Top 5 Coil Guns

96

Here is a list of 5 cool coil guns, either one would be fun to try out. Remember that coil guns can be dangerous, if you build one and shoot out your eye don’t say you weren’t warned.

5. The Mk II Coil RIfle

This is the second gun that Nicholas Howard has built.

“This is my second coil rifle, it has a firing energy of about 5 joules and it charges in about 10 seconds. the power source is the 12V 3.5AH SLA batery. This supplies the power to the 12v-240v inverter that provides the 240v requiered by the rectifacation circut. The 400v output from this circut is used to charge the two 400v 2200uF capacitors used to supply the energy to the work coil. it is capable of shooting through multiple soda cans.”

4. 18 Shot Repeat Coilgun

This one packs the punch of an automatic.

“Here it concerns a three speed CG in each case with three Philips condensers 450V/3700µ.
a small lead gel Akku sits above, beside it the potential transformer. the entire part is built from aluminium profiles from the building market, in the center from brass a repeating pin, which always carries senkrechten from the magazine on notice the projectile into the best position. Projectiles are standard mechanical engineering pin 5x38mm…

Unfortunately the Timing is not optimal over into PP more spacer used light barriers, part would be far better with only one coil!!!! ”

3. EM-15 coil gun

The EM-15 is a gun that the military could get lots of use from if it ever goes into production.

“The EM-15 coil gun is a handheld, battery powered (12 VDC) rifle that is capable of launching a .30 caliber metallic projectile at adjustable velocities. The electronic circuit consists of a voltage step-up transformer converter, a Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier cascade, a capacitor energy storage bank, a voltage comparator to set the charge voltage on the capacitor bank, an SCR switching section and a single accelerator coil. Other components of the gun are the barrel, breech loading mechanism, battery supply, capacitor bank, control panel, display, projectile, pistol grip with trigger assembly and an aluminum stock that contains all of the components.”

 
2. Electromagnetic Pistol: CS-P01A

Check out CoilGun Systems for a very detailed write up of the CS-Po1A.

“In this design I decided to use separate holes in the accelerator for the optical gate beam. The reason being that to machine the slot up to this point (thereby allowing beam feedthrough) would only leave a small web between each slot which could result in unacceptable accelerator deformation.

The specifications require a muzzle energy of 4.0J which equates to a muzzle speed of about 25m/s using a solid test projectile. The dimensions of the energy source are limited by the general dimensions of the gun.”

1. ACG 85P 2 Stage Configurable Semi-Automatic Pistol

We have featured some of the work from Another Coilgun Site before. As usual they keep getting better and better! Have a look at the ACG 85P 2 Stage Configurable Semi-Automatic Pistol.

“First portable semi-automatic coilgun pistol finaly complete. This long overdue project started out 6 months ago. Initial the pistol was designed for a lower bank and energy shot level just to demonstrate 5 shots per second at 2 joules. As time passed and parts perished, the orginal designed transformed into a higher shot level and lower rate of fire. The next design will more than compensate for it all.”

 


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96 Comments


  1. The military won’t use those for a very long time. The standard rifle has a handful of parts that a evan a third world country can produce at some reduction of fit and finish (though some of British Indias are beautiful) they will work.

    A coil has how many parts? And can you make those parts in your basement? How reliable is it? Will it equal the performance of a military rifle? Can you fire 30 rounds with 300 yard accuracy of 2MOA and a terminal energy equal to a 5.56 Nato?

    When we get the power storage solution to make a weaponized coil gun that exceeds the capabilities of the current rifles it would still take about 50 years for them to be accepted.

    It’s just the way they are, too many scams, false promises, too many small arms ‘already made up and ready to go’ for them to not be wary of a new ‘gee whiz’ non-strategic, non-theater weapons system. If a peer competitor comes along that has drastically improved solder protection systems against small arms fire they might be pushed into it but that’s no looking likely just now and they can always choose the less expensive option of bumping the caliber up a notch or three.


  2. /\
    11
    11
    11
    11

    See typical offtopic nut above.


