Dust is widely known as a- no the energy propellant that is used in almost everything. From weapons, to heating, to technology it has the widest range of applications out of any element on Remnant. The most well known application or at least the first one people typically think off is weapons and various forms of ammunition. So this report is designed to detail the inner workings of the cartridges used in most firearms on Remnant with a few exception.
First we must ask ourselves an important question, what IS dust? Long before it had been implemented a multitude of technologies and daily applications it was mostly referred to as "Nature's Wrath". An apt name, seeing how those who could wield this element in its raw form could perform feats such as bringing down lightning bolts with ease, or to a less planned out approach, one untrained could accidentally scorch entire forests. And while even refined dust is extremely volatile, and sometimes the volatility is even increased so it would be more reactive. Unrefined dust can be so much more dangerous because of the fact it is in itself, innately volatile and has not been cleaned or refined in any way to make it safer or easier to use.
This fact is why the majority of products use refined dust, typically from the Schnee Dust Company who have strict specifications pertaining to the refinement process, while other companies are available they are generally cheaper, and as a result have less expense put into the testing and refinement of their dust. Now, we circle around towards the true point of this report. "How is dust used in projectile weapons?"
First we must look at the most primitive example of dust being used as a sort of projectile, a sort of 'Element Thrower' as the results would vary depending on what type of dust had been ground up and poured down the barrel. These types of weapons were fairly simple. Mostly made of wood covered in some sort of coating to prevent it from catching fire, they mainly consisted of a tube, closed at the back, with a small hole for a match to be placed into near the back. The dust was poured down the tube and a match was placed into the small opening.
Due to dusts innately volatile nature the force of the match igniting a single grain of it would force a vast majority of the dust out of the tube as it was igniting, the effect dependent on the type of dust. Arcing lightning if Electricity had been used, a gout of flames if Burn had been used and so on and so forth.
The first step towards projectile weapons was when somebody poured the green Wind dust down the tube and packed a pebble tightly within it at the end before lighting the match. The sheer force of the dust going off would propel the pebble about a hundred yards. And thus the first true firearm was born.
The relative set up for projectile weapons largely remained unchanged until the introduction of manufactured ammunition. Small steel balls that would always fit the barrel and be more effective than the unreliable pebble. Around this time period "Dust Ammunition" came into existence. The small steel balls were hollowed out by some means, and a small hole would be drilled into it for dust to be poured ammunition could burst into flames upon impact, or deliver a crippling shock.
However, the majority of weapons could only fire one shot before having to be reloaded, unless they had more than one barrel. Therefore most firearms also functioned as swords and axes, occasionally even shields, a trend that continued long after it was necessary as evident by the weapons Hunters use today.
However now we have the majority of things in place, it almost matches up with modern technology, save one small thing. Self contained cartridges. Without the need to pour dust down the barrel ahead of the ammunition. This technology came to be from the continent in Solitas, where, even today is at the forefront of most technologies related to dust seeing it is where the kingdom of Atlas is situated.
The self contained cartridges typically consisted of a metal alloy, with a slug in the front that could still be hollowed out and filled with dust for ammunition with a multitude of effects. And a small area in the back to propel said slug, full of Wind dust offering the most clean firing available. The pin would strike a primer, igniting the dust, sending the slug flying out of the barrel. The only issue was accuracy. The sheer force behind the bullets had no true path keeping them straight. Therefore rifling was added to barrels a few decades after, forcing the bullets into an extremely tight spiral keeping them fixated on a straight path as they flew.
And with self contained ammunition, weapons capable of both rapid fire and holding vast amounts of ammo soon followed. The technology keeps advancing, and we may not yet be at the end of the chain, but I can assure you that as technology will improve, as will the defenses of all the kingdoms, lest they fall to the Grimm.
-Jefferson Tanner, Head of R&D for SDC
