Handgun Gauss was recognized as a "serious weapon"
Screenshot from ArcFlash Labs' GR-1 Anvil Portable Gauss Rifle video (Forgotten Weapons YouTube channel)
The past year 2021 gave the gun world not so much News. Therefore, information from a relatively small American company Arcflash Labs, which experimented with unusual samples weaponshas interested many. Unexpectedly for the townsfolk, the Gauss rifle from the TV screens and monitors took a step into the real world.
True, the price of the novelty turned out to be large even for the American market. The weapon, which many still view as a very expensive toy, albeit one that is proven to be effective, went on sale for $3. With pre-order, you could buy the model with a 750% discount, but even $ 10 is an impressive amount for a country where the Colt M3 sport shooting carbine can be purchased from the manufacturer at a price of $ 375.
Perhaps it was to stimulate sales of not the cheapest model in the oversaturated US civilian weapons market that Arcflash Labs released a detailed review of its new product. For solidity, the company invited an American expert and the host of the popular firearms blog Forgotten Weapons, Ian McCollum.
This expert is known in our country. Russian state publications, for example, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, published some expert reviews when it came to samples of Soviet or Russian weapons, and the weapon reviews themselves were made in a complimentary way for us.
Arcflash Labs monetizes science fiction
Electromagnetic weapons were glorified by the scientist Carl Gauss and science fiction, which in the XNUMXth century stepped from the world of fiction to cinema screens, and then to computer monitors. Movies and computer games have expanded the audience of science fiction writers to the maximum. For example, the Gauss rifle featured in the world-famous Fallout video game series, being one of the most lethal weapons available to the player.
Model EMG-01B, which Arcflash Labs began selling in 2018, photo: arcflashlabs.com
Sooner or later, someone had to try to monetize this popularity. At the same time, Arcflash Labs did not go the easy way. The company could have limited itself to selling ordinary models and toys, made, as is now customary, on industrial 3D printers. But the Arcflash Labs engineers decided to make real weapons, albeit of limited use.
Any Gauss gun or Gauss cannon (Gauss gun, Gauss cannon), as in the case of Arcflash Labs, is a kind of electromagnetic mass accelerator. As you might guess, the weapon got its name in honor of the German scientist Carl Friedrich Gauss, who in the XNUMXth century left a noticeable mark in various fields of scientific knowledge: mechanics, mathematics, physics, geometry. Among other things, it was Gauss who laid the foundations for the entire mathematical theory of electromagnetism.
In 2018, Arcflash Labs introduced a commercial model of the EMG-01A electromagnetic rifle, which everyone could purchase. The model with a 6S LiPo battery and an 18-round magazine, which is actually small metal bars of a certain length and diameter, was the first commercial Gauss rifle model on the market.
This model EMG-01A was as close as possible to toys. In terms of power, the device was comparable to traditional air rifles, but the price for the EMG-01A was already sci-fi. Sales then started at $ 950, now the stock price of the model is $ 1.
Gauss rifle GR-1 ANVIL, photo: arcflashlabs.com
The GR-1 ANVIL (“Anvil”) Gauss hand rifle, which Arcflash Labs launched pre-sales in the second half of 2021, has become a more serious development. In promo videos, the company positioned the GR-1 ANVIL as the world's first serial Gauss rifle. At the same time, the declared muzzle energy was 100 J, which was comparable to models of pistols made for the small-caliber cartridge .22 LR (5,6x15,6 mm) common in the world.
What did the GR-1 ANVIL rifle show in the end?
As you already understood, the price of the GR-1 ANVIL Gauss rifle does not look like a toy at all. This is confirmed by testing the model. At the same time, outwardly, the Anvil still most of all resembles a toy from a store. This is largely due to the unusual appearance and a large number of components printed on a 3D printer. Despite the resemblance to a battery-powered plastic craft, the GR-1 ANVIL model is definitely not a toy anymore.
At the same time, the term “rifle” is also inaccurate in relation to this model of weapon, although this is purely a matter of taste. It is clear that there are no rifling in the barrel of the weapon, and technically we have before us something resembling a smoothbore gun, but in practice the phrase “Gauss rifle” itself has long become common in the world.
Gauss rifle GR-1 ANVIL, photo: arcflashlabs.com
The rifle stock, battery holders, magazines are 3D printed, some elements of the weapon are made of acrylic plastic (plexiglas). The model is equipped with a small LCD screen, which displays important information: battery charge, capacitor charge, coil temperature and other information that is diagnostic in nature.
The GR-1 ANVIL rifle uses a chain of coils that create a magnetic field, which gives acceleration to ferromagnetic ammunition more than one centimeter in diameter. The weapon accelerates these iron-rich metal bars to a speed of 75 m/s. The supply of ammunition is carried out from a magazine designed for 10 such cartridges.
The developer company notes that three main types of ammunition can be used with the GR-1 rifle: 32, 42 and 52 mm. Depending on the use of ammunition, the size of the magazine also changes. Ammunition diameter is stated as 0,5 inches (12,7 mm). To facilitate aiming from weapons weighing more than 9 kg, the model was equipped with a laser designator.
Gauss rifle GR-1 ANVIL, photo: arcflashlabs.com
Arcflash Labs says the GR-1 ANVIL is the most powerful electromagnetic rifle available on the market. They also highlight an advanced or advanced capacitor charging system that allows the 25V lithium ion battery pack to charge the coils fairly quickly. It takes three seconds to reload to shoot at full power. If the speed of the ammunition is not of fundamental importance to you, then the weapon can shoot faster.
The distinguishing feature of the weapon is its noiselessness, this model is no louder than a crossbow. Also, the GR-1 ANVIL has an important feature - the weapon creates a fairly strong magnetic field around itself. For this reason, it is strictly forbidden to use it within a radius of 15 meters from people who have pacemakers or similar devices installed that directly affect human life and health.
The power of the GR-1 ANVIL can't be compared to traditional firearms, but this model pierces plywood targets with confidence. There is also a moment in the video when a metal ammunition fired damages the wooden stand that held the target. Actually, this alone shows that the GR-1 ANVIL ceases to be a toy weapon. The model is much more powerful than air rifles and is able to deal real damage.
Frame from ArcFlash Labs' GR-1 Anvil Portable Gauss Rifle video (Forgotten Weapons youtube channel)
Of course, if we consider this electromagnetic weapon in terms of the amount of muzzle energy, then it will be small in comparison with traditional firearms. But what is now is potentially deadly, it all depends on the "success" of your shot. Ian McCollum notes that the GR-1 ANVIL should be treated with respect, like real models of firearms.
But even with this approach, the GR-1 can still cause criticism, both for its appearance and the general impression of experimental development and the feeling of a prototype of a future weapon. Ian McCollum also noted the random misfires that occur, which may be due to the low quality of fitting parts with the implemented 3D printing technology.
Information