  3. Remember when the M16 was first made?… the military hated it, and now look at what it has become. coil guns have just as much a chance of becoming a completely standardized weapon system as any other prototype or experimental weapons out there. not to say your a nut though, your not. and the velocity of a 5.56 Nato round can be matched by this type of technology, and with pinpoint accuracy. this is basically a hand held rail gun of sorts. this also in my mind (when scaled up) would make a great artillery weapon.


  4. the new design for the nuclear liberty ships is seriously considering the benefits of a “propelantless” weapons system, aka coil gun. the abillity to store two to three times as much ammo on a ship is a really big perk.

    in addition, a variant of the CIWS (close in weapons system, the Gatling guns used to defeat incoming missiles) is being considered for Naval warfare. a version is in the works for tanks, but i believe that it uses centripetal force to launch the projectile.

    the military is taking a serious look at these systems, and if we can find a safe way to store more energy (or produce it) in the same space as the propellant of current arms, then i believe the military would switch over in an instant. the silent aspect alone is a great selling point.

    so, even though we’re not using them yet, i’m sure that at some point they will be.


  5. Was that jock powder he was shooting at?


  6. There is no muzzle flash either so that also adds to it in more of a stealth aspect.


  7. Plus there is minimal ammounts of noise, compared to the explosives in conventional ammo === more death less noise pollution. Clearly a great benefit to all. Also the guy shooting the em-15 was a total goober as was that cheesy music, no offense


  8. Bobby Sue
    ===
    Pinhead


  9. Tough crowd. Whether it will be weaponized remains to be seen. Right now its just a guy having fun. I think we can all appreciate fun can’t we? I sure can.



  11. Coilguns are indeed a bit too complicated and use too much energy for a practical handweapon. But if you’d place it on a big ship, then the energy use and complexity arent that much of a problem anymore.

    Imagine a 20cm caliber monster that lobs semi-smart warheads miles and miles inland. With multiple huge capacitors that are charged and fired one-by-one for high fire-rate, all powered by something like a turbine engine (or a nuclear plant maybe.. massive!). Or maybe a dual-barrel..

    Would be great for shore bombardment, and probably way cheaper per-shot then (cruise)missiles or a JDAM delivery.


  12. There are many parts to these now, but in production they would be like an automobile dash- simplified for mass production and unitized for space/size. They have the many pluses above including no igniteable material, very simplified and safe storage, one could carry many more projectiles, and they are relatively silent. Cyclic rate would depend on recharge rate as would charge life. Of course one can easily say the prototypes are all using electronics designed for other purposes and as prototypes are crude and impractical. Any production model, regardless of projectile size, would be very much lighter, more streamlined and easier to use. And as pointed out already, the projectiles would be much cheaper than those used now for artillery. The near future will probably give us appropriate energy sources, such as nano-tube based capacitors capable of storing enormous energy and rapid cycling. These are quite impractical now, but check in on these from time to time…


  13. General comment on noise levels: a good fraction of the noise any weapon makes, regardless of the energy source, is the sonic boom caused by the projectile. This is why silenced weapons tend to use lower-power cartridges like a .22 to achieve a [barely] sub-sonic projectile, in combination with a silencer to dampen the noise from the muzzle gas.

    As a selling point for coil guns, a variable muzzle velocity, set to just sub-sonic, could make for a very quiet assassination weapon. The people that are interested in such activities are probably less concerned about cost than the bulk of the military.

    Looks like fun to me!


  14. Damn! I could use that semi-automatic! (Not really, but it’d fun 😉 )


  15. Wow, some of these look like they should be in some sci fi movie.


  16. Like it a great del, but the problem, from a military standpoint,
    remains the same:

    Any piece of ordnance must be reliable and effective under various
    conditions, obviously. But, what happens if and when the soldier
    finds himself in a hostile environment for an extended period of
    time, and cannot charge the power supply for the weapon, what is he
    to do? To carry it will slow him down in any attempt to escape and
    evade capture, yet to leave the weapon behind, gives the enemy the
    potential to recharge and use the weapon against it’s previous owner.
    So the weapon must be destroyed beyond the capacity to re-engineer or
    reuse, leaving the soldier without a primary weapon.


