Needlegun
Encyclopedia
A needlegun, also known as a needler, flechette
gun or fletcher, is a firearm
that fires small, sometimes fin-stabilized, metal darts.
sabot
. However, due to the expense and trouble of making these darts in a pre-industrial society
, they were soon replaced with the less accurate stone cannon ball.
Flechettes again came into mass use in World War I
, when they were dropped from airplanes. More recently, several flechette weapon systems have been developed, but none appear to be in mass production.
Flechette ammunition encased in a sabot is available for the M-16
, shotguns, and other weapons.
There are some makes of underwater firearms which fire a steel bolt just over 4 inches long (but without fins).
The US Army established a Special Purpose Individual Weapon
program which produced several successful automatic flechette rifles, but none had enough advantages over the M16 to switch.
weapons are its compact size, high rate of fire, and ultra-high muzzle velocity
. A needlegun takes advantage of the principles of kinetic energy
and conservation of momentum
, allowing a low-recoil delivery system to inflict significant damage to a target. Recoil is governed by momentum, which is the product of velocity and mass. By conservation of momentum, the change in momentum of the gun must equal the change in momentum of the projectile. The needle projectile has a very small mass, so its large change in velocity does not result in much recoil (change in velocity of the gun itself) since the gun has a mass much larger than the mass of the needle. Damage inflicted is related to the kinetic energy imparted by the projectile on the target, which is 1/2 the projectile's mass multiplied by its velocity squared. Since the needle has a very high velocity and a negligible mass, recoil is minimized at little cost to the kinetic energy of the projectile and its damage potential. The high rate of fire allows the user to fire many needles quickly with a minimal loss of accuracy due to recoil effects, giving the needlegun supposedly large damage potential and precision in combat.
Some hypothetical needlegun designs are solid state, meaning that the delivery system has no moving parts other than the projectile itself. For instance, see coilgun
and railgun
.
is often at least as important as aerodynamic efficiency. Rather than inflicting their full kinetic energy on a target, needle projectiles tend to pass smoothly through the target with little damage, similar to needles for textiles or medical usage.
projectiles do not deflect off typical surfaces as easily as regular bullets due to the longer distribution of mass and reduce the danger to bystanders. In addition to this many flechette systems use self-discarding sabots that exit the barrel at dangerous speeds which can potentially harm allies or bystanders close by the muzzle. Their low mass and large, irregular shape give them poor aerodynamic qualities and very short danger zones.
was a long-running United States Army
program to develop, in part, a workable flechette
-based "rifle", though other concepts were also involved. The concepts continued to be tested under the Future Rifle Program and again in the 1980s and 1990s under the Advanced Combat Rifle
program, but neither program resulted in a system useful enough to warrant replacing the current M16.
. For example it is featured in:
In the Hyperion
fictional universe based upon Dan Simmons' novels, the flechette rifle or flechette pistol was loaded with "egg shaped" cartridges that, when fired, deployed into a cloud of several thousand hyper-velocity steel needles, in a manner similar to the discharge of a shotgun
shell, though much more deadly and effective for longer range than a shotgun.
In the Warhammer 40,000
universe, the Inquisition
uses weapons called Needle Rifles or Needle Pistols that fire shards of crystallized venom that can be deadly when penetrating an unarmored or lightly armored target.
Flechette
A flechette is a pointed steel projectile, with a vaned tail for stable flight. The name comes from French , "little arrow" or "dart", and sometimes retains the acute accent in English: fléchette.-Bulk and artillery use:...
gun or fletcher, is a firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
that fires small, sometimes fin-stabilized, metal darts.
History
The first projectiles in early gun systems dating from the 14th century were typically hand wrought iron flechettes wrapped in a leatherLeather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
sabot
Sabot
A sabot is a device used in a firearm or cannon to fire a projectile, such as a bullet, that is smaller than the bore diameter, or which must be held in a precise position. The term is also applied to a battery stub case, a device used similarly to make a small electrical battery usable in a...
