Somehow I missed this gem at the 2009 SHOT Show. Knight’s Armament showed a new chainsaw-like machine gun, based on the Stoner LMG (light machine gun). The chainsaw machine gun is belt-fed, chambered in 5.56, and has an integral suppressor and 37mm grenade launcher.
Knight’s said that this machine gun was more of a fun expriment than a serious exercise in a new platform development.
However, they make an excellent point, which was with new sighting systems, bringing a rifle to your shoulder to align the sights may be obsolete in the near future. If so, something like the chainsaw machine gun may be a better alternative as a shooting platform.
The Chainsaw Gun in action:
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That second video was undeniably cool! Mounting a camera/sight on the gun and slaving it to a heads up display for aiming would complete the package.
The ergonomics remind me of the M56 rifle from Aliens (I googled it, I’m not that much of a nerd). It’s funny that KAC mentioned they have steadicam mounts for it. Thats exactly what they used in Aliens. http://www.imfdb.org/images/thumb/a/a2/Aliens_Smart2.jpg/300px-Aliens_Smart2.jpg