  17. man that black one is sweet with the fire light, being semi auto, and not looking like a mass of wires


  18. by the way i mean’t the ecg one


  19. Who sais soldier can´t take it ? Batteries nowadays are more powerful than ever, and with special – high current/small size can be used. Why battery can´t be reloaded with magazine ? Yes, it will probably need more money, but still it is chance here. It is also good-lookin for sniper guns – one shot/one kill 🙂 but probably when sniper will need it most, still he can use normal weapon…
    I think that will never be used in portable guns, it ich much expensive. But when need silence or other demands, it can be still as powerful as normal weapon.


  20. what about the cahce of battery fires, not very stealthy if your on fire huh?


  21. watis “cahce” ???


  22. Military
    Military!
    Military!!
    Military!!!!!

    A!A!A!A!A!A!H!H!H!H!H!H!!!!!!A!A!A!A!A!A!H!H!H!H!H!H!!!!!!A!A!A!A!A!A!H!H!H!H!H!H!!!!!!A!A!A!A!A!A!H!H!H!H!H!H!!!!!!

    Enough already…. bunch of as@2*dSoh$es


  23. you´re an idiot, aren´t you?


  26. You can be surprised what can high power batteries (meant in laboratories etc.) do ! and if CG can be more setted for lower power input, you dont need hi-power bat. 🙂


  29. Some of these can be made with a few disposable cameras. I have made one, taking the whole charging/flash unit from one camera, and the capacitors from some more cameras. Just ire the capacitors in series, and you can add an extra battery for faster charging. Replace the flash with the coil, and fit it all into a nice little package. I have made one with a pen barrel and it shoots metal bb bullets. One of my friends broke a window with it. Cheap, and VERY effective. So stop complaining about low power, high prices, or too much wires. Just go to some photo processing center, and if they are nice, they will give you some empty disposable cameras that they throw away anyways. It is the cheapest way to make a very high powered coilgun.


  30. It is old, bud havent you mounted it on robowalker (or what name has that robot toy) ? And I think that wiring condensators parallell you can got better performance than with serial… only if you dont have too much voltage for capacitor…
    I dont complaining…
    If you want to see my coilgun visit

    http://dingo27.ic.cz/cga.html

    and if you know slovak or czech language, you can read entire page about it! 🙂


  31. page may not be displayed due to using of Explorer browser.


  32. Interesting looking project dingo27. Any videos of it available?


  33. maybe… I have camera but I haven´t done any video yet (I have camera only week)

    That reminds me I must do som video, so it can be here this day 🙂 I will write link if it wil be done.


  34. Something bad happens – When I was shooting for “first recharge” , everything was going perfect, I loaded caps with 206V, And when I smacked trigger, Flash, Spark and smoke appeared. I don´t know what is it now, Maybe Diode, some cable or coil. But smoked it out, projectile didn´t managed to target (is still laying on ground maybe 2 metres from coilgun). Damn… But I got photos of loading it with 206V :).
    Whatever, i must wait when it will be completely self-discharged (maybe week-two) because I cant work with loaded charging circuit (it is charged to 206V and it don´t have discharging circuit)…
    Damn.
    But maybe it is for that, because I was rebuilding it to higher voltage (I was using 195V and nothing happens). I dont know what will be next, for now, project is closed. (I am now working on smaller 400V coilgun, which skeleton can be seen on first photos, so no smacking of time (but still :C )

    Photos can be seen(that last) at :

    http://dingo27.ic.cz/cgb.html


  36. Are these things legal where u guys are? Im from Australia and we tend to have strict gun laws which would probably make these illegal, you have to have a basic license to own a damn airgun!


  37. If this is illegal (mine) , so gumgun (or how it is spelled, gun from vooden “V” and gum on it 🙂 -send this to wikipedia SMILE) is also as illegal as this mine isn´t dangerously that gumgun


  38. If you used just the energy wave would it knock out car electronics?


  39. No, it must be very strong pulse (something like EMP guns), so it can induct to circuits and short it out. You can´t get that strong pulse in home, only in labs. But if you can aim this only to one device, theoreticcally it can be done. I dunno. But for whole car it is waste of time to try it.