. However, due to the expense and trouble of making these darts in a pre-industrial society
Pre-industrial society
Pre-industrial society refers to specific social attributes and forms of political and cultural organization that were prevalent before the advent of the Industrial Revolution. It is followed by the industrial society....
, they were soon replaced with the less accurate stone cannon ball.
Flechettes again came into mass use in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when they were dropped from airplanes. More recently, several flechette weapon systems have been developed, but none appear to be in mass production.
Flechette ammunition encased in a sabot is available for the M-16
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
, shotguns, and other weapons.
There are some makes of underwater firearms which fire a steel bolt just over 4 inches long (but without fins).
The US Army established a Special Purpose Individual Weapon
Special Purpose Individual Weapon
The Special Purpose Individual Weapon was a long-running United States Army program to develop, in part, a workable flechette-based "rifle", though other concepts were also involved...
program which produced several successful automatic flechette rifles, but none had enough advantages over the M16 to switch.
Advantages
Theoretically, the advantages of a needlegun over other projectileProjectile
A projectile is any object projected into space by the exertion of a force. Although a thrown baseball is technically a projectile too, the term more commonly refers to a weapon....
weapons are its compact size, high rate of fire, and ultra-high muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity
Muzzle velocity is the speed a projectile has at the moment it leaves the muzzle of the gun. Muzzle velocities range from approximately to in black powder muskets , to more than in modern rifles with high-performance cartridges such as the .220 Swift and .204 Ruger, all the way to for tank guns...
. A needlegun takes advantage of the principles of kinetic energy
Kinetic energy
The kinetic energy of an object is the energy which it possesses due to its motion.It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its stated velocity. Having gained this energy during its acceleration, the body maintains this kinetic energy unless its speed changes...
and conservation of momentum
Momentum
In classical mechanics, linear momentum or translational momentum is the product of the mass and velocity of an object...
, allowing a low-recoil delivery system to inflict significant damage to a target. Recoil is governed by momentum, which is the product of velocity and mass. By conservation of momentum, the change in momentum of the gun must equal the change in momentum of the projectile. The needle projectile has a very small mass, so its large change in velocity does not result in much recoil (change in velocity of the gun itself) since the gun has a mass much larger than the mass of the needle. Damage inflicted is related to the kinetic energy imparted by the projectile on the target, which is 1/2 the projectile's mass multiplied by its velocity squared. Since the needle has a very high velocity and a negligible mass, recoil is minimized at little cost to the kinetic energy of the projectile and its damage potential. The high rate of fire allows the user to fire many needles quickly with a minimal loss of accuracy due to recoil effects, giving the needlegun supposedly large damage potential and precision in combat.
Some hypothetical needlegun designs are solid state, meaning that the delivery system has no moving parts other than the projectile itself. For instance, see coilgun
Coilgun
A coilgun is a type of projectile accelerator that consists of one or more coils used as electromagnets in the configuration of a synchronous linear motor which accelerate a magnetic projectile to high velocity...
and railgun
Railgun
A railgun is an entirely electrical gun that accelerates a conductive projectile along a pair of metal rails using the same principles as the homopolar motor. Railguns use two sliding or rolling contacts that permit a large electric current to pass through the projectile. This current interacts...
.
Terminal Ballistics
In real-world firearms, terminal ballisticsTerminal ballistics
Terminal ballistics, a sub-field of ballistics, is the study of the behavior of a projectile when it hits its target. It is often referred to as stopping power when dealing with human or other living targets. Terminal ballistics is relevant both for small caliber projectiles as well as for large...
is often at least as important as aerodynamic efficiency. Rather than inflicting their full kinetic energy on a target, needle projectiles tend to pass smoothly through the target with little damage, similar to needles for textiles or medical usage.
