science

MAUL (shotgun)

MAUL (shotgun) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MAUL (shotgun) rather than just read about it. In short: The Multi-shot Accessory Underbarrel Launcher, or MAUL, is a combat shotgun designed by defunct Brisbane-based company Metal Storm. Design The MAUL is a shotgun based on Metal Storm's electronically initiated superposed-load technology.

Key takeaways

MAUL (shotgun) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MAUL (shotgun) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MAUL (shotgun) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Multi-shot Accessory Underbarrel Launcher, or MAUL, is a combat shotgun designed by defunct Brisbane-based company Metal Storm.

Design The MAUL is a shotgun based on Metal Storm's electronically initiated superposed-load technology. In this concept multiple projectiles, in this case of 12-gauge bore, are loaded nose to tail in a single gun barrel with propellant packed between them. Each projectile is ignited sequentially using an electrically fired primer: the electrical charge is provided by a battery. The weapon fires once per trigger pull: while in effect this is semi-automatic, in strict terms it is not as no energy from firing is used to automate any part of the weapon's operating cycle. Designed to be used as either a standalone weapon or an underslung module of a combat rifle such as M4 or M16 via the use of Picatinny rail, it can also be used in a standalone configuration through the addition of a pistol grip, folding stock or both. The central module is made of carbon fiber, while the barrels are steel. The resulting weapon weighs less than 800 grams (1.8 lb),. In its underslung configuration, it was boresight-aligned to the host gun's sighting system. It was intended to fire a range of loads; buckshot, slug, Door breaching slugs, and several kinds of less-lethal loads including blunt-force, electro-muscular incapacitation and frangible nose chemical and marker munitions. Loads were intended to be provided in their own munition tubes, with the operator switching tubes to change ammunition type. Metal Storm reported the first shoulder-firing of the MAUL during tests on 24 April 2009 at its test facilities in Chantilly, Virginia.

Contracts Papua New Guinea: As of 3 August 2010, Metal Storm signed a contract with the Correctional Services Minister Tony Aimo to supply 500 standalone MAULs and 10,000 less-lethal barrels for use by correctional services officers. The contract was never ratified due to the company failing to produce the weaponry before it folded in 2012.

See also Knight's Armament Company Masterkey - an originator for the underslung shotgun concept M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System - comparable underslung shotgun adopted by the US Army

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MAUL (shotgun)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MAUL (shotgun) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MAUL (shotgun) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MAUL (shotgun) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MAUL (shotgun)

In research: MAUL (shotgun) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MAUL (shotgun) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MAUL (shotgun) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Australian inventions, Shotguns of Australia, Trial and research firearms of Australia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MAUL (shotgun) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study MAUL (shotgun) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MAUL (shotgun) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MAUL (shotgun) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MAUL (shotgun) in simple terms?

The Multi-shot Accessory Underbarrel Launcher, or MAUL, is a combat shotgun designed by defunct Brisbane-based company Metal Storm. Design The MAUL is a shotgun based on Metal Storm's electronically initiated superposed-load technology.

Why does MAUL (shotgun) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MAUL (shotgun)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MAUL (shotgun).