Heavy Gauss Rifle

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Heavy Gauss Rifle
Production information
Type Ballistic (Direct)
Tech Base Inner Sphere
Year Availability 3061
Technical specifications
Heat 2
Damage 25/20/10
Minimum Range 4
Short Range 6
Medium Range 13
Long Range 20
Tons 18
Critical Slots 11
Ammo Per Ton 4
Cost (unloaded) 500,000
Ammo Cost (per ton) 20,000 (BV 1.0 = 43)
BV (1.0) 346



Description

The Heavy Gauss Rifle is a new, deadly innovation by Lyran Alliance scientists. Applying their "bigger is better" philosophy to Gauss technology, the Heavy Gauss Rifle is the heaviest weapon in existence, and has a correspondingly high damage potential. Indeed, the recoil from the weapon is so great that the rifle cannot be mounted in a vehicle's turret or 'Mech's arms, as firing the rifle would essentially rip it off. A 'Mech firing the rifle may even be knocked down by the recoil. At close range, the rifle can inflict damage exceeding that of even an Autocannon/20, and so it has earned the handle of "Thor's Hammer" among LAAF troops.

While the Heavy Gauss Rifle is extremely powerful, it also suffers from a number of setbacks. The heavy projectile fired by the rifle experiences heavy friction caused by the atmosphere, slowing it down. At medium range, the damage output is slightly reduced. Once at long range, the velocity loss becomes far more dramatic, with this reduced damage being halved. The same projectile weight that causes such a slowdown also makes it necessary to allocate extra space to ammunition. This, combined with the bulk of the rifle itself, can lead to problems. The massive capacitors necessary for the coils that power the rifle are also not particularly inert, and will undergo a catastrophic explosion if exposed to weapons fire.

Models

Brand Planet Company
Blackwell Arms "Thunderfist" Outreach GM/Blackwell
Defiance Hammerfist Hesperus II Defiance Industries


References