Best Weapons That Never Were BEST WEAPONS THAT NEVER WERE A group of weapons that range from entirely fictional (from books, games, etc.) to one-off experiments by gunsmiths to rare weapons of which few were ever built. Best Assault Rifles That Never Were Best Automatic Rifles That Never Were Best Battle Rifles That Never Were Best Grenade Launchers That Never Were Best Handguns That Never Were Best Machineguns That Never Were Best Shotguns That Never Were Best Sniper Rifles That Never Were Best Sporting Rifles That Never Were Best Submachineguns That Never Were file:///E/My%20Webs/best_stuff_that_never_was/best_weapons_that_never_were.html[5/7/2020 11:41:22 AM] Best Assault Rifles That Never Were AAI ACR Country of Origin: US Appears in: US ACR competition of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Notes: The AAI ACR (also called the AAI Low-Impulse ACR, as part of the design includes an internal anti-recoil device) was based on AAI’s previous work during the SPIW program of the 1970s. The AAI ACR design presented for evaluation outwardly looked almost completely conventional, but was quite unconventional in many ways. Like all the other ACR candidates of the time, the AAI ACR was rejected by the US Army and became a museum piece. The 18.5-inch barrel was tipped by a compact pepperpot-type muzzle brake; the bore used a very lazy twist rate (1:85), since the ammunition was essentially self-stabilizing. Most of the was of steel or light alloy, but the stock, fore-end, and pistol grip were of polymer/plastic construction using materials that were advanced for the time. (Early versions of the AAI ACR did not have a pistol grip, but instead a pistol grip wrist.) The fire selector used a 3-round burst mechanism that fired at a cyclic rate of 1800 rpm – so fast that the third round would be well downrange before the shooter would feel the recoil from the first round. The firing mechanism also fired from a closed bolt for semiautomatic fire and from an open bolt on burst; this optimized the AAI ACR for both aiming in semiautomatic fire and cooling in rapid burst fire. Strangely, though AAI’s round for its ACR had naturally low recoil, AAI decided use primarily mechanical means in the firing mechanism to limit dispersion of the rounds. Atop the receiver was a mount able to use most US and NATO optics and night vision equipment; in addition, AAI used an early version of Trijicon’s ACOG-type sights that are now so common on assault rifles and submachineguns today. This ACOG, though roughly twice as large as modern ACOGs, set the stage for future developments. The ACOG had 4x magnification and limited night vision, and even worked well at night. Standard adjustable iron sights were also developed, with the rear sight assembly being removable and fitting onto the receiver’s sight base, and a low sighting rib was also found above the barrel for quick shooting. The ammunition that AAI used was based on flechette rounds developed well before the SPIW program. The muzzle velocity of the flechettes was very high (over 1400 meters per second), and the flechette had excellent penetration. The flechette (like most flechettes) twisted into a fishhook-shape upon striking a person, causing wounds out of proportion to the size of the flechette – so much so that it was briefly thought that AAI’s round might be a violation of the Geneva Accords. However, the AAI flechette was not without its problems; the long, finned, needle-like shape (about 1.6x41mm) together with its very light weight (about 0.56 grams) made it extremely susceptible to wind. The round, nestled in its casing and liquid-crystal boot, was almost identical in size to the 5.56mm NATO round, and the magazines themselves were based on M-16-type magazines. The AAI ACR could not fire 5.56mm NATO rounds, though – doing so would cause a chamber explosion, usually accompanied with the bolt assembly blowing backwards out of the weapon at high speed, possibly injuring or even killing its shooter. The M-16-based magazines were quickly modified before such an accident could happen so that one could not load 5.56mm NATO rounds into AAI ACR magazines and standard M-16-type magazines would not fit into the AAI ACR. (A 62-round drum was also developed for the AAI ACR, as the company planned to develop a whole family of small arms based on its ACR if the military decided to adopt it – including a SAW.) The problems with the ammunition were one