  40. Could this stun someone and why is it that i have yet to see this in any military development…
    I enjoy being a civvilian


  41. it probably could stun somebody….it could probably kill somebody , with a sharp projectile….And no, you could’t use a coil gun as an EMP device, even though the magnetic field is strong enough to accelerate the projectile inside the coil, the fiel outside the coil is too weak to disable any EM field ….it wouldn’t even damage a wristwatch 2 inches from the coil…though u could just shoot at it and break it :))


  42. my point is to put it simply does the military know about this so far there doing something stupid starting something big then trying to shrink it seriously


  43. It will be interesting to see what happens in coil gun design when tiny, super high energy density carbon nanotube based capacitors become available. I have not heard of any great leaps in inductor theory, but it could happen with more exotic materials technology. The military coilgun may well be closer to reality than most people think.


  44. The first time i saw such a gun was in the movie “Eraser” and thats several years ago. At that point i thought its Sci-Fi. Now years and years ago i see it again and can’t believe it. Maybe a next winter project.


  46. i’m curious if the gun has any kick back, because if it doesn’t
    that could be a major selling point for a semi auto rifle.

    though if these go into mass production, all someone has to do is
    make EMP weapons to counteract it. i mean think about having to
    scrap an entire cannon from a battleship to rewire it. i’m not
    saying it will be expensive so much as not very time effective.
    or on the battle field having your rifle be out of comission when
    you need it most.

    sorry about the rant, though i do hope to see this technology improve.


  47. Parts and all things about coilguns can be seen on wikipedia 🙂
    just search it out

    Spoonylegs: I think it has blowback, it must (physics laws) but it would be great if someone could develop and sell this things, of course with all laws right. Still it will be long thine until that happen.


  48. i’m thinking it wouldn’t have a kick back because it doesn’t have a
    powder charge, or hammer to cause a kick. besides as far as i know
    electrical fields are not affected by gravity, but can affect an
    object in gravity (hopefully that makes sense). though now that you
    mention it it could be after the projectile has left the barrel,
    that the weight of the gun changing could cause the gun to swing
    slightly off target. oh well at least the guns environmentally sound.

    lol!


  49. i think that coilgun circuitry can be protected using a faraday cage(wiki it) this is alreadyused in mobile phones and planes and other electronics
    the problem is… it needs to be grounded


  50. The real secret and potential of electromagnetically propelled projectiles over chemical ones is that they have the potential to reach hypersonic velocities, whereas you can only shoot a bullet so fast with Gunpowder (think about it, one bang and thats it, vs a long barrell with nanosecond timed current surges as the bullet accelerates).


  51. Yeah, that is true, but also you must remember on price 🙂
    But it is creative idea to be done


  52. It would have a kick…. for every reaction there is a equal an opposite reaction, the bullet doesn’t want to move because of inertia, once its moving it doesn’t want to stop for the same reason. Any force used to push anything in any direction will have a certain amount of push back, and the hammer (there is no hammer anyway its a firing pin) in a conventional gun contributes nothing to the recoil. Plus as long as your m-16 isn’t on 3 round burst and you have the proper grip on it, you will barely notice the kick, let alone allow it to throw you off target. At 300 yards the hardest part of hitting your target is seeing it, not if the kick will throw you off


  53. i think nobody will shot CG on 300 yards in hand 😀
    so if it will be mounted on something, it should have electronical aim, or precise optical aim




  56. What in the world is coil gun and what kinds of rounds are fired from them? How’re they made? how accurate are they?


  58. Today, this system can not compete with firearms, because their firerate and punching power is much more higher than coilguns. But, if they find a solition for the batteries then coilguns will be 10 times better then firearms, because they dont kick back, their projectiles can travel faster and more accurate than firearms and they wont make too much sound.
    But, they can still use coinguns today. OK, you cant carry a power generator in your backpack, so you cant use them as a handheld weapon, but they can mount coilguns on tanks, and make them EXTREMELY powerful. For example, theese guns can fire tank shells 10 times faster if we give them enough power. And also you can shorten the barrel, if you increase the voltage. Imagine a tank that has a 0.5 m long barrel it will be easy to hide it.

