Difference between revisions of "Gauss rifle"

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==Variants==
 
==Variants==
 +
*Prototype Gauss Rifle (GR-P): prior to the introduction of the standard Gauss Rifle the [[Star League Defense Force]] fielded prototypes of the weapon design during the [[Reunification War]]. These prototypes were functionally identical to the standard Gauss Rifle, with two exceptions: the prototypes took up one additional critical slot, and jammed in a fashion identical to that of the [[Ultra Autocannon]] on a to-hit roll of 2.<ref name="H:RWp179">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 179-180, "Gauss Rifle (GR-P)"</ref>
 
*Gauss-X: The [[Federated Commonwealth]] field tested experimental versions of the Gauss rifle during the closing months of the [[War of 3039]].  Employed by elite units of the [[AFFS]] and [[LCAF]], these prototypes required an additional critical slot and could jam in certain cases.<ref>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 145</ref>  The [[Draconis Combine]]'s [[9th Ghost]] regiment was also able to jury-rig two of their ''[[Hunchback]]'' [['Mechs]] with prototype Gauss rifles during combat on [[Elidere IV]].  While providing the design with superior long-range firepower, the recoil was too much for the machines and they were removed after the end of the war.<ref>''Technical Readout: 3039'', p. 136</ref>
 
*Gauss-X: The [[Federated Commonwealth]] field tested experimental versions of the Gauss rifle during the closing months of the [[War of 3039]].  Employed by elite units of the [[AFFS]] and [[LCAF]], these prototypes required an additional critical slot and could jam in certain cases.<ref>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 145</ref>  The [[Draconis Combine]]'s [[9th Ghost]] regiment was also able to jury-rig two of their ''[[Hunchback]]'' [['Mechs]] with prototype Gauss rifles during combat on [[Elidere IV]].  While providing the design with superior long-range firepower, the recoil was too much for the machines and they were removed after the end of the war.<ref>''Technical Readout: 3039'', p. 136</ref>
 
*[[Silver Bullet Gauss Rifle|Silver Bullet]]: An early attempt to introduce cluster functionality to the Gauss Rifle family, the Silver Bullet Gauss Rifle had some major drawbacks that were difficult to overcome, and did not see widespread use.
 
*[[Silver Bullet Gauss Rifle|Silver Bullet]]: An early attempt to introduce cluster functionality to the Gauss Rifle family, the Silver Bullet Gauss Rifle had some major drawbacks that were difficult to overcome, and did not see widespread use.
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== Bibliography ==
 
== Bibliography ==
 
* ''[[BattleTech Master Rules]]''
 
* ''[[BattleTech Master Rules]]''
 +
* ''[[Historical: Reunification War]]''
 +
* ''[[Historical: War of 3039]]''
 
* ''[[The Lance Killer]] BattleCorps Story''
 
* ''[[The Lance Killer]] BattleCorps Story''
* ''[[Historical: War of 3039]]''
 
 
* [[Second Succession War (Sourcebook)|''Second Succession War'']]
 
* [[Second Succession War (Sourcebook)|''Second Succession War'']]
 
* ''[[TechManual]]''
 
* ''[[TechManual]]''

Revision as of 05:05, 21 March 2018

Gauss Rifle.jpg
Gauss Rifle
Production information
Type Ballistic (Direct-Fire)
Tech Base Clan / Inner Sphere (IS)
Year Availability Clan = 2828

IS = 3040

Year Introduced Clan = 2828 CBR

IS = 2590 TH[1]

Year Extinction IS = 2865[1] [2]
Year Reintroduced IS = 3040 FWL[1]
Technology Rating E[1]
Availability Ratings D[1]/E[1]/D[1]
Legality Rating A - F
Technical specifications
Heat 1[3]
Damage 15[3]
Minimum Range 2[3]
Short Range 1-7[3]
Medium Range 8-15[3]
Long Range 16-22[3]
Tons Clan = 12

IS = 15[3]

Critical Slots Clan = 6

IS = 7[3] Proto = 8

Ammo Per Ton 8
Cost (unloaded) 300,000[1]
Ammo Cost (per ton) 20,000
BV (1.0) 321
BV (2.0) 320[4]
40 (Ammo)[4]