Low-Recoil Operation
A powder-based propulsion system requires a barrel seal, which needles have a hard time providing at high rates of fire without damaging the barrels. Sabot systems result in smaller decreases in recoil (which is proportional to momentum) compared to a full-size projectile, they allow an increase in projectile velocity per unit of barrel length. A typical full bore projectile might Mass 147 grains, but a typical Flechette and Sabot for the same 7.62X51 weapon would Mass only 38 grains, for a substantial reduction in recoil and a very large increase in MV.Projectile Materials
Lead, used almost universally in firearms for its high density and softness which allows it to pass through rifled gun barrels at high velocity, is unsuitable for a needle for this same reason - it cannot hold its shape without a stronger jacket. Steel jacketed lead core Flechettes are used in some sporting ammunition. Other dense, strong metals like tungsten and depleted uranium have not had the same historical evaluation as projectile materials because of their comparative rarity - and electromagnetic propulsion systems would not work with projectiles made purely of these materials.Collateral damage
FlechetteFlechette
A flechette is a pointed steel projectile, with a vaned tail for stable flight. The name comes from French , "little arrow" or "dart", and sometimes retains the acute accent in English: fléchette.-Bulk and artillery use:...
projectiles do not deflect off typical surfaces as easily as regular bullets due to the longer distribution of mass and reduce the danger to bystanders. In addition to this many flechette systems use self-discarding sabots that exit the barrel at dangerous speeds which can potentially harm allies or bystanders close by the muzzle. Their low mass and large, irregular shape give them poor aerodynamic qualities and very short danger zones.
Flechette-firing rifles
The Special Purpose Individual WeaponSpecial Purpose Individual Weapon
The Special Purpose Individual Weapon was a long-running United States Army program to develop, in part, a workable flechette-based "rifle", though other concepts were also involved...
was a long-running United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
program to develop, in part, a workable flechette
Flechette
A flechette is a pointed steel projectile, with a vaned tail for stable flight. The name comes from French , "little arrow" or "dart", and sometimes retains the acute accent in English: fléchette.-Bulk and artillery use:...
-based "rifle", though other concepts were also involved. The concepts continued to be tested under the Future Rifle Program and again in the 1980s and 1990s under the Advanced Combat Rifle
Advanced Combat Rifle
The Advanced Combat Rifle was a United States Army program to find a replacement for the M16 assault rifle. The program's total cost is approximately US$300 million...
program, but neither program resulted in a system useful enough to warrant replacing the current M16.
In fiction
This weapon appears frequently in science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
. For example it is featured in:
- Gene WolfeGene WolfeGene Wolfe is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, to which he converted after marrying into the religion. He is a prolific short story writer and a novelist, and has won many awards in the...
's The Book of the Long SunThe Book of the Long SunThe Book of the Long Sun is a tetralogy by Gene Wolfe, comprising Nightside of the Long Sun, Lake of the Long Sun, Caldé of the Long Sun, and Exodus from the Long Sun. The first two volumes are published together as Litany of the Long Sun and the last two as Epiphany of the Long Sun...
and The Book of the Short SunThe Book of the Short SunThe Book of the Short Sun is a trilogy by Gene Wolfe, comprising On Blue's Waters , In Green's Jungles , and Return to the Whorl . It is the sequel to Wolfe's tetralogy The Book of the Long Sun, and has connections to The Book of the New Sun... - Douglas PrestonDouglas PrestonDouglas Preston is an American author who has written seventeen popular techno-thriller and horror novels, four alone and the rest with Lincoln Child...
and Lincoln ChildLincoln ChildLincoln Child is an author of seventeen techno-thriller and horror novels. He often writes with Douglas Preston. Many of their novels have become bestsellers, and one, Relic, was adapted into a feature film...
's RiptideRiptideA riptide is a dangerous ocean current.Riptide or Rip Tide may also refer to:* Rip Tide, a Doctor Who novella* Riptide , by Douglas Preston and Lincon Child* Riptide , short story anthologies... - Frank HerbertFrank HerbertFranklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
's Dune universeDune universeDune is a science fiction franchise which originated with the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert. Considered by many to be the greatest science fiction novel of all time, Dune is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history...
