What gun inventions accoured from 1900 to 2009?

Answer 1

As far as gunpowder arms are concerned, and even a good portion of pneumatic arms (gas, air, etc.), anything and everything that can be invented has been invented.

These are but a very few examples of what's already been invented: Left hand rifling, right hand rifling, step down crowns, bowled crowns, short barrel, long barrels, multi barrels, smooth bores, big cannons, little cannons, finned projectiles, fast burning powders, slow burning powders, medium burning powders, nickel plated shell casings, brass plated casings, brass casings, aluminum casings, plastic casings, paper casings, NO CASINGs, Rocket guns, and every number caliber that can be thought of; 5mm, 17 cal, 22 shot, 22 short, 22 long, 22 long rifle, 22 magnum, 22 Hornet, 218 Bee, 219 Zipper, 22-250, 220 Swift, 221 Fireball, 222 Remington Magnum, 223, 224, 225, etc. etc. etc. Simply said...there's almost no end to the numbers of calibers available.

Even nuclear cannons and electro-magnetic guns (rail guns) have been invented. Gunpowder arms are like Gasoline powered cars...every engine's been invented; from cars to tanks, from planes to jets, from boats to ships, from lawn movers to leaf blowers.

Other than some sort of space ray gun, the only thing that hasn't been invented is a MARKETABLE caseless cartridge. Caseless cartridges exist, and have existed since the Vietnam War, the M551 Sheridan light tank (officially designated the Armored Airborne Reconnaissance Assault Vehicle) fired 152mm caseless cannon shells. They were slow firing (2 rounds a minute), and were alittle dangerous when exposed to flame, but were very satisfactory in keeping the turret clear of empty shell casings when battle ensued. The M48 Patton medium gun tank piled up 90mm empty shell casings, and they could jam the rotating turret...those two foot long empty casings had to be tossed out of the loader's hatch...that was a chore; and you had to hope no one was down there getting hit by a 5 pound hunk of brass (later a cheaper metal was used). Unlike the Australian Centurion tanks in Vietnam, they had a small hatch on the left side of the their turret to jettison empty shell casings from their 84mm cannon.

But the M551 Sheridan tank; no empties! That was the way to go.