Re: (3099) (3096) Gyros

> Date: Mon, 11 Nov 1991 09:57:16 -0500
> From: [email removed] (Jim Pendergraft)
> Subject: (3099) Re: (3096) Gyros on lasers
>
> > Date: Sun, 10 Nov 91 14:34:24 EST
> > From: [email removed]
> > Subject: (3096) Gyros on lasers
> >
> > Carsten, your point is well taken. In fact, lasers SHOULD be treated
> > as if they are Gyrostabilized, due to their lack of recoil. But this
> > is not stated in the rules; it is merely an application of common sense.
>
> While I am not an expert on gyrostabilization (I have never actually fired
> a gun that has it if there are real ones in existence), I don't think that
> the main purpose is control recoil.  The effect of a gyro would be to make
> the entire gun resistant to quick rotational changes (in any plane).  So you
> have 2 choices - a weak (low mass/angular velocity) or strong (high mass/vel)
> gyro.  The weak one's only real effect would be to steady your aim (which
> would apply to lasers just as well as any other type of gun).  Your aim point
> would not jiggle around because the very small unsteadiness in your arm/hand
> would be damped by the gyro.  It would do very little to control the amount
....
> Once again, my main conclusion is that a practical gyro could only help steady
> your aim - anything big enough to help control recoil is probably impossible to
> make and too dangerous to use in combat anyway.

    I'm going to quote from '3G', the BTRC's gun design book (and a
must buy, I should say):

        "Any weapon may be gyrostabilized.  This will add ... to the
    overall mass of the weapon (heavier weapons require heavier gyros),
    and is only possible at TL9 [WWII] or greater....  Hand weapon
    gyrostabilization operates on 6 gyros, with two counterrotating
    gyros on each axis, usually near the weapon's center of gravity.
    Pressure switches in the grip of the weapon speed up or brake
    certain gyros, depending on which way the weapon is moved, resulting
    in the weapon automatically pivoting in that direction.

        "Example - If the firer twisted the grip to the right, the
    weapon would smoothly pivot to the right, regardless of anything
    else the firer was doing, including running.

        "The extremely stable mount gyrostabilization provides will
    halve negative modifiers for firer movement ... but automatically
    makes the initiative of the weapon 1 worse...."

    From this I conclude that the usual use of gyrostabilization is
not so much to control recoil (you will still get a kick -- it can't
stop that) but to keep the gun steady.  Now there are cases (like
snap shots) where that can prove quite a hindrance even if you can
control the gyros (as it states above).  But for any rifle-sized weapon,
it makes sniping much easier.

> > Anyone care to argue that lasers have kick, like in Star Wars? Hmmmm? |->
>
> Well, you could argue that those weren't lasers, since you could watch the
> 'bolts' fly across the screen.  Certainly subsonic.  Of course maybe you
> meant some other 'lasers' I forgot.

Who knows?  They played enough havok with current physical theory in
those movies that you could probably justify anything... :)

> > metlay
>
> Jim Pendergraft

Jack Dietz.