(variously referred to as needleguns, flechetteFlechetteA flechette is a pointed steel projectile, with a vaned tail for stable flight. The name comes from French , "little arrow" or "dart", and sometimes retains the acute accent in English: fléchette.-Bulk and artillery use:...
guns, "Chandler" guns, and "maula" guns) - Michael MoorcockMichael MoorcockMichael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
's Jerry CorneliusJerry CorneliusJerry Cornelius is a fictional secret agent and adventurer created by science fiction / fantasy author Michael Moorcock. Cornelius is a hipster of ambiguous and occasionally polymorphous sexuality. Many of the same characters feature in each of several Cornelius books, though the individual books...
stories (after which it is also the title of a HawkwindHawkwindHawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
song) - Terry BrooksTerry BrooksTerence Dean "Terry" Brooks is an American writer of fantasy fiction. He writes mainly epic fantasy, and has also written two movie novelizations. He has written 23 New York Times bestsellers during his writing career, and has over 21 million copies of his books in print...
Genesis of Shannara series - William GibsonWilliam GibsonWilliam Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.William Gibson may also refer to:-Association football:*Will Gibson , Scottish footballer...
's NeuromancerNeuromancerNeuromancer is a 1984 novel by William Gibson, a seminal work in the cyberpunk genre and the first winner of the science-fiction "triple crown" — the Nebula Award, the Philip K. Dick Award, and the Hugo Award. It was Gibson's debut novel and the beginning of the Sprawl trilogy...
et seq. - The BattleTechBattleTechBattleTech is a wargaming and science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2000, and owned since 2003 by Topps. The series began with FASA's debut of the board game BattleTech by Jordan Weisman and L...
universe - Harry HarrisonHarry HarrisonHarry Harrison is an American science fiction author best known for his character the Stainless Steel Rat and the novel Make Room! Make Room! , the basis for the film Soylent Green...
's Stainless Steel Rat stories - Robert Heinlein's The Number of the BeastThe Number of the Beast (novel)The Number of the Beast is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein published in 1980. The first edition featured a cover and interior illustrations by Richard M. Powers...
and other novels and stories - Terry PratchettTerry PratchettSir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
's novel StrataStrata (novel)Strata is a comic science fiction novel by Terry Pratchett. Published in 1981, it is one of Pratchett's first novels and one of only two purely science fiction novels he has written, the other being The Dark Side of the Sun.... - Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELDNick FuryColonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the... - Larry NivenLarry NivenLaurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
's A Gift From EarthA Gift From EarthA Gift From Earth is a science fiction novel by Larry Niven, first published in 1968 and set in his Known Space universe. The novel was originally serialized as "Slowboat Cargo."-Plot summary:... - Gordon R. DicksonGordon R. DicksonGordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author.- Biography :Dickson was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1923. After the death of his father, he moved with his mother to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1937...
's Dorsai series - Neal StephensonNeal StephensonNeal Town Stephenson is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction.Difficult to categorize, his novels have been variously referred to as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, and postcyberpunk...
's Snow CrashSnow CrashSnow Crash is Neal Stephenson's third novel, published in 1992. Like many of Stephenson's other novels it covers history, linguistics, anthropology, archaeology, religion, computer science, politics, cryptography, memetics, and philosophy....
, in the form of Reason - Dan SimmonsDan SimmonsDan Simmons is an American author most widely known for his Hugo Award-winning science fiction series, known as the Hyperion Cantos, and for his Locus-winning Ilium/Olympos cycle....
's Hyperion and EndymionEndymion (Hyperion Cantos)Endymion is the third science fiction novel by Dan Simmons in his Hyperion Cantos fictional universe. Centered around the new characters Aenea and Endymion, it has been well received like Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion - within a year of its release, the paperback edition had gone through five...
, as flechette rifles - Also in Dan SimmonsDan SimmonsDan Simmons is an American author most widely known for his Hugo Award-winning science fiction series, known as the Hyperion Cantos, and for his Locus-winning Ilium/Olympos cycle....
