is there anything else we could use instead....?

Question

i know usually we use compressed nitrogen to shoot a bullet out of a gun. but here's the Q of the day:

is there any other source of energy we could possibly use that would provide more thrust and would shoot the bullet further still?

anything at all, people?

Answer 1

I'm not sure who usually uses compressed nitrogen to shoot a bullet out of a gun. Typical firearms use gunpowder, an explosive chemical mixture. The bullet is propelled by the force of expanding gas in the explosion.

Practically anything can be used to propel a bullet: explosive material, springs, leverage, compressed gases, etc. The most powerful guns (those used on battleships and gun implacements) used plastic explosives to push their projectiles.

There have been some experiments with using charged particles as a source of projectile propulsion. The repulsive force between powerfully charged electromagnets can be INCREDIBLY powerful. Theoretically, it should be possible, using current technology, to fire a small projectile at an appreciable fraction of the speed of light. Obviously, this would take an enormous amount of money and some incredible engineering.

Answer 2

Well, there's always gunpowder.

Answer 3

um................co2