Rifling doesn't matter. For example, the 120mm cannon on the M1A2 main battle tank is smoothbore, which means that the gun tube is not rifled. Accuracy depends on the shape of the projectile fired (for example: discarding sabot rounds, looks like a large metal dart, VERY accurate, more so than a rifled gun). When you fire what looks to be a retarded I have no idea what its supposed to be but it is extremely un-aerodynamic, then yeah, you'll get tumbling.

except it also uses a rifled barrel

and rifling does matter unless the projectile is self-guiding

Dumbass, like J lzrd says its amazing that it even shoots at this point. I'm sure the projectile'll have fins or grooves or some shit in 2025 when they're actually mounting it on ships.

Its a gun that magnetically shoots a chunk of metal like a zillion miles an hour, enjoy it.

Yeah, its going so fast it's burning. At that speed piercing air isn't much easier than piercing metal.

The fact that there's no kinda breech on that makes me uncomfortable.

Why would it need a breech? I could see the open breech as advantageous, as you could fire a projectile while one was still traveling down the barrel. (Provided, of course, that your power supply to the coils could keep up, which is the main problem I see with rail guns for the near -- as in, in our lifetimes -- future.)

I actually wondered about the flame too, in the back of my head.

The fact that this thing is actually rubbing air molecules so fast that... well...


Railgun projectile : Air :: Guy jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge : Water