21'st Century revolver rifle??
A modern military revolving rifle might sound like an odd concept at first, but with the right design, it could outperform traditional magazine-fed rifles in several ways.
Historically, revolving rifles had issues with gas escaping from the cylinder gap and poor handling, but a modern take on the concept could solve these problems while offering unique advantages.
Key aspects of the proposed design:
- Caliber: .25 GRM (Government Rimfire Magnum), a new high-velocity rimfire cartridge.
- Cylinder Capacity: 14 rounds (best balance of firepower and weight).
- Action: Double-action/single-action (DA/SA) for rapid follow-up shots.
- Quick-Change Cylinders: Preloaded cylinders act like magazines for fast reloads.
- No Magazine Protrusion: Allows for stable prone shooting without obstruction.
- Threaded Barrel: Suppressor-ready for quiet operation.
- Picatinny Rail: Supports red dots, ACOGs, or scopes.
- Material: Hardened steel or titanium for durability and lightweight handling.
- Easy Maintenance: Simple design with minimal moving parts; cleans in seconds with a bore snake.
Advantages Over Traditional Rifles:
- No magazine means no feeding failures, fewer moving parts, and better reliability.
- The rifle sits flat when shooting prone, giving a huge advantage over mag-fed designs.
- With a high-velocity .25-caliber rimfire, it offers better recoil control and faster follow-up shots than 5.56mm rifles.
- A gas-sealed cylinder could enable near-silent suppressed operation.
Possible names for the rifle:
- M14-GRM (Modern 14-shot Government Rimfire Magnum)
- RBR-14 (Revolver Battle Rifle, 14-shot)
- Guardian-14
- GRM-14 Titan
- Flatfire-14 (Emphasizing its low-profile prone shooting advantage)
This concept has the potential to be a game-changer in specialized roles, offering a mix of reliability, fast follow-up shots, suppression capability, and unmatched prone shooting performance.
I’d love to hear thoughts on this. Could this design fill a gap in modern military firearms?