Gauss rifle

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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

  • 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.[24] 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.[25]
    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 didn't see widespread use. It could be considered an early ancestor to modern Hyper Assault Gauss Rifles though.
    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.

See Also

  • Rail Guns and Coil Guns are 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: War of 3039, p. 145
  25. ↑ Technical Readout: 3039, p. 136

Bibliography

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