of the main strikes against the AAI ACR; in addition, the cost per round was very high. Weapon Ammunition Weight Magazines Price AAI ACR 5.56mm AAI Flechette 3.53 kg 30, 62 Drum $920 Weapon ROF Damage Pen Bulk SS Burst Range AAI Low-Impulse ACR 3 2 1-1-Nil 7 2 3 49 Baryshev/LCZ B-10 Country of Origin: Czech Republic Appears In: Czech competition for both international markets and to replace the Vz-58. Notes: The genesis of this weapon is a design by Russian Anatoly Baryshev in the early 1960s. However, it remained a private venture until Baryshev was able to work with LCZ in the mid-1990s. This weapon appears at first to be a reworked AK, but in fact employs a form of delayed blowback action similar to that of the Hungarian M-39 and M-43 submachineguns, instead of the gas operating system of the AK series. It is part of a series of weapons, including the B-20 battle rifle, the B-30 sniper rifle, and the B-40 grenade launcher. Versions of the B-10 were also designed in 5.56mm NATO caliber and 7.62mm NATO caliber (produced in very small numbers, and producing virtually no sales), 7.62mm Nagant (again, with little sales) and 9mm Parabellum caliber (mostly as a technology demonstrator, with almost no sales). Whether the 7.62mm Kalashnikov version is very much an open question at this time, but prospects do not look good; though the new operating system produces less felt recoil, it also proved vulnerable to harsh elements and difficult to field-strip. Twilight 2000 Notes: This weapon was in very limited issue during the Twilight War, and for most of the war, its existence was regarded as only a rumor. Barrel lengths for 7.62mm Kalashnikov, 5.56mm NATO, and 9mm Parabellum are 16.34 inches; for 7.62mm NATO and 7.62mm Nagant, the barrel is a bit longer at 17.9 inches. These barrels are tipped by a compact muzzle brake/flash suppressor. Merc 2000 Notes: Though not a big seller in the Czech or the Slovakian military, the B-10 was quite popular among several Southeast Asian and African nations who felt the need to replace their tired old AK-series weapons. (The modular nature of the weapon also helped in this regard.) Weapon Ammunition Weight Magazines Price file:///E/My%20Webs/best_stuff_that_never_was/best_asr_that_never_were.htm[5/7/2020 11:41:40 AM] Best Assault Rifles That Never Were B-10 7.62mm Kalashnikov 3.6 kg 30, 40, 75 $948 B-10 5.56mm NATO 3.6 kg 20, 30, 40 $708 B-10 7.62mm NATO 3.9 kg 5, 10, 20 $1148 B-10 7.62mm Nagant 3.9 kg 5, 10, 20 $1198 B-10 9mm Parabellum 3.6 kg 20, 30, 40 $408 Weapon ROF Damage Pen Bulk SS Burst Range B-10 (7.62mm Kalashnikov) 5 4 2-Nil 5/6 2 6 46 B-10 (5.56mm NATO) 5 3 1-Nil 5/6 2 4 41 B-10 (7.62mm NATO) 5 4 2-3-Nil 5/6 2 6 53 B-10 (7.62mm Nagant) 5 4 2-3-Nil 5/6 2 6 53 B-10 (9mm Parabellum) 5 2 2-Nil 5/6 1 2 36 Boeing/HK-USA XM-8 Country of Origin: Germany/US Appears In: Abortive competition to replace the M-16 series in the early 2000s. Notes: This weapon was designed to address the numerous flaws of the M-16/M-4 series, and to provide a sister weapon to the OICW. The XM-8 is derived from the rifle portion of the OICW (which is itself derived from the G-36), but does not have the grenade launcher or computerized sight attached. It is a modular construction weapon allowing the weapon to be modified for a variety of different uses and with a large amount of accessories and optics. The furniture is almost entirely made of high-strength polymer, and does not get hot to the touch like a metal rifle. It can also be molded with a variety of camouflage finishes. The XM-8 boasts an operation that does not foul as easily as the M-4/M-16, and can be stripped and cleaned much faster. Ambidextrous controls allow the weapon to be easily used by left or right handed shooters. The 3-round burst setting has been dispensed with (to be replaced with better training in fire control), and the weapon is issued with a day/night 3.6x optical sight integrated with a laser aiming module. There are mounts on all sides of the handguard and on top for virtually any sort of optic or accessory. The XM-8 was a Heckler & Koch invention, but in 2004, the rights to manufacture the XM-8 were acquired by Boeing in the US. Five models of the XM-8 assault rifle are contemplated at present: the standard XM-8 Carbine, the XM-8 Compact carbine, two other XM-8s with 10-inch and 14.5-inch barrels, and a Designated Marksman (DMAR) version with a 20-inch barrel, bipod, and a higher-powered scope.