    And I have a suggestion: you should put a switch on the coilguns that adjusts its bullets speed. Like a firemode selection switch. S- safe H-High speed L-Low speed. So, when we want to shoot in long range we set it to H, it will shoot faster bullets with a lower firing rate, and when we get into a building (CQB) we set it on L so the weapons firerate will be faster and bullets will move slower. This can also be used like a switch for lethal-non lethal. if there are only enemies switch to H, all of them will die, if there are civilians-hostages switch to L so you wont kill the hostages accidentally.


  60. WOW!
    I’m impressed, but at the same time a little frightened. It’s yet another weapon to be fired in the dark with no warning. Great!?

    Either way, I want one!
    – Dom


  61. Too all those people asking why the military is not using these:

    Let’s run a little experiment, shall we? You will need:

    Your most powerful coil gun
    A .22LR rifle
    A piece of 1/4inch plywood

    Set the plywood away from you at a distance of 100 yards (300 feet). Shoot the coil gun at the plywood; now shoot the .22LR rifle at the plywood.

    Now what I’m sure you would find is that the coil gun’s projectile probably only traveled 50 ft and fell harmlessly to the ground, while the tiny .22 rim fire made a nice round hole in the plywood.

    Why no military is currently interested in coil guns is that they just can not match the energies of current weapons technologies. And when technology does allow coil guns to match velocities of current bullets, those coil guns will have just as much kick as traditional arms. This is because of the third law of motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. And they will be just as loud because most of the heard sound from a gun shot is in fact the sonic boom of the bullet breaking the sound barrier. The fact that most bullets break the sound barrier, while I have yet to see a coil gun that could should be further proof that coil guns while cool are not powerful weapons.


  62. All in all, the idea probably has been around since the first solinoid was created, and that was how long ago? Yes, the pellet can go reasonably fast, but if you think about it, the military application for this is about as much as a pneumatically powered firearm; with the air gun being the more likely to be used, as there are already air rifles that go almost twice the speed as a little .22. Bigass solinoids will use more energy than a modern 18 pounder, and although there is a chance that in a battle, a ship’s magazine will be hit, wouldn’t it be worse if the ships NUCLEAR REACTOR WENT CRITICAL? Not to mention the massive radioactive contamination to the surrounding ocean. So tell me, would you rather have a big explosion with lots of orangy pyrotechnics, or a f****ing mushroom cloud?
    Please, I want to know.
    Thank you.


  63. CG don’t have kickback as such…….we they do but its goes into the magnetic field that is created by the coil which then collapses as the voltage drops. crating a surge which can be avoided by putting a diode “backward” across the coil shorting the circuit. So basically you won’t feel any kickback because it is transferred into electrical energy.




  66. Yes, coilguns have just as much kick back as a gas powered gun. The bullet is not as fast so the kick back is not as strong. But believe me it kicks like a mule once you have kenetic energies above 50 joules. Dont’ you see my table bounce with each shot? Many times the coil broke free from the tape and shot backwards across the room. I learn to tape the coils down real good.


  67. The military is already developing high caliber artillery pieces with this technology. both coil Guns and rail guns.


  68. it’s common sense, most Armies are trying out nearly all forms of technology that give them an advantage in combat, if their nation has the resources.


  69. The military are actually working on a controlled EMP (One that targets specific vehicles or objects) and a programmable computer virus that transmits enemy data before destroying all computer files however it can lay dormant for weeks in the system so it can spread.

    I liks the coilguns. Did you build them all yourself or did you get help?

    P.s. for show perposes the last one is the best because of the charging noise however if used for more selective uses it will need to be silenced.



  71. Obviously noone here has served in the military. And just fyi soldiers would much rather have a .308 weapon that would actually penetrate than the .223 m16/m4.