's IliumIlium (novel)Ilium is a science fiction novel by Dan Simmons, the first part of the Ilium/Olympos cycle, concerning the re-creation of the events in the Iliad on an alternate earth and Mars. These events are set in motion by beings who have taken on the roles of the Greek gods...
and OlymposOlympos (novel)Olympos, Dan Simmons' novel published in 2005, is the sequel to Ilium and final part of Ilium/Olympos duology. Like its predecessor it is a work of science fiction, and contains many literary references: it blends together Homer's epics the Iliad and the Odyssey, Shakespeare's The Tempest, and has...
. - The AM-280, from The War Against the ChtorrThe War Against the ChtorrThe War Against the Chtorr is a series of novels written by David Gerrold. The Chtorr story is currently incomplete and is intended to be continued beyond its present cliffhanger ending.- Books in the series :...
by David GerroldDavid GerroldJerrold David Friedman , better known by his pen name David Gerrold, is an American science fiction author who started his career in 1966 while a college student by submitting an unsolicited story outline for the television series Star Trek. He was invited to submit several premises, and the one...
. - Lois McMaster BujoldLois McMaster BujoldLois McMaster Bujold is an American author of science fiction and fantasy works. Bujold is one of the most acclaimed writers in her field, having won the prestigious Hugo Award for best novel four times, matching Robert A. Heinlein's record. Her novella The Mountains of Mourning won both the Hugo...
's Vorkosigan SagaVorkosigan SagaThe Vorkosigan Saga is a series of science fiction novels and short stories set in a common fictional universe by American author Lois McMaster Bujold. Most of these were published between 1986 and 2002, with the exceptions being “Winterfair Gifts” and Cryoburn...
Universe. - David WeberDavid WeberDavid Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs"....
's Honor HarringtonHonor HarringtonHonor Stephanie Alexander-Harrington is a fictional character, the heroine of a series of military science fiction books set in the "Honorverse", written by David Weber and published by Baen Books....
series. - In Code Geass, Zero threatens Princess Euphemia with a ceramic needlegun.
- In The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, Kyon must use a needlegun to inject a program into Yuki Nagato after the collapse of the timespace continuum.
- In The Practice EffectThe Practice Effect-Plot summary:A scientist by the name of Dennis Nuel is working at, and attending, an institute of scientific research and pioneering work into the fictional scientific field of "Zievatronics", the manipulation of Time and Space...
, protagonist Dennis Nuel uses a Needlegun. - In C&C Renegade (The Tiberium Flechette gun)
- In HaloHalo (series)Halo is a multi-million dollar science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries and owned by Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant...
- The CovenantCovenant (Halo)The Covenant are a fictional theocratic military alliance of alien races who serve as the main antagonists in the Halo video game series. They are composed of a variety of diverse species, united under the religious worship of the enigmatic Forerunners and their belief that Forerunner ringworlds...
Needler and Needle Rifle. Both fire long, sharp pink crystalline shards that can "supercombine", causing an explosion if a target has taken a certain number of them; the Needler is appropriately known as Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher. - In Isaac AsimovIsaac AsimovIsaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
's Lucky Starr seriesLucky Starr seriesLucky Starr is the hero of a series of science fiction books by Isaac Asimov, using the pen name "Paul French". Intended for juveniles, the books were written in the middle of the Cold War and the series shows traces of this, both in educational intent and in the nature of the social forces involved...
of novels, Starr's sidekick, Bigman, uses a needlegun.
In the Hyperion
Hyperion Cantos
The Hyperion Cantos is a series of science fiction novels by Dan Simmons. Set in the far future, and focusing more on plot and story development than technical detail, it falls into the soft science fiction category...
fictional universe based upon Dan Simmons' novels, the flechette rifle or flechette pistol was loaded with "egg shaped" cartridges that, when fired, deployed into a cloud of several thousand hyper-velocity steel needles, in a manner similar to the discharge of a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
shell, though much more deadly and effective for longer range than a shotgun.
