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HPAR Master Set

The only thing I can see a problem with is the silencer, how does that work on an HPAR exactly? It's not a slugthrower but fires magnetically induced self-forging warheads. It'd be like putting a silencer on a railgun, which is pretty much what the HPAR is anyways. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think it could physically function with a silencer, nor would the silencer provide any benefit.

Also, how would this weapon jam without wrecking the barrel? Semi-molten metal doesn't exactly get cleared out with a hit to the dejamming bolt. If anything, I think the bolt would just make the mess worse.

Otherwise, awesome job, love the art, love the options.
 
The silencer would reduce the speed of the round, reducing the amount of sound it makes as it breaks the sound barrier. It would also help dissipate the blast used to create the projectile (some of the ammo is going to get vaporized in the firing process so there is a flash).

I could also imagine the weapon misfiring, causing the round not to get vaporized at all. This would leave the disk and the wire stuck in the chamber. Hitting the bolt at the back would knock the round loose and cut new wire for the next round. The next shot should clear the barrel of all that mess allowing for the shot after that to work properly.

...and thanks, if you have any ideas for attachments (Or want to see a particular combination since I can easily swap pieces on my model) let me know.
 
Mm, but the weapon fires by launching wire through the coin, a jam would mean there's either an error with the wire spool (unlikely because of the mechanism's extreme simplicity), in which case the dejamming bolt would need to spool a new length and leave the coin in place, discarding any wire that might already be 'in the chamber'; or there is a malfunction in the firing mechanism, a coil gun, which cannot be remedied by simply exchanging a new coin and piece of wire. Additionally, since the wire-spool mechanism already has to be automated since there is no mechanism to recock the weapon and set up the next shot through the firing process, an automatic and compact dejammer is probably already in place much like how a chain gun avoids jamming due to a misfire by having an automated ammunition feed that pulls the shells through the breach rather than rely on blowback or recoil cocking.

In the case of the HPAR, a misfire either means the spool is defective and should be replaced, the coin is defective and should be replaced, the accelerator that fires the wire is defective or miscalibrated and the weapon is useless or ruined, or a combination of two or all three of the previous issues have most probably ruined the weapon. In the first two cases a "chain gun" feature should discard both the wire and coin and attempt to fire the next round with no intervention by the operator; In the last two cases the weapon must be repaired or, more probably, replaced entirely, both if which make it immediately useless to the soldier holding the weapon.

The HPAR is really a high-end piece of military equipment, any malfunction in the field is likely due to a complex failure within the electronics that cannot be fixed by the operator unless they are a tech sentry with the proper tools. An autodiagnostic is likely in place to assay what has malfunctioned, but pulling the weapon apart in the field to fix an electronic issue would probably only make the situation worse by fouling up any working electronics through elemental exposure.

I always saw the weapon as a robust SFP coilgun, not an M16 in space, which, as cool as the visual upgrade and extra options are, is what it seems you're trying to make the HPAR into and I would strongly suggest against that. The weapon is a rapid fire heavy anti-armor rifle, not an infantryman's AR; it may be an analogue, but it really shouldn't be identical.

On my issue with the silencer, reducing the round's velocity would reduce its kinetic force, the primary method by which this weapon does its job, which is to defeat enemy heavy armor. Keeping in mind that this is an assault weapon in every sense of the word, it defeats the foe through a mass of warheads and a considerable ammunition supply. Just see how long on fully automatic (420rpm) it takes to empty the 700-round magazine by discharging the weapon as fast as possible; over a minute and a half. The only other type of weapon to have a single magazine of that size are gattling-style cannon or large missile pods, neither of which are at all silent or stealthy weapons when fired. If the operator is on a mission where silence and likely precision as well is needed, this is not the kind of weapon to carry, nor would a silencer help.

IIRC, a silencer absorbs the propellant gases from a discharged bullet, reducing flash and muffling the noise, it does not reduce the supersonic zip of the round which you must cold-load the cartridge with reduced propellant to account for. Simply making the weapon "less supersonic" does nothing to help the noise issue, in fact it would give the enemy more time to react. On the issue of absorbing the flash of discharge, the silencer would likely be ruined quickly from the semi-molten metals clogging or deforming the silencer. I could possibly see using a baffle to direct the noise of firing towards the front of the weapon and reduce sideways transmission of noise, but the silencer just seems silly to me.
 
When trigger is pressed, a single ‘coin’ round is loaded into the barrel chamber. In the rear of the weapon, a length of thick copper wiring from a roped copper ring. is led into a vacuum chamber, attached to an electrode and cut from the rest of the wire. The electrode is then charged, and the wire is the quickly heated past its threshold of heat tolerance. This results in a sublimation effect; the copper wire instantly turns from a solid to a gas, resulting in a heft explosion of force and heat, which is funneled out of the barrel and onto the loaded ‘coin’ round. The wave of heat and force contacts with the convexed end first, forming a ‘spike’ of molten metal which is then propelled out of the barrel through the remaining force. The semi-solid projectile is funnel through the magnetic rifling barrel which reacts to the metalloid by pushing it together, keeping the shot straight as it leaves the barrel. Copper wire is then set in the vacuum chamber again, a coin round is replaced and loaded, and the cycle is repeated.

From the HPAR-01a article.

The HPAR is really more like a rapid fire shaped charge, forming bullets from coins using the explosive force of vaporizing the wire. This makes the weapon act like a rifle firing case less rounds, meaning the only time it jams is when the round isn't properly chambered. Simply re-chambering a new round should clear the problem.

Also since the wire is exploded when firing a round, there will be exhaust gases and a muzzle flash. Since the weapon already does a shit ton of damage a little loss in kinetic energy isn't going to ruin it.The silencer doesn't make the gun silent ( Note: Going to change name to suppressor ) it just reduces the noise output making it more reasonable to use indoors or for training where people could receive ear damage from being constantly exposed to full loudness rapid HPAR fire.
 
Oh dang, how did I misread that? Okay, in that case I have no objections.

rapid fire shaped charge, forming bullets from coins using the explosive force of vaporizing the wire
Shaped charges use explosives as the primary force, this is a self-forging projectile, tiny difference.

making it more reasonable to use indoors or for training where people could receive ear damage from being constantly exposed to full loudness rapid HPAR fire
Seeing as the HPAR is only technically assigned to power armor and has a kick to break bones, the only people suffering noise-related injury would be accompanying infantry, bystanders, or an unarmored target.
 
I can imagine the HPAR getting some use in heavily urbanized nepleslia where there would be lots of bystanders and unarmored targets that might need protecting.

Also, made a bunch of updates to the HPAR article based on some of Cy83rs ideas.
 
I like the virtual trigger, very nice. On the 01a type stock, a redundant manual feed slide-bolt might not be a bad idea either, you have the dejamming bolt on the receiver, after all.

Lastly, is a cost in DA out of the question? :3

Oh, I almost forgot, is there a way to dumb down the recoil effects so footsoldiers can use these?
 
Set cost and manufacturer added.

I don't see the weapon being dumbed down for foot soldier use. It is already too heavy for a regular infantryman to use effectively as a rifle and a lot of the features are designed for a power armored soldier.
 
Added a UMD launcher,

Approval plz.

And SR, we need to talk about your gyrobullets. Up for a JP at some point?
 
RPG-D RPGfix
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