Directorate Officer
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a traditional, revolver-like weapon in the LPD catalogue
- Image Source: here modified by yours truly
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Lucerne Personal Defense
- Affiliation: Silver Jedi Concord, Directorate, Lucerne Personal Defense customers
- Market Status: Closed-Market
- Model: LPD-60 Thunderer Magnum Revolver
- Modularity: Underbarrel attachments; sights/scopes; ammunition
- Production: Mass-Produced
- Material: Mirrsteel barrel, frame, and cylinder, Ceramisteel internal components, spun-plast recoil-dampening grips, Magnatomic Grip Panel
- Classification: Slugthrower
- Size: Large
- Weight: Heavy
- Ammunition Type: slugs
- Ammunition Capacity: Very Small (6 shots)
- Effective Range: Long Range
- Rate of Fire: Average
- Damage Output: Extreme
- Recoil: Average
- Slugthrower: The Thunderer is a very traditional, swinging cylinder revolver with a double or single action trigger design that fires conventional cartridges consisting of a projectile, propellant, and primer. This relatively simple design makes it exceptionally reliable in the field and unaffected by ion or EMP weapons. Unlike some slugthrowers using autoloading features, ammunition quality and propellant amount can vary considerably with no appreciable effects on reliability. Combined with its heavy build quality, the Thunderer has become popular with those who largely distrust modern technology or want something that works flawlessly every time
- Picatinny Rails: The Thunderer features a pair of Picatinny rails on the top and bottom, which allow it to accept aftermarket attachments such as scopes, sights, and tactical lights.
- Targeting Laser: The Thunderer does have an integral, variable power targeting laser located underneath its barrel. Turning the dial just behind the cylinder allows users to turn it from off to different intensities of light, allowing users to optimize between saving power and brightness.
- Modular Slugs: As with many other conventional slugthrowers, there is a wide variety of ammunitions available for it, ranging from simple hollow-point ammunition and armor-piercing bullets to exotic explosive tipped rounds and acid-filled bullets. It is also backwards compatible with many other ammunition types offered by third party vendors.
- Heavy Hitter: The Thunderer is chambered in the heavy hitting .50 Lucerne Magnum, which rivals .48 Enforcer in power. There have been reports of Thunderers piercing through Beskar and even some light vehicles.
- Low Ammunition Capacity: Like many archaic revolvers, the Thunderer only has six shots, which is absolutely tiny compared to the hundreds of energy bolts that many blaster pistols can produce.
Personal weapon preferences remain nearly endless in the galaxy. While most soldiers and warriors prefer blaster weaponry for their light recoil and large ammunition capacity, there are some who prefer the power, modular ammunition, and utter reliability under adverse conditions that slugthrowers can provide. The Thunderer is a traditional slugthrower revolver that further emphasizes those traits. Use a dense and heavy frame of mirrsteel, the Thunderer is capable of withstanding .50 Lucerne Magnum, which almost enters full power rifle projectile performance. With a fair amount of propellant behind each bullet, the .50 Lucerne Magnum also sports relatively large bullets too, which makes them capable of carrying some unusual payloads. The following are some of the more common loadings of .50 Lucerne Magnum:
Full Metal Jacket: A simple solid slog of lead or other dense material covered in a thin jacket of copper, plasteel, or another gilding agent. This is probably the most common and cheapest ammunition available for the Thunderer. It is reasonably effective against most person-sized targets.
Hollow-Point: Another common variety, the hollow-point is designed to rapidly expand in diameter when it hits a target. While this makes it inefficient at penetrating through personal armor, it also ensures peak performance in unarmored targets with a very little chance of overpenetration. This often favored by hunters for hunting game with a minimum amount of destruction to the target's meat or hide.
Armor Piercing Explosive: This is basically a hollow-point bullet whose internal cavity filled with detonite. When the bullet collides with the target or object, the kinetic impact detonates the detonite. Because of the shape of the metallic portion of this bullet, it actually acts as a micro-shaped charge, with the detonite being focused forward into the target. This ammunition, like its Galactic Civil War counterpart, is well-suited for penetrating through many body armors.
Explosive: This bullet is almost entirely detonite contained within a thin gilding of pre-stressed plasteel. Unlike the previous ammunition type, the explosive blast in here is not shaped forward but is actually omnidirectional. While not as good as piercing through armor, it produces a larger blast radius with some shrapnel, making it almost equivalent to a micro-grenade. Subsequently, it can be capable of creating grievous deep internal injuries or frequently outright amputating limbs on most humanoids.
Poisoned: Officially marketed only for use against dangerous apex predators, this round consists of mirrsteel barbed bullet liberally coated in Cyanoxis D-570. Upon impact, the barbs irregularity carve up deep channels into the wound and then act to make bullet removal more difficult and damaging, while the poison furthers blood loss, frequently leading to deep internal bleeds and blood trails that can be easily followed.
Stun Bullet: This round consists of lightly-constructed plastic shell that contains bothan stun spores. Upon impact, the spores either enter the body or can be inhaled by the target. Depending on the target, the effect can range from mild nausea and vomiting to unconsciousness.
Acid-Filled: At a glance, this appears to be a typical full metal jacket cartridge. However, the jacket of this round actually acts as a reservoir for Trifaraleen gas. If the bullet penetrates into the target, the gas will be released into the target itself to rapidly eat at tissue. Against impact against armor and other hard objects, the gas will rapidly corrode a portion of the impacted target before dissipating away.
It's not uncommon to hear of other custom loads for .50 Lucerne Magnum that are hand-loaded by individual users and smaller vendors. While officially silent on the use of such third party ammunition, it's not uncommon to hear LPD salesmen reference such ammunition when a potential client or buyer is mulling over their options. Aside from selling to law enforcement agencies, security personnel and hunters, the Thunderer is also marketed towards militaries who are looking for something more adaptable and more powerful than the standard blaster pistol. The Thunderer has a strong appeal among many traditionalists, which will likely ensure consistent and steady private sales for a long time to come.