In the Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
universe, the Inquisition
Inquisition (Warhammer 40,000)
The Inquisition is an organisation in the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe. They act as the secret police of the Imperium, hunting down any and all threats to the stability of the God-Emperor's realm. In fiction relating to the games, Inquisitors are usually represented by extremely powerful,...
uses weapons called Needle Rifles or Needle Pistols that fire shards of crystallized venom that can be deadly when penetrating an unarmored or lightly armored target.
In video and computer games
- MessiahMessiah (video game)Messiah is a third person shooter video game developed by Shiny and published by Interplay.-Plot:The player controls Bob, a cherub sent by God to clean up the corruption and sin on Earth...
featured a weapon named "Pak Gun", or, simply, "The Pak", which fired small ice shards at a high rate; the shards had a tranquilizer-like effect, freezing the foe and causing good damage. - A regular and Super-Nailgun were prominently featured as weapons in Quake. They were the equivalent of machine-gun style weapons that were able to fire rapidly by holding down the trigger. Quake IIQuake IIQuake II, released on December 9, 1997, is a first-person shooter computer game developed by Id Software and distributed by Activision. It is not a sequel to Quake; it merely uses the name of the former game due to Id's difficulties in coming up with alternative names.The soundtrack for Quake II...
mission pack 1 featured a Flechette Rifle that functioned much like Quake's Nailgun. Quake III Revolution contains a nailgun, but it fires only a single barrage before pausing to recharge. Quake 4Quake 4Quake 4 is the fourth title in the series of Quake first-person shooter computer games. The game was developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. Raven Software has collaborated with id Software, the creators and historical developers of preceding Quake games...
features a rotary nailgun that functions much like the Super-Nailgun, but has a secondary homing function. - Fallout 2Fallout 2Fallout 2 is a computer role-playing game developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay in 1998. The game's story takes place in 2241, 80 years after the events of Fallout...
included a Needler weapon. - A TiberiumTiberiumTiberium or Ichor is a fictional substance that is central to the plot of much of the Command & Conquer series of real-time strategy video games...
-based Flechette Gun was also usable in Command & Conquer: RenegadeCommand & Conquer: RenegadeCommand & Conquer: Renegade is a first and third person shooter video game developed by Westwood Studios and is part of the Command & Conquer series. It is the only C&C game that uses the first person view...
. - System ShockSystem ShockSystem Shock is a first-person action-adventure video game developed by Looking Glass Technologies and published by Origin Systems. Released in 1994, the game is set aboard the fictional Citadel Station in a cyberpunk vision of 2072...
features a Flechette machine pistol. - A needle gun is available for Regina in Dino Crisis 2Dino Crisis 2is a Action-adventure video game for the Sony PlayStation, published by Capcom in North America, released on September 13, 2000 and publish by Virgin Interactive in Europe, release on November 4, 2000. It was developed by Capcom Production Studio 4...
. It is only used underwater, however. - Bungie Studios's Marathon InfinityMarathon InfinityMarathon Infinity is the third game in the Marathon Trilogy of science fiction first-person shooter computer games from Bungie Software. The game was released on October 15, 1996 and included more levels than its predecessor Marathon 2. These were larger, and formed part of a more intricate plot...
featured the KKV-7 submachine gun, which fired 4 mm flechettes from a 10 mm cartridge and was usable underwater. - Bungie Studios's HaloHalo (series)Halo is a multi-million dollar science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries and owned by Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant...
series features the Needler, which fires pink spikes that lock onto a target and explode when inert. In addition, the most recent game in the franchise, Halo: ReachHalo: ReachHalo: Reach is a first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 console. Reach was released in North America, Australia, and Europe on September 14, 2010. The game takes place in the year 2552, where humanity is locked in a war with the...
, features the Needle Rifle, which is essentially a longer semi-automatic version of the needler that lacks homing capabilities. - In Turok: EvolutionTurok: EvolutionTurok: EvoIution is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by Acclaim Entertainment, released for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Game Boy Advance in 2002. A port for Microsoft Windows was released in 2003 for the European market...
there is a Flechette gun which is the only weapon in the game to be able to fire underwater.
