Automatics

[georgemw at speakeasy.net]

On 10 Jun 2001, at 19:33, David Honig wrote:


> Well said, but: 
> In _The Irish War_ there's a description of IRA improvised recoilless
> 'rifles' which, like their .mil-industrial analogues, toss an equal
> mass out the back end. 

They'll actually deliver more energy to the target if MORE mass 
goes out the back than the front.  I can't see any particular
advantage to the masses being equal.

> The reacting countermass is a bunch of flakes
> which dissipate the KE against the atmosphere.
> 

This is a particularly efficient design for cypherpunks,
since we've got plenty of extra flakes!

George
>