Coilguns offered speed to service while railguns promised more

How did coilguns and railguns compare as future naval weapons?

Coilguns looked quicker to field and faster-firing, while railguns appeared more accurate and promising over the longer term.

Coilguns appeared easier to place in service quickly and offered a high rate of fire. The technical material cited in the discussion gave railguns somewhat better accuracy and stronger long-term potential. This was a contemporary research judgement rather than a settled operational result. The comparison should therefore be read as a forecast about two electromagnetic-gun development paths.