    We have nothing like the battery storeage technology to make worthwhile electronic weapons right now. You might as well cheerlead laser weapons in battle. To make sense electronic weapons would have to be easily rechargeable, able to put out projectiles the weight of standard rounds as fast or faster. And there would have to be some advantage over chemical systems.

    This might happen in fifty years. Its nowhere near close to happening now.

    As for large ship based systems that is possible but pointless. Ship based heavy weapons are missile payloads now. Theyve mothballed the battleships.


  72. Has anybody thought of applications other than the millitary. A gun that makes no sound and does not need high velocity over long distance? Sounds to me like it has great potential as a tranqualizer gun in say a zoo or something similar. An animal under anasthesia is under conciderable stress as it is and is of great risk alone. So any way of removimg stress during a proceedure (ie a gun that does not frighten the animal by goin bang!) would be of huge advantage. and worth the extra money.


  73. A lot of those comments sound like from those here in Germany who want to ban “Killer games” like CSS, we are all afraid of what evil it could do.
    If you are so afraid of coil guns, what about knifes? Broken glass? Fingernails? Raw fists? Baseball bat? Hockey bat? Hammer? The mouth of your wife when she is angry?


  74. I use a ignition coil block from a v-6 for car. It works excellet. I don’t have to use caps for power to the coils. So far I can eject a 3/8 rod 200 ft. with a fair impact.


  75. Hey Alvin,

    That sounds like a cool gun. I have never seen one that uses a car coil. Any pictures or videos? It would be interesting in having a look.


  76. Me, I find Coilguns fascinating. Lasers are all fun and such, and yeah, you can burn stuff with a laser, but I’d like to see how much damage someone can do to a piece of plywood with a couple measly DVD lasers (That’s what I’ve got access to: 2 DVD lasers…) I’ve built a small coilgun for fun, shoots .177 cal. pellets. 6x Camera Capacitors wired to Series/parallel setup (3s/2p), a broken doorbell (4.5 MM internal diameter, prewound coil. Problem: Transformer. Doorbell was given after replacing entire system), a standard relay running 9 volts, standard normally open push-button switch, and a few pieces of wood. Charging required flipping a switch.

    Needless to say, it spits pellets about 200 feet per second and is fun for shooting cans with.

    My current project, though, is a DVD-laser diode weapon. In the shape of a gun.

    Why? Same reason I built my ugly-stick (my ‘pet’ name for the coilgun): for fun.


  77. Has anyone tried how effectiveness (acceleration) of bullets change at different voltages? If J=W*s=V*A*s, then changing voltage to higher (like 5kV for example) could make it pack a lot more of punch. Is it possible from technical side? Just a thought that came through my mind when reading about coilguns…


  78. Imagine a massive coil gun that fires objects weighting TONS into space.


  79. maybee a coil gun powered by a nuclear power plant can fire new sattelites into the space without any gas or rockets. or maybee it can shoot down enemy satellites or meteors. (it can stop the 2012 thing?)



  82. In relation to the legality of the coil gun and I have discovered that they are legal, even in Australia with its very strict gun laws. The gun laws only govern firearms (defined as any weapon that uses a controlled explosive to propel the bullet) or airguns. Since the coil gun does not fall into either of these catagories, the law does not catch them.


  83. That’s actually kinda cool to know, David. Makes it much easier on me knowing that the cops can’t do anything about my coilgun. I’m only doing this for fun, and as a pound of nails makes a ton of ammunition for no money at all.


  84. anything about my coilgun. I’m only doing this for fun, and as a pound of nails makes a ton of ammunition for


  85. I wouldn’t recommend carrying it down the street, or even cleaning it outside your local police station. The average cop I doubt knows what a coil gun is and will probably attempt to confiscate it without asking whether it is legal or not. It will only be when you get to court and you (or your lawyer) demonstrate to the judge that it is not a firearm as defined by the act that any charges relating to the possession of fire arms will be dropped.


  86. I understand. Needless to say, I only use it for target practice with wooden targets in the basement. It’s fairly low power, and fun to use an entire box of nails for shooting.


  87. i want to make it.please guid me.

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