Magnetic Rail Gun in 1934 (Sep, 1934)
Filed under: Cool, War — @ 10:03 am
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Sep, 1934
| Buy on Ebay
Source: Modern Mechanix ( More articles from this issue )
Issue: Sep, 1934
| Buy on Ebay
Texan Builds Novel Electric Gun
GIANT projectiles pulled at terrific velocities through powderless cannon by magnetism, leaving the barrel with scarcely more noise than that made by a .22 rifle, may set new problems for range finders.
The electric gun invented and patented by Virgil Rigsby of San Augustine, Texas, is similar to an electric motor with the field poles unrolled. Powerful magnet coils mounted end to end along the barrel of the gun are supplied with electricity by an electrical timing switch in such fashion that the magnetic pulling force is always ahead of the projectile.
Virgil Rigsby was my husband’s great grandfather.
Comment by Karen Stanley — July 24, 2008 @ 5:48 pm
virgil rigsby was my grandfather. He had letters from all over the world wanting to buy the patent and gun. He was to honest of a man and was cheated out of this. he was pappy to me and passed away when i was 13. i remember going to pappy and granny’s house. i was very young and they always seemed old. pappy was also a good artist painting mostly moonlite scenes.
Comment by wanda peters — April 16, 2009 @ 7:21 pm
Does anyone have any ideas where i can find more information on virgil rigsby and his gun. I am working on a report for National History Day on the Rail Gun. I had no clue about this. It is really cool. Any info would be gretaly appreciated.
Comment by Samuel Mahler — November 6, 2009 @ 11:32 am
Well, here’s the patent http://www.google.com/patents/.....0_AAAAEBAJ
Comment by Firebrand38 — November 6, 2009 @ 11:56 am
It was also featured in a 1941 LIFE magazine http://books.google.com/books?.....38;f=false
Comment by Firebrand38 — November 6, 2009 @ 11:59 am
Wasn’t there an article posted here about this gun?
I remember replying.
I said the round part was the motor driven switch to apply power
to the coils sequentially.
Suppossedly for a silent gun it was too noisy in a demonstration.
Comment by jayessell — November 6, 2009 @ 3:41 pm
Here it is…
http://blog.modernmechanix.com.....is-silent/
Comment by jayessell — November 6, 2009 @ 3:50 pm