Description

Introduced in 2590 by the Terran Hegemony, the Gauss Rifle utilizes a series of electromagnets to propel slugs of ferrous nickel-iron alloy at extremely high velocities, making it a devastating and lethal long-range weapon. Unlike most traditional ballistic weapons, the Gauss Rifle does not use combustible propellant, so its firing generates very little heat. However, the sheer mass and bulk of the weapon limits its applications.[5]

Since the Gauss Rifle fires solid metal slugs, with neither propellant nor explosive, Gauss Rifle magazines are not susceptible to ammunition explosions. However, if the weapon itself is struck by enemy fire, the capacitors that power the electromagnets will release their stored energy, with an effect similar to an ammo explosion. (In game terms, a critical hit on a Gauss Rifle is equivalent to a 20-point ammo explosion.) Some 'Mechs employ CASE in the section containing the Gauss Rifle to protect internal components in the event the weapon explodes.[5][6]

The Gauss Rifle was found on a number of heavier Star League Defense Force 'Mechs, but fell out of use in the Inner Sphere during the technological decline of the Succession Wars. It was revived following the discovery of the Helm Memory Core. The Clans never lost the technology, and continued to refine the Star League-era weapon. Although the Clan Gauss Rifle is similar in performance and operation to its Inner Sphere counterpart, it is 20% lighter and somewhat more compact.

Note: The original description of the Gauss Rifle that appeared in the first printing of Technical Readout: 2750 listed the ammunition load as 10 shots per ton. This figure was later amended to eight shots per ton.[3]

Models

The Gauss Rifle is manufactured on the following planets:

Inner Sphere

Brand Planet Company Used by References
Grizzard Outreach Blackwell Corporation WR-DG-02FC War Dog [7]
Grizzard 200 New Earth Yankee Weapons Systems MR-V2 Cerberus
SQS-TH-002 Sasquatch
[8]
[9]
Grizzard 210 New Earth Yankee Weapons Systems HUR-WO-R4L Huron Warrior [10]
Imperator Dragon's Fire Atreus Imperator Automatic Weaponry VTR-9K Victor
AS7-K Atlas
[11]
[12]
Inokuma Betelgeuse Aldis Industries Regulator II Hover Tank [13]
Kali Yama Grand Slam Kendall Kali Yama Weapons Industries ON3-M Orion [14]
Oriente MagCoil Model M Emris IV StarCorps Industries CRN-7M Carronade [15]
Norse-Storm M-7D Loxley Norse-Storm Technologies Incorporated ??? [citation needed]
Poland Main A Coventry
Hesperus II
Quentin
Coventry Metal Works
Defiance Industries
Independence Weaponry
BZK-F3 Hollander
BNC-5S Banshee/FLC-8R Falconer
GUN-1ERD Gunslinger
[16]
[17][18]
[19]
Poland Main C New Syrtis Johnston Industries ??? [citation needed]
Zeus Slingshot Irian<>Stewart Irian BattleMechs Unlimited
Corean Enterprises
TMP-3M Tempest
CP -11-A Cyclops
[20]
Zhi-tong-yao Victoria Shengli Arms ??? [citation needed]
NAIS Mk. I Gauss Rifle (Prototype) New Avalon NAIS ??? [citation needed]

Clans

Brand Planet Company Used by References
Omega 12-Coil Satalice Gorton, Kingsley & Thorpe Enterprises Marauder IIC 7 [21]
Series II Weingarten w-7 Facilities Carnivore Assault Tank [22]
Thunderstroke Series 2b Tokasha Tokasha MechWorks Behemoth 2 [23]
M-7 Betelgeuse Aldis Industries Regulator II Hover Tank [13]

