[Ultra-Tech] Bioplas Guns?

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by Varyon

A search didn't find prior discussions of this, but would Smart Bioplastic (UT170) be a suitable material to make firearms out of?

The big problem is that the stuff is flexible. Even rigid types probably aren't super-hard, and are likely to lack wear resistance, so barrel wear will be a major problem (and I'm not convinced self-repair that's suitable for a flexible suit will do for a gun barrel's lining).

Also, it would make the TL11 Cannibal Nanokit largely redundant, and seems generally superior to Memory Metal, etc.

I think that gun barrels and bolt faces, etc. will need to be metals or similarly hard and dense metallic ceramics if they're to last for a few TLs yet. For ones that only need to last a short while hard plastics with ceramic barrel linings (non-metallic if it's to get through scanners) can do, though over-using such a gun might lead to finding out it's reached it's 'use by' when it catastrophically fails.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

You could build them like modern automobile engines are built, with a few critical parts like the barrel being made of rugged metal or ceramics surrounding by bioplas (taking the place of the aluminum engine block). Legal bioplas guns might be required to have some non-bioplas parts for safety or sensor detection. You wouldn't get quite the weight and space savings as pure bioplas, however.

Yeah, I'm thinking a metal barrel, bolt, etc will be appropriate. As I mentioned above, I believe an extendable metal barrel is doable when combined with bioplas. To be more clear, I'll try to use some ASCII art. Let's say we have a weapon that has a barrel that can be 10" (pistol), 15" (carbine), 20" (rifle), 25" (long rifle), or 30" (sniper/payload rifle). Left is how it would look from the side without the bioplas (or with clear bioplas), right is how it would from the front without the bioplas (or with clear bioplas).

______
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======			((O))
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‾‾‾‾‾‾
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=========		((O))
‾‾‾‾‾‾
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============		 (O)
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===============		 (O)
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==================	  O

Originally Posted by Rupert

Also, it would make the TL11 Cannibal Nanokit largely redundant, and seems generally superior to Memory Metal, etc.

This would be a weapon that can be concealed, but it would still have the same mass and volume as the full weapon, whereas the cannibal nanokit is a tiny tube of paste weighing in at 1% of the mass of the item. You'll be hard pressed to smuggle a bioplas sniper rifle in an implanted Flesh Pocket (UT211), but a cannibal nanokit that lets you make a sniper rifle in short order would be perfectly doable.

As for memory metal, UT seems to lack stats for that - it's mentioned alongside bioplas on UT90 (where it's indicated to be TL 10+), but UT170-171 goes straight from smart bioplastics (bioplas, TL 9) to living metal (TL 12).

Originally Posted by Rupert

I think that gun barrels and bolt faces, etc. will need to be metals or similarly hard and dense metallic ceramics if they're to last for a few TLs yet. For ones that only need to last a short while hard plastics with ceramic barrel linings (non-metallic if it's to get through scanners) can do, though over-using such a gun might lead to finding out it's reached it's 'use by' when it catastrophically fails.

Yeah, this is my inclination, and it avoids the issue of bioplas' low density. There may be some all-bioplas guns in use, probably mostly in the form of single-shot, low recoil weapons - low-velocity grenade launchers, flare guns, etc. Criminals and the like might have all-bioplas "zip guns" or similar as well, only working for a few shots before they need to regenerate.

It also occurs to me that bioplas would be a great material for magazines - no need to worry about the spring wearing out when the magazine itself can function as a self-healing spring.

[Anthony]

To a large degree it comes down to what you want bioplas to be capable of, but bear in mind that TL 10 portal scanners (UT104) can just directly detect explosives.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by Varyon

As for memory metal, UT seems to lack stats for that - it's mentioned alongside bioplas on UT90 (where it's indicated to be TL 10+), but UT170-171 goes straight from smart bioplastics (bioplas, TL 9) to living metal (TL 12).

The only thing that's listed that's made of memory metal is the Morph Axe, I think. None of the things they turn into have complex parts, so I suspect a 'morph gun' would have some large parts that change shape, and a handful of little bits (spring, firing pin, etc.) that have to be carried separately.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Rupert

The only thing that's listed that's made of memory metal is the Morph Axe, I think. None of the things they turn into have complex parts, so I suspect a 'morph gun' would have some large parts that change shape, and a handful of little bits (spring, firing pin, etc.) that have to be carried separately.

I think when I searched for it there was also a rope that was a combination of memory metal and smart bioplastic, as well as a "spider trap" that used memory metal to change shape and imprison the target. I don't recall finding the Morph Axe with that search; maybe it uses a term other than "memory metal". While Bioplas and Living Metal both have write-ups of how they function, Memory Metal does not, it just pops up in the Memory Materials (I think) box and then there are a few items that are made from it, but there's no information on how rapidly (and under what conditions) it heals, what it is (is it a bunch of nanomachines, like a primitive form of Living Metal, or something else?), etc. I could potentially extrapolate - IIRC Bioplas recovers at a rate of 1 HP per 6 hours while Living Metal is 1 per hour, half that rate and it needs access to appropriate materials if it's missing pieces. So, treating Living Metal as TL 12 Memory Metal, maybe the TL 10 version heals at 1 HP per 4 hours but cannot grow replacement parts (but if the user provides them it can incorporate them readily), while the TL 11 version heals at 1 HP per 3 hours and can grow replacement parts at 1/2 or maybe 1/3 that rate (1 HP per 6 or 9 hours).

Originally Posted by ericthered

I've got a program that will let you shoot a couple more shots beyond the built-in-down. Its a life-saver!

Seriously, I do expect you want an override for that, at least in combat situations.

As I noted upthread, I think bioplas barrels are going to only be used by those who don't have the option or inclination to actually go buy a weapon from an FFL, so safeties like this are probably unlikely. The exception could be something like a flare gun, which could probably get away with a bioplas barrel to save on weight. Indeed, modern ones often are made of plastic from what I'm reading, and bioplas is greatly superior to that.

Something like a holdout .22LR could probably get away with a bioplas barrel as well, and I suspect even a catastrophic failure with such would just disable the weapon with minimal injury to the user's hand, so such safeties may not be in play there either. Additionally, putting a lot of rounds through such a weapon in a short period of time would be well outside of its intended use.