Long before guns were in use, gunpowder was used for fireworks in China. One day, someone realized that energy could be used as a weapon, altered the design, and pointed the fireworks at enemies on the battlefield.
Later, someone else realized that by making a brass barrel, that energy could be even more focused, and the cannon was invented. From there, it didn’t take much innovation to downsize it to a hand cannon, and the gun was born.
Firearm technology has improved over the years, and continues to do so. This fact is proven by Martin Grier and Forward Defense Munitions, with the invention of a new type of rifle and 19 patents to cover the technology involved with the first L5 prototype.
The first and most noticeable difference between the L5 and traditional guns is that it has a single rectangular barrel with five rifled bores in it. A demonstration of this design is to fire five bullets at once, even though any knowledgeable gun enthusiast will fail to see the purpose of firing five bullets at one time at the same target. The real intent is to fire each bullet at a semi-automatic rate (theoretically, a fully automatic rate would better show the weapon’s capability) in which each bullet goes through a different bore to prevent overheating by dispersing the friction of each bullet. Another distinct advantage of the system is that the rifle provides a rate of fire that doesn’t rely on a piston, meaning there is less that can go wrong resulting in a jam or misfire.
Another innovation the L5 brings is that it electronically fires case-less ammo. Such systems have been tried without success in the past, but Grier has incorporated the latest technology into the design and overcome the problems associated with such a system. The bullets come pre-manufactured with five to a clip, which is inserted into the gun’s magazine. It’s that simple. There is no coking required — you don’t have to manually load the first round into the chamber, or do anything other than insert the clip into the gun and start shooting.
When Grier unveiled the new weapon at a firearms show, he had the good fortune to meet a U.S. Army engineer who expressed interest in the new technology. This is almost unheard of, but Grier offered to make a free prototype without any contract or further obligation than honest feedback after testing.
The interesting aspect of such an offer is that everybody knows the military won’t handle the gun with kid gloves or special treatment, but will test it under the same rigorous treatment their regular service weapons have to endure. In all likelihood, the gun itself won’t prove practical, but some of the innovations it incorporates may prove worthy of further development and incorporation into new weapons technology.
All told, the gun is exciting news any enthusiast should keep an eye on over the upcoming years.
See the weapon in action below.
~ Firearm Daily