Variants

  • Prototype Gauss Rifle (GR-P): prior to the introduction of the standard Gauss Rifle the Star League Defense Force fielded prototypes of the weapon design during the Reunification War. These prototypes were functionally identical to the standard Gauss Rifle, with two exceptions: the prototypes took up one additional critical slot, and jammed in a fashion identical to that of the Ultra Autocannon on a to-hit roll of 2.[24]
  • Gauss-X: The Federated Commonwealth field tested experimental versions of the Gauss rifle during the closing months of the War of 3039. Employed by elite units of the AFFS and LCAF, these prototypes required an additional critical slot and could jam in certain cases.[25] The Draconis Combine's 9th Ghost regiment was also able to jury-rig two of their Hunchback 'Mechs with prototype Gauss rifles during combat on Elidere IV. While providing the design with superior long-range firepower, the recoil was too much for the machines and they were removed after the end of the war.[26]
  • Silver Bullet: An early attempt to introduce cluster functionality to the Gauss Rifle family, the Silver Bullet Gauss Rifle had some major drawbacks that were difficult to overcome, and did not see widespread use.
  • Light Gauss Rifle: The Light Gauss Rifle was invented to be smaller and lighter, that way it could be carried on lighter mechs. It had the obvious consequence of doing less damage, but carried twice as much ammunition and had a slightly longer range to make up for it.
  • Heavy Gauss Rifle: The polar opposite of the Light Gauss Rifle, the Heavy Gauss Rifle trades range and a large ammunition capacity for raw damage output, but it has the downsides of mass, enormous bulk, and so on. An improved version needed to be developed later on.
  • Hyper-Assault Gauss Rifles: Coming in sizes 20, 30 and 40, these are Cluster-firing weapons which are able to do an incredible amount of damage for their size.
  • MagShot and Anti-Personnel Gauss Rifle: These small, lightweight defensive weapons are usually mounted on BattleMechs for long-range anti-infantry work, but are also useful against mechs (though not by much).
  • Naval Gauss Rifle: The Naval Gauss Rifle is a considerably upsized version of the Gauss Rifle for use on WarShips, but what makes the design especially notable is that it has what is essentially a built-in version of CASE, making it suitable for protecting the vessel and crew from a Gauss Rifle explosion. Interestingly, there is no Sub-Capital version of the weapon, which would be ideal for dropships.
  • Mass Driver: Just when mankind thought Gauss weapons wouldn't get any bigger, they did just that, and it can be rather terrifying what these will do to a planet.

See Also

  • Rail Guns and Coil Guns are both real-world experimental weapons currently in development by various militaries, and it is upon these weapons that the Gauss Rifles in BattleTech are based. Unlike the Gauss Rifles in the BattleTech universe, Rail Guns in our real world do not produce any recoil. However, they are far from being viable weapons at our current levels of technology, since they need to be mounted on very large naval vessels and require enormous amounts of power.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 TechManual p. 289, "Heavy Weapons And Equipment - Table"
  2. Second Succession War, p. 102, "Rules Annex - Weapons and Equipment Extinction Table"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Technical Readout: 2750, p. 7, "Gauss Rifle"
  4. 4.0 4.1 TechManual, p. 317, "Inner Sphere Weapons and Equipment BV Table"
  5. 5.0 5.1 TechManual, p. 219, "Standard Gauss Rifle"
  6. BattleTech Master Rules, p 219, "Gauss Rifle"
  7. Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 68, "WR-DG-02FC War Dog"
  8. Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 76, "MR-V2 Cerberus"
  9. Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 168, "SQS-TH-002 Sasquatch"
  10. Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 38, "HUR-WO-R4L Huron Warrior"
  11. Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade, p. 90, "VTR-9K Victor"
  12. Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade, p. 108, "AS7-K Atlas"
  13. 13.0 13.1 Technical Readout: 3085, p. 30, "Regulator II Hover Tank"
  14. Technical Readout: Prototypes p. 132, "OSM-3 Orion"
  15. Technical Readout: 3145 Free Worlds League, p. 34-35, "CRN-7M Carronade"
  16. Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 24, "BZK-F3 Hollander"
  17. Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade, p. 104, "BNC-5S Banshee"
  18. Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 62, "FLC-8R Falconer"
  19. Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 72, "GUN-1ERD Gunslinger"
  20. Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 50, "TMP-3M Tempest"
  21. Technical Readout: 3085, p. 284, "Marauder IIC 7"
  22. Technical Readout: 3085, p. 140, "Carnivore"
  23. Technical Readout: 3085, p. 120, "Behemoth 2"
  24. Historical: Reunification War, p. 179-180, "Gauss Rifle (GR-P)"
  25. Historical: War of 3039, p. 145
  26. Technical Readout: 3039, p. 136

Bibliography