Originally Posted by dippin

the mechanical in mechanical engineering is from the principle of mechanics in physics, and not "mechanic" as in the guy that fixes cars and planes. As such, mechanical engineers will deal with anything that has moving parts, friction, etc.

I would just be careful regarding expectations. In weapons, like in all industries nowadays, ultra specialization is the norm. To be involved in overall development, you would probably have to work in the smaller gun manufacturers that do more customized stuff which is not really cutting edge. To be at a place that actually does significant research, you would be at one of the bigger places, and would likely specialize in a particular area of research.

It is incredibly rare, specially at the entry level, for someone to be involved in the overall development of a gun, from research through product development.

I have a friend with a PhD who works at a place that does some of the chips for modern weapons. Even though he is working with the chips themselves, he is so far removed from the big picture of the research that he doesnt even know exactly what the chips are used for.