PHASR

RK_Striker_JK_5 · Post by **RK_Striker_JK_5** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 12:27 am

So it just... blinds people. *Puts on pair of sunglasses*

Seriously, if it's a light-based weapon, make it so it's... you know, a death ray!

Post by **Mikey** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 1:06 am

I've heard about this being tested for other arenas - specifically as a Special Weapons And Tactics police "weapon," which is where the non-lethal nature would prove useful. However, I think other types of energy-discharge weapons (ones that actually stun and incapacitate people over a small range) are edging out this flashlight in SWAT roles.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 1:50 pm

Hmm, wouldn't this weapon be very difficult to use effectively? You need to hit them in the eyes to do anything, wouldn't that be ridiculously difficult in a combat situation?

RK_Striker_JK_5 · Post by **RK_Striker_JK_5** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 1:43 am

Rochey wrote:Hmm, wouldn't this weapon be very difficult to use effectively? You need to hit them in the eyes to do anything, wouldn't that be ridiculously difficult in a combat situation?

Good point. *Adjusts sunglasses* Make it like... a taser, or something! I dunno. This thing, though, is a piece of crap.

Post by **Mikey** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 4:11 pm

Apparently, the weapon uses a wider angle than a typical laser - although not so wide that it still doesn't have to be ridiculously accurately aimed.

Yeah, this is oen that should never have left the drawing board.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 6:26 pm

Yeah, I can't see this going into widespread use.

RK_Striker_JK_5 · Post by **RK_Striker_JK_5** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 2:51 am

Rochey wrote:Yeah, I can't see this going into widespread use.

We can only hope.

Blackstar the Chakat · Mon Jan 28, 2008 2:59 am

It'll still be useful for pranks.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 4:46 pm

We can only hope.

I sure as hell hope it doesn't go into widespread use. Handing these things to troops on the frontline will just cause even more casualties, and handing them to SWAT teams will likely cause casualties there, as well.

Post by **Mikey** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:53 pm

Err... it's a US design - the same country who, when told of the inherent reliability problems with the M-16 issued in Viet Nam, thought that a good solution would be to send the troops COMIC BOOKS describing how to care for their rifles.

That is, unfortunately, not a joke.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:04 pm

Oh, I know all about the comic they sent. From what I recall, it had pictures of a scantily-clad soldier woman playing with her gun.

Yeah, I seriously doubt many troops learned anything from that particular manual.

mwhittington · Post by **mwhittington** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:54 am

So, it's basically a 25 lb. laser pointer? And, I bet you this "weapon" costs around a million dollars, and is far less reliable than the laser pointers I sell at Radio Shack for $19.99, or if ya wanna get fancy, we have the green ones for $49.99. Ooooohh! Or if you're worried about accuracy, we have these great "laser shotguns" for $9.99 we call 1 million candlepower SPOTLIGHTS! Guaranteed to blind the enemy at close range and far more reliable.

Blackstar the Chakat · Tue Jan 29, 2008 11:44 am

Mikey wrote:Err... it's a US design - the same country who, when told of the inherent reliability problems with the M-16 issued in Viet Nam, thought that a good solution would be to send the troops COMIC BOOKS describing how to care for their rifles.

That is, unfortunately, not a joke.

The US is not the best when it comes to making weapons. When your soldiers prefer the second-hand guns they pull off of dead commies over the 'state of the art' guns you provide, you should realize it sucks. Weapons are nice on the practice range, but when they get deployed in the field it's a whole other ball game. This overgrown laser pointer is nice in theory but a)the enemy has to be facing you for it to work and b)it doesn't look solid and will probably be hard to keep operational in the field.

Post by **Mikey** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 1:34 pm

Well, with the advent of the M-16A1, a lot of those problems were eliminated. Don't forget, the SAS had the same issues with their original bullpup rifles, and prefering an AK-47 in extreme conditions isn't a knock against anything - the AK-47 is well-known the world over (literally) for its ability to stand up to any kind of abuse or jury-rigged repair and still fire correctly. On an extended march, I'd much prefer the FAR lighter M-16A1 (even better, the derivative M-4) and lighter ammo over the relatively heavy AK-47 and 7.62mm ammo.

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 1:46 pm

Both the M16 and M4 still have problems - to the extent that they've been beaten reliability-wise by the SA80. The basic design is decent, but the US military has never been able to make the most out of it for some reason - to the extent that the SAS use its Canadian derivative, the C7, rather than the M16 itself.