- Also, in Devil May CryDevil May Cryis an action game developed and published by Capcom, released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2. Although it is the first game in the series of the same name, the events in Devil May Cry are second in the series storyline's chronological order, taking place after Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening and...
, the main character Dante has a weapon called a needle gun. It is the only weapon he can use underwater. - In F.E.A.R. there is a rapid fire weapon known as the 10 mm HV Penetrator that fires nails that can be used to stick enemies to walls.
- The Medic class in Team Fortress 2Team Fortress 2Team Fortress 2 is a free-to-play team-based first-person shooter multiplayer video game developed by Valve Corporation. A sequel to the original mod Team Fortress based on the Quake engine, it was first released as part of the video game compilation The Orange Box on October 10, 2007 for Windows...
is armed with a SyringeSyringeA syringe is a simple pump consisting of a plunger that fits tightly in a tube. The plunger can be pulled and pushed along inside a cylindrical tube , allowing the syringe to take in and expel a liquid or gas through an orifice at the open end of the tube...
Gun which fires what appear to be extremely sharp used medical syringes, and the Scout class was originally going to have a nail gun as its primary weapon. - In the popular online video game Team Fortress Classic (precursor to Team Fortress 2), one of the main weapons is a flechette launcher called the nailgun, looking rather like a Sten sub-Machine gun.
- The Engineer class in Star Wars Battlefront 2 can earn an upgraded shotgun called a "Flechette shotgun" and can only be used by a player controlled character.
- In Thing Thing 4 there is a Flechette Rifle available in the final levels. It features minimal recoil but is difficult to find ammo for.
- In Half-Life 2: Episode 2, enemy types called "Hunters" fire flechettes that can either disintegrate the enemy or detonate for explosive damage.
- In Buck Rogers: Countdown to DoomsdayCountdown to DoomsdayBuck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday is a computer role-playing game released by Strategic Simulations, Inc. in 1990, set in the Buck Rogers XXVC game setting....
, your team could equip a high rate of fire weapon called a "needler" which used needle-like projectiles. - In the video game Aliens versus Predator and its sequel Aliens vs. Predator 2, the PredatorsPredator (alien)The Predator is a fictional extraterrestrial species featured in the Predator science-fiction franchise, characterised by its trophy hunting of other dangerous species for sport, including humans and its fictional counterparts, Aliens....
' speargun fires a powerful metal needle-like projectile, called a spearSpearA spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
. - Fallout 3 included a gun called the "Railway Rifle", which launched railway spikes.
In role-playing games
Drawing their inspiration largely from similarly themed literature, science-fiction role-playing games frequently include needle-guns in some form. For example:- BattleTechBattleTechBattleTech is a wargaming and science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2000, and owned since 2003 by Topps. The series began with FASA's debut of the board game BattleTech by Jordan Weisman and L...
, as needler pistols and rifles - Star FrontiersStar FrontiersStar Frontiers is a science fiction role-playing game produced by TSR beginning in 1982. The game offered a space-opera action-adventure setting.- Setting :...
, as needler pistols and rifles - Gamma WorldGamma WorldGamma World is a science fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by James M. Ward and Gary Jaquet, and first published by TSR in 1978. It borrowed heavily from James M. Ward's earlier product, Metamorphosis Alpha.-Setting:...
, as needler pistols and rifles - TravellerTraveller (role-playing game)Traveller is a series of related science fiction role-playing games, the first published in 1977 by Game Designers' Workshop and subsequent editions by various companies remaining in print to this day. The game was inspired from such classic science fiction stories as the Dumarest saga series by...
, in the form of gauss-pistols and gauss-rifles firing 4mm darts. - ShadowrunShadowrunShadowrun is a role-playing game set in a near-future fictional universe in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy fiction, horror, and detective fiction.The original game has spawned...
, as flechette pistols and rifles