Rusty
Purveyor of Fine Weaponry
Image Source
Intent: To create an intermediate ranged weapon for folks who need something between a sniper rifle and a carbine. If only there was a term for that...
Development Thread: If Necessary
Manufacturer: Rusty's Custom Firearms and Cutlery
Model: ER-1
Affiliation: Open Market
Modularity: Integrated rail system allows for a variety of interchangeable optics and accessories.
Production: Mass-Produced
Material: Durasteel, plastoid, carbon fiber, rail gun components
Classification: Electromagnetic Linear Accelerator (Rail gun)
Size: Handheld
Length: 90 CM
Weight: 3.3 Kilograms
Ammunition Type: 7mm copper coated durasteel-cored lead projectile, disintegrating aluminum sabot depleted uranium rounds
Ammunition Capacity: 20 round detachable box magazine with integrated 20 shot power cell
Effective Range: 600 meters point target, 900 meters area
Rate of Fire: Semi, 3 round burst
Special Features: Relatively stealthy compared to comparable slugthrower or blaster, extremely versatile.
Description: The ER-1 was created entirely because Rusty got bored one morning and decided to see what he could throw together. He had built one off rail gun style weapons before, but he had never tried to make an assault rifle based on the concept.
The ER-1 is a simple, versatile design that allows the customer to engage a wide variety of targets at nearly any range. The standard copper-lead-durasteel rounds can effectively engage anything from single troops to light armor, as the durasteel core acts as an armor piercing penetrator. The rounds are fed into the weapon from a horizontally oriented detachable box magazine that sits flush with the receiver, allowing for a streamlined appearance that just so happens to prevent the magazine from catching on things. Approximately half of the magazine holds ammunition, while the other half is a power cell dedicated to firing the weapon.
The depleted uranium rounds can potentially penetrate light armor anywhere within the effective range, medium armor within 300 meters, and heavy armor within 50 meters. The core is essentially a depleted uranium dart. The sabot portion is constructed from aluminum, which converts to plasma as the electric current is transferred through the projectile. The cloud of plasma created completes the circuit and pushes the depleted uranium penetrator out of the barrel like a normal projectile. In order to keep the plasma from solidifying and screwing up the bore, a slug of inert gaseous nitrogen flushes the barrel out between shots. In order to make this work, the DU sabot rounds are fired from special magazines that contain a gas reservoir. This reduces magazine capacity to 5 rounds as opposed to 20, and reduces the rate of fire considerably. In order to ensure the system works properly, the operator must wait a second between each shot.
Since a cryogenic cooling jacket was deemed both too heavy and energy intensive, the ER-1 relies on a heavy barrel to cope with the heat that results from the firing mechanism. A shrouded mechanical heat exchanger consisting of multiple delicate cooling vanes helps disperse the heat. Though the shroud does an excellent job of protecting the vanes, should they be damaged, the weapon will overheat far more easily.
In order to prevent the weapon from being prohibitively heavy, the receiver is constructed from lightweight plastoid and carbon fiber, resulting in a lightweight, high strength design. This makes the weapon somewhat front-heavy, which negatively impacts ease of handling. However, it also reduces muzzle climb, which allows for more accurate sustained fire.
Without the muzzle blast of a slugthrower or the bright glowing bolt of a blaster, the ER-1 is far stealthier than many of its contemporaries. An integrated flash hider contains what little flash there is, though it should be noted that the depleted uranium rounds create a brilliant flash that no amount of gas redirection can hide. The rounds are also supersonic, meaning that their passage will create a noticeable sonic boom. If you miss with your first shot, the distinctive crack of a supersonic projectile passing nearby will alert the target to the fact that they're being shot at.
An integrated rail system allows a wide variety of optics and accessories to be fitted to the weapon. The ER-1 also features optional HUD integration technology, and longer barrels are available upon request.
Primary Source: N/A
