Third Generation Battle Rifle

[Trooper]

Polymer cased ammo? Caselesss ammo (HK G11 type)? Coil/rail weapons? Energy? Who knows. I'm not smart enough to figure it out. I just know that modern ammo components (metallic cartridge, smokeless powder, Boxer/Berden primers, copper jacketing, pointed spitzer bullet) are technology that is over 120 years old. Manufacturing has improved, as well as our ability to fine tune shapes, sizes and weights, but modern ammo has remained essentially unchanged since the end of the 19th century.

Caseless has been shown to have to problems with moisture and needs to packed in a magazine. Polymer seems to be the best alternative to brass though steel or aluminum would work. Just too expensive to buy brass just to leave it on the battlefield.

Coil/rail weapons require too much in terms of a power source. Same with energy weapons. Thus we are stuck with slug throwers.

We are dealing with a mature technology (which makes it very hard to ban). It is Industrial Age technology, mechanically based. One of the ways to insure that it would go away is to perfect it. GEN III is about perfecting that technology. BTW we could have done this in the 1950s had we gone with the .280 British (7x43).