Ranged Weapon Review MZL "Headhunter" Combat Shotgun

[War Marshal Helix]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To create a close-combat weapon for Helix Solutions
• Image Source: Link
• Canon Link: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
• Primary Source: N/A

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: Helix Solutions
• Affiliation: Helix Solutions
• Market Status: Closed-Market
• Model: MZL Headhunter
• Modularity: Yes
• Production: Mass-Produced
• Material: Durasteel, Impervium, Shotgun components

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Classification: Blaster
• Size: Average
• Weight: Average
• Ammunition Type: Compressed X18 shrapnel
• Ammunition Capacity: Average
• Effective Range: Long
• Rate of Fire: Low
• Damage Output: Very High
• Recoil: High (Very High if the stock is removed)

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Integrated electronic sight
• Powerful toxic shots

STRENGTHS

• Trench Gun: The MZL launches clusters of explosive X18 submunitions in a very tight spread, inflicting enormous trauma against lightly-armored targets (or doors).
• Rugged: The MZL is capable of performing in nearly any environment imaginable, and can withstand significant fouling and damage.

WEAKNESSES

• Boomstick: The X18's noisy, bantha-kick operation may be amusing, but it leads to both a fairly slow shot output and a brisk recoil.

DESCRIPTION


Originally conceived as a cheaper alternative to the Suppression Rifle, the MZL instead became a mass-produced, inexpensive, and reliable close-quarters tool for Helix's new standard infantry line.

The so-called "Headhunter" was named after an internal poll of Helix's infantry droids, and designed with their input. Equal parts tool and weapon, the MZL rapidly attained popularity with some droid troops, who liked to "keep them handy for close encounters."

The weapon functions by using internal magnetic field generators to compress and launch superdense chunks of X18, not unlike the operating principle of Helix's Flamehammer and Pilum weapons. Unlike those two, the chemical mass is pre-shattered shortly before leaving the barrel, resulting in a tight cloud of razor-sharp, superheated radiotoxic submunitions. These leave the barrel at some 25 km/s, often impacting with bone-liquefying force even should armor halt their arrival.

In close quarters, the result on unarmored or lightly-armored flesh can be horrendous. Helix's initial testing indicated significant rates of immediate incapacitation against typical humanoids, should most of the cloud of projectiles connect. The combined kinetic, thermal, and radiotoxic shock of a direct hit ensures that troops facing this weapon would do well to be careful. Even glancing wounds can be dangerous, as is typical of Helix weaponry. The shards themselves are both very hot and very radioactive, requiring a skilled surgeon to remove and treat.

The singular force of its impact also renders the MZL an effective breaching tool, able to blast away the weak points in doors and allow a squad of droids easy access.

Of course, the sheer power of the weapon's firing cycle generates enormous heat. As such, Helix Solutions added a pump-action system, though this serves to vent a spray of sapphire flames, megathermal radioactive gas, and waste heat out the side of the weapon's receiver rather than to cycle solid ammunition and eject spent casings. For safety reasons, the weapon cannot be fired again until the user has operated the pump, leading to a somewhat sluggish rate of fire. Split instants matter all too often in combat, and the time it takes to operate the system can leave the user vulnerable.

This process also generates significant recoil, enough to knock an unprepared user onto their posterior in the middle of a firefight. While some droids have been known to remove the weapon's collapsing stock, this is not recommended. While the "cruiser style" pistol grip may be amusing to infantry droids, it can render the weapon's kick even more unusable. It is not unheard of for the shotgun to fly out of the hands of these operators, most often with fatal consequences.

 

[MANIAC]

War Marshal Helix

Nicely made. However with the new rules, it can't be Mass Production. I would like to ask you to modify the production scale or the rating:

6. Extreme ratings require justification and elaboration in the main body of the submission.
7. Extreme ratings must be submitted as Semi-Unique or Unique.

You can find this in the Factory rules (General Submission Guidelines section)

 

[War Marshal Helix]

MANIAC

Apologies for the oversight, bumped the rating down one tier.