So recoil happened...

[Chiboko]

Highest speed achieved (no image recorded): Infinity^'or close enough that makes no difference'

Highest speed achieved under 1km altitude that I could get an image of: 11,000ms-1

Highest altitude achieved on highest speed run: 77m

Image link: http://i.imgur.com/VkUHCoh.png

So I built a cannon with insane capabilities'

And I wish I could say that this was enough to nail it down'

Sadly that would be a lie, I've been having few problems with recoil...

Progress Update 1:

11,000ms-1 seems to be the maximum possible velocity achievable with a single (actually 2 clipped into each other) booster design. More power results in less overall speed because the projectile accelerates out of the 'barrel' before it can reach its potential top speed, this results in designs with 3 or more clipped boosters topping out at a mere 3km/s.

Something of interest is that sometimes the projectile will appear to instantly ray-cast itself into a collision with the first object in its way (or simply cease to exist if there's nothing to hit) when this happens the screen flashes white with heating effect and after the flight it will be displayed as having never gone faster than 28ms-1.

Progress Update 2:

I built a railgun design to address the problems in Update 1, long story short it turns out you can incinerate Kerbin with shock heating. The projectiles insane velocity caused the planet to floating point error through its own atmosphere at an equally insane velocity many shock effects were had and my game shot itself.

Edited September 15, 2015 by Chiboko
Added image link as proof

[sal_vager]

Looks fun, a launch clamp launcher!

[Chiboko]

Looks fun, a launch clamp launcher!

Those launch clamps aren't actually moving...

[smjjames]

Those launch clamps aren't actually moving...

Surface speed says otherwise.

[Chiboko]

Surface speed says otherwise.

I know, but in game they were just sitting there shooting fire. Incidentally is there a way to increase the range at which you can tab to another object? because with a higher powered design I can hit the 'fire' and 'switch camera' almost at the same time and still not catch it.

Edit: They just lay there twitching

Edited September 15, 2015 by Chiboko

[smjjames]

There is a mod which increases the load distance, BD Armory I think? Maybe look into that.