Metal Storm's technology achieves its unparalleled performance through the concept of numerous bullets stacked in a barrel, with each bullet separated by a propellant load, such that the leading propellant can be reliably ignited to fire the bullet, without the resulting high pressure and temperature causing unplanned blowby ignition of the trailing propellant load, and without collapse of the projectile column in the barrel.

This unique concept has been accomplished through the invention of a bullet which on the one hand expands and locks in the barrel in response to high pressure immediately in front of the bullet. As a consequence, each bullet in turn can be fired in sequence from the barrel, and an individual barrel tube, loaded with numerous rounds and exclusive of any ammunition feed or ejection system, breech opening, or any mechanical operation whatsoever, when provided with an electric priming system is, in effect, a complete weapon.

Barrels can be grouped in any configuration required for a particular application, while remaining simple and compact, and have no moving parts, no separate magazine, no ammunition feed or ejection system. Excluding consideration of appropriate ancillary systems such as recoil control systems, target acquisition systems and turreting systems, the only moving parts in Metal Storm's barrel technology are the bullets.