Imperial Combustion Guns

Combustion guns are a unique class of firearms used by the Imperial Norwegian Armed Forces. Like the nation’s gauss weapons, they fire solid metal bullets directly—but unlike traditional guns, they contain no cartridges or gunpowder. Instead, they operate much like miniature internal combustion engines, powered by ethanol.

In place of a piston, the gun’s combustion chamber expels a bullet. A pre-chamber first vaporizes ethanol using heat, feeding the resulting gas into the main chamber. There, the gaseous ethanol mixes with ambient air and ignites: in the Krag-8 via a flint-strike mechanism, and in the Krag-9 via a piezoelectric striker—similar to what’s used in modern BBQ lighters.

Residual heat from each shot keeps the pre-chamber hot, maintaining vaporization and enabling semi-automatic fire. Every shot both fires the round and primes the next, creating a continuous firing cycle.

Because ethanol burns slower than gunpowder, bullets need to remain in the barrel longer to absorb the full force of combustion. For that reason, combustion guns use much heavier rounds—typically 0.50 caliber bullets weighing 25–40 grams. For comparison, a standard 9mm pistol fires a 7.5 gram bullet. Functionally, these weapons resemble oversized Desert Eagles—only more powerful and more armor-piercing.

The emergence of soldier-worn armor in the 2040s rendered many traditional firearms obsolete. While Neo Dixie continues to use conventional firearms that struggle to penetrate Imperial armor, both the gauss and combustion guns of Imperial Norway remain fully effective.

Combustion guns were developed as a reliable fallback to the gauss-based Krag rifles. In the event aluminum-air batteries run dry in the field, combustion guns provide an electricity-free backup. All they require are solid metal bullets and ethanol—both of which can be produced or carried in the field. Most Imperial infantry units carry compact ethanol distillation units that can extract fuel from local biomass.

This approach fits the broader military doctrine of Imperial Norway: infantry units must be capable of long-term operations with minimal dependence on external supply lines. The result is a lean, mobile, self-sustaining force designed to thrive in Norway’s harsh, mountainous terrain.

Using and Operating Combustion Guns

Combustion guns can be thought of like a bow or crossbow: they require a short preparation phase before use. Specifically, the ethanol must be vaporized in a pre-chamber before the weapon is ready to fire.

Once the first shot is fired, residual heat keeps the pre-chamber hot, allowing for rapid follow-up shots in sustained combat. However, before entering a hot zone or hostile area, soldiers must pre-heat the chamber to ensure the weapon can fire immediately if needed.

In most cases, the standard ignition mechanism—via hammer-struck flint or piezo spark—is sufficient to ignite a small amount of ethanol, which begins the vaporization process. If that fails, soldiers are trained to manually heat the chamber using lighters, electric coils, or other field tools to bring the gun up to firing readiness.