12 gauge minigun

[isao]

so yeah, is it possible? I mean, I know it would be really expensive, but can it be made? And if so, can it fire without knocking you off?

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

I don't think it is possible for someone to use it as a carried weapon but if it was mounted on a wall or something...

I dunno. Would be cool.

 

[Baby Tea]

IT would be insanely heavy.
I have a box of 5 shotgun slugs in my room, and even those 5 have a little heft.
A huge drum/box for a minigun would be ridiculous.

Impossible to hold in your hand, flat out.

 

[Leg End]

so yeah, is it possible? I mean, I know it would be really expensive, but can it be made? And if so, can it fire without knocking you off?

In this order:
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.

I suggest scribbling "rape cannon" on the side.

 

[Singularly Datarific]

Totally possible, totally expensive, and firing without knocking you off is based on how heavy you are, how well braced you are, the weight of the weapon, and the fire rate.
Since it is an externally-driven weapon it's fire rate is entirely dependent on how much power you feed into it, and secondarily dependent on how much heat the barrels can take.
So if you are suggesting anything remotely fast enough to necessitate it being a minigun, it WILL knock you over.
Finding a use for it is another problem, but yeah, you could make one.

...I know it would be really expensive...

You have any idea how expensive military equipment is?
Let's just say that the Heavy Weapons Guy wasn't exaggerating too much about the cost of a minigun.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Aw. Your title made me think someone had actually made one!

I don't know enough about ballistics to say whether or not it's possible, but dear God I hope so.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

It's possible, if they could make low-recoil fully automatic shotgun (AA12, as everyone knows), they may as well skip a few steps and jump straight to a minigun.

so yeah, is it possible? I mean, I know it would be really expensive, but can it be made? And if so, can it fire without knocking you off?

In this order:
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.

I suggest scribbling "rape cannon" on the side.

Nah, I'd go with The Butt Ripper, out of more uncreative thoughts.

 

[EHKOS]

It's called the AA-12. Which has virtually no recoil. So yes it can and has been done, to a point.

 

[Episode42]

It's possible, if they could make low-recoil fully automatic shotgun (AA12, as everyone knows), they may as well skip a few steps and jump straight to a minigun.

so yeah, is it possible? I mean, I know it would be really expensive, but can it be made? And if so, can it fire without knocking you off?

In this order:
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.

I suggest scribbling "rape cannon" on the side.

Nah, I'd go with The Butt Ripper, out of more uncreative thoughts.

Personally, i'd name it The Surgeon.
But yeah, that sounds like a pretty crazy weapon. I'll freely admit i know almost nothing about guns, but wasn't Adrian Brodys character in 'Predators' wielding something similar?

 

[Radeonx]

It's called the AA-12. Which has virtually no recoil. So yes it can and has been done, to a point.

The AA-12 is definitely NOT a minigun.
A fully automatic shotgun does not equal a minigun that shoots 12 gauge rounds.

 

[Silva]

IT would be insanely heavy.
I have a box of 5 shotgun slugs in my room, and even those 5 have a little heft.
A huge drum/box for a minigun would be ridiculous.

Impossible to hold in your hand, flat out.

I don't really see your point here, I'm just saying. After all, miniguns are always impossible to hold in your hands. It's not as though you'd want to carry them around. The same with the ammo - they're primarily a weapon set up in fortifications to defend them from attack rather than carried into battle.

No one carries them around except in video games and the occasional film, because it's just too heavy and impractical to do so.

 

[TheDooD]

Power Armor + 12 gauge deer slug minigun = get the fuck out the way.

OT

Check out the show Sons of Guns they tried to make one. They kinda failed but that was due to time limits, lack of experience with equipment and all that bullshit.

 

[SilentCom]

Yes, it is possible and has been made, however it isn't exactly a true minigun.

 

[Jakub324]

How could that possibly be necessary? I've always thought miniguns were excessive, but a 12 gauge? That's totally freakin' batshit mother fucking mental.

 

[itsausernamewhatofit]

Possible? Yes. Useful? No.

 

[Baby Tea]

IT would be insanely heavy.
I have a box of 5 shotgun slugs in my room, and even those 5 have a little heft.
A huge drum/box for a minigun would be ridiculous.

Impossible to hold in your hand, flat out.

I don't really see your point here, I'm just saying. After all, miniguns are always impossible to hold in your hands. It's not as though you'd want to carry them around. The same with the ammo - they're primarily a weapon set up in fortifications to defend them from attack rather than carried into battle.

No one carries them around except in video games and the occasional film, because it's just too heavy and impractical to do so.

Well my point was that you wouldn't be able to walk around with one.
And I said that because the OP asked:

And if so, can it fire without knocking you off?

As a fortification, I also fail to see the usefulness of a 12 gauge minigun. Not syaing you think it's a great idea, but I've been thinking about it more since I first posted. While the slug would be powerful, it's range would be about 200 yards. Tops. That's pretty shitty for a fortification weapon.

Not only that, but 12 gauge ammo takes up FAR more room than, say, 7.62 mm rounds. Heft aside, the the size of them is unruly.

So, for practicality's sake, I think it's a pretty terrible idea.
Crap range, way more ammo space needed, and for what? Pre-existing miniguns fire an already devastating amount of ammunition, at high velocities, over a longer distance, and do a disgusting amount of damage. The 12 gauge minigun is pointless.

 

[Riddle78]

People tried to make a "Microgun",which was a man-portable minigun. It was deemed unfeasible,since the ammo used lacked the stopping power required. They had to downsize the bullets to keep the culminative recoil from knocking the operator on their ass. Standard miniguns,which are mounted to walls,vehicles,and aircraft,use either 7.62mm,5.56mm,or .50 cal ammo. It fires RIFLE ROUNDS. Which have quite a bit of kick.

Now,a twelve gauge round? Well,those possess considerable kick,more than rifle rounds,I think. While,yes,a minigun spraying 12 ga. buck or 12 ga. slug at 10,000 RPM would be impressive,and cool,it would not be man-portable.

Note that miniguns were NEVER designed for personal use. It was designed to be a crew served weapon,as an evolution to the machine gun nest. Same bullet,higher rate of fire,therefore,more effective at supressing an advancing force. A minigun is,almost literally,six C9's or M60's strapped together,firing in series. The bigger ones are used for ANTI ARMOUR DETAIL. The "Warthog" jet? Has a GAU-8(I think...) mounted to the nose. It pops tanks open like a teenager pops zits. And,unless the Warthog's in a stoop (Steep,high speed dive),the recoil from this recoil-gas operated monster will STALL OUT THE JET.

Think about that. Also,miniguns tend to waste ammo. At 10k RPM,you better be firing at a huge crowd,or taking down a VERY real threat. Like an Exhusett* missile coming at a ship.

*:Sorry if I butchered the name. It's a French anti-ship missile that usually flies at Mach 0.9,and is reputed to have a 1:1 fired:sink ratio.

 

[TMAN10112]

Practical? No?

Possible? Absolutely!

Mini-guns are pretty much motor-driven versions of the Gatling Gun. Building one in 12 gauge would be the same as building one in any rifle caliber, but probably with a scaled-up action to accommodate for the size of the shotgun shells.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/gunsmithing/12-gauge-gatling-183338/#post1152485
-This guy is pretty close to that.