Forum: scifi.stackexchange.com
Tags: <battlestar-galactica><weapon>
Title: Why do the guns in Battlestar Galactica have two barrels?
Question: In the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series, the handguns that the military use seem to have two barrels. What are the reasons behind this?

Answers:
sents: text: If you watch the season 2 episode where the Galactica has been boarded by a group of Cylons, Apollo is seen to load an armour-piercing round into the lower, larger bore, barrel of his sidearm.
text: I guess that most other weapons are also dual-load with standard rounds and armour-piercing.
answer_details: author: scifi.stackexchange.com/users/373/HorusKol
score: 28
sents: text: In addition to the advantages that Pearsonartphoto mentions, there are a variety of aesthetic reasons.
text: As a TV show it is really important to have visual elements that identify the world when you see them.
text: Being instantly recognizable, in this case via the double-barreled weapons and various uniform, makes it so casual fans of the show will be more likely to stop and watch as they are flipping through channels.
text: It also helps to make the universe of the show feel more distinct, which encourages suspension of disbelief.
text: When a TV show is first 'broken' the creators will put together art bibles and other resources that help tie the show's visual aspects together into a cohesive unit.
text: Not only does this help brand the show, but it sets a standards bar that helps the visuals of a show maintain a certain visual appeal.
text: That appeal could be intentionally slip-shod, which is the case with a lot of the syfy original movies that are striving for a B-movie quality.
text: Or it could be a high bar meant to keep the setting of a show realistic, such as in a lot of HBO programs.
text: It also can define a setting where low tech flotsam and high-tech marvels come together, like in Firefly.
answer_details: author: scifi.stackexchange.com/users/51/DampeS8N
score: 27
sents: text: Double barrel guns have a number of advantages, they have quicker firing rates, reduced maintenance, and accuracy.
text: Presumably they have some kind of a material that reduces the weight, but the double barrel still gives advantages.
text: For more, see this Wikipedia article .
answer_details: author: scifi.stackexchange.com/users/98/PearsonArtPhoto
score: 13
sents: text: The upper barrel of the sidearms is for regular ammunition, and the lower barrel is for high-explosive rounds.
text: In Vally of Darkness , the entire final battle is predicated on the use and reloading of these single shot
text: HE rounds to defeat the cylon boarding party.
text: High explosive rounds have been used other times in the series, but this is the only time they are covered by the plot.
answer_details: author: scifi.stackexchange.com/users/35682/Tritium21
score: 9
sents: text: Because two is better then one.
text: ;)
text: I should point out that many of rifles of our current armed forces have "two barrels" as well--the barrel for the "normal" ammo and one for the grenade launcher.
answer_details: author: scifi.stackexchange.com/users/606/Muad'Dib
score: 4

Summary of the answers:
Dual-load weapons are already common in our current armed forces. However, in this case, one barrel may be for regular ammo and the other for high-explosive or armor-piercing rounds. Double barrel guns have faster firing rates and "two is better than one".
Two barrel guns have advantages including faster firing rates and greater accuracy. Each barrel has a different function. Current armed forces also use double-barrel weapons, it is not just science fiction.