&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<tb>Perhaps the force from the round, when fired at the correct time, actually increases the vector of the blade- IE: when fired in mid-swing, the force from the round transfers into the motion of the blade, causing it to accelerate much more quickly and powerfully.
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&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<tb>This would explain the length of time spent training in the gunblade discipline to master it- it would require precise timing to enhance the attack without either diverting the strike or even completely nullifying it and incredible control to recover from it- with the force induced into the weapon it'd send most people spinning to the ground after an over-shoulder swing.

</tb>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<tb>However, unlike Irvine, Squall never has to buy ammunition for his weapon, nor do we ever see him reloading after six attacks. Maybe it's just an oversight on the part of the developers (after all, in the grand scheme of the plot and gameplay it's a pretty small detail), but it makes one wonder if the rounds are consumed upon pulling the trigger. Maybe they just need time to "recharge" after expending their force, hence the revolver cycle. However, it wouldn't really explain how the Hyperion (Seifer's) gunblade works, being an semi-automatic design.

</tb>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<tb>On that subject, assuming this theory is correct, how would a semi-auto design compare to a revolver design? I think it would be far harder to master considering the point (in my opinion, anyway) would be to fire multiple rounds in rapid succession, increasing the velocity of the blade far beyond what the revolver design could achieve. Maybe that would explain why even though Squall and Seifer are evenly matched (or close to it) in Garden, Seifer has a much harder time executing attacks with his gunblade until much further in the game.

</tb>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<tb>I</tb><tb>n any case, I'm going to be building a functioning gunblade- or as close to it as I can get without having to register it with the ATF (lol!) so it's a pretty neat coincidence that this discussion should come up as I log into EOFF. I'd like to collect as many theories and ideas as possible.</tb>