would go unnoticed if it had an accelerating rate of fire that mimicked the rhythm of a noisy, accelerating vehicle. Particularly if such a gun were fired from within a moving vehicle, nearby people might be forced to conclude that the noise was due to the vehicle, assuming they couldn’t hear the bullets themselves.

Rate-of-fire might be most easily controlled using electric primers (Remington Etronx) with a chip-controlled 100V source. You could program a shift-point, or even “go through the gears,” though the variable recoil would make control more difficult unless the gun were mounted.

An opposite illusion would be firecrackers exploded electrically at an unvarying ten-per-second to sound like a machine gun. And if ten empty cartridge cases were left near the scene, and the fireworks hidden, the illusion would be complete and the phantom machine-gunner a reality.

[Jacks Complete]

Nice idea. You can buy "machinegun simulators" which are exactly your second idea. They come in three round burst fire, chain gun 200 rounds and 30 round magazine dump.

As for the electronic driver for a machinegun, you will have a lot of trouble doing that, since electronic fire systems are generally hard to do. However, a mechanical version would be fairly easy to do, with a PIC and a solenoid to release the bolt at the right time, with the catch simply holding the high RoF gun's bolt back, or, in a more advanced version, using the solenoid to fire the regular cartridge.

In fact, you could do a version of the "hellfire" trigger conversion to do exactly what you are describing.

[irish]

Although it's not a bad idea I can't see anyone mistaking any center-fire machine gun for an engine, they are bloody loud, it's possible at a fair distance from the shooting though I suppose.

Maybe a .22LR electric operated gatling with a variable speed motor and pre-programmed controller may work?

[JakeGallows]

Regarding matching the RoF to sound like an accelerating vehicle is certainly an interesting idea, though I'm not sure when you would use it. Any car that is accelerating fast enough to generate an amount of noise that could mask weapons fire would likely draw attention anyway. Seems like a suppressor would be the better option, and then you needn't draw attention by speeding away quite so rapidly. Or even better, utilize the matched RoF with a suppressed weapon. :)

What is the goal or use for the idea? I see it as either a method for hiding the firing of many rounds into a building as a scare tactic or a person to assassinate them. Though not without their merits it seems as though there might be better ways to accomplish these tasks without getting caught.

The only problem I see with the vanishing machine gunner is the evidence left (or not left) behind. If you use fire-crackers in their original form you will either have to remove the remainders or find a way to have them disposed of. Not to mention the fact that I don't think they are loud enough. Presumably the authorities will look into the case of machine gun fire, and when no bullets are found (I mean the actual lead component not the brass) or damage caused they will likely figure out what happened. I'm sure if they dug deep enough they would find powder in the wrong place and with the wrong patterns.

Certainly interesting ideas though.

[a3990918]

Nice idea. As for the electronic driver for a machinegun, you will have a lot of trouble doing that, since electronic fire systems are generally hard to do. However, a mechanical version would be fairly easy to do, with a PIC and a solenoid to release the bolt at the right time, with the catch simply holding the high RoF gun's bolt back, or, in a more advanced version, using the solenoid to fire the regular cartridge.

In fact, you could do a version of the "hellfire" trigger conversion to do exactly what you are describing.

Maybe a .22LR electric operated gatling with a variable speed motor and pre-programmed controller may work?

Don't know about the U.K. and Oz, but here in the States it's perfectly legal to own a machine gun as long as you don't have a felonious background and you pay the required $200 for the tax stamp. However, it is illegal to attach an electrically controled firing system to a weapon for the purpose of enhancing its rate of fire. (Excepting special circumstance, like a Quad-Mount .50bmg) Same goes for the Gatling style guns and multi-burst adaptors. Hand crank is fine but powered is a NoNo. Goes back to that whole 1 round per 1 pull of the trigger thing.

Of course this was all being discussed hypothetically, wasn't it?? Surely nobody would condone illegal activity here.;)

[486]

Rate-of-fire might be most easily controlled using electric primers (Remington Etronx) with a chip-controlled 100V source.


You could probably just use a pre-existing signal/power source [a wire spliced into a spark plug wire], to match the rate of fire to your engine's RPM. Then cut your muffler off on your car and act like one of the "racecar driver" wannabes that are so common now. The exhaust noise would cover up the sound of firing.

[file]

If I remember right, there was a gun called the ZB-37 that functioned off of an engine's power take off. It was designed for aircraft use, which in itself tends to cause the development of unique systems.

Due to it's design, you could attach a "hand crank" to something like that and have a perfectly legal gun, or just attach it right to an engine and power it that way. The engine revs determine the fire rate. No spring or locking mechanism in it actually, just a basic piston like system. Someone with a lathe and mill could probably create one adapted to such purposes very easily.

[Hitech_Hillbilly]

File is correct on the "hand crank" concept. Kits are made which will mount two rifles (either Ruger 10-22, M1 carbine, or AK-47's) and will fire them by pulling the trigger on each as you turn a hand crank. These are completely legal in the US (and does not require a tax stamp) as long as you turn the crank by hand. If you hook up a motor, it would then become illegal, however.

[file]

As far as the gearing on such a hand crank system, that's all up to the builder. I imagine on something with a high cyclic rate, you could have quite the bullet hose without having to crank fast at all if you used a very fast gear ratio.

On something like a ZB 37, you could have as fast a rate as you could possibly go, there is no real limit except that the bullet has to have finished leaving the barrel before you fire again.