Editing Heavy Gauss Rifle

{{InfoBoxWeapon
| image = [[File:Heavy Gauss Rifle.jpg|100px]]
| name = Heavy Gauss Rifle
| Type = Ballistic (Direct)
| Tech Base = [[Inner Sphere]]
| Year Availability =
[[3061]] - Lyran Alliance<ref name="MS2p88"/><ref name="TMp218">''TechManual'', p. 218: "Heavy Gauss Rifle"</ref><br/>
[[3066]] - Draconis Combine<ref name="MS2p88">''Mercenaries Supplemental 2'', p. 88: "Upgraded Technologies Table"</ref><br/>
[[3066]] - Free Worlds League<ref name="MS2p88"/><br/>
[[3067]] - Federated Suns<ref name="MS2p88"/>
| Heat = 2<ref name="TMp341">''TechManual'', p. 341: "Inner Sphere Heavy Weapons and Equipment Table"</ref>
| Damage = 25/20/10<ref name="TMp341"/>
| Minimum Range = 4<ref name="TMp341"/>
| Short Range = 6<ref name="TMp341"/>
| Medium Range = 13<ref name="TMp341"/>
| Long Range = 20<ref name="TMp341"/>
| Tons = 18<ref name="TMp341"/>
| Critical Slots = 11<ref name="TMp341"/>
| Ammo Per Ton = 4<ref name="TMp341"/>
| Cost (unloaded) = 500,000
| Ammo Cost (per ton) = 20,000
| BV (1.0) = 
| BV (2.0) = 346<ref name="TMp317">''TechManual'', p. 317: "Inner Sphere Weapons and Equipment BV Table"</ref><br> 43 (Ammo)<ref name="TMp317"/>
}}

== Description ==
The '''Heavy Gauss Rifle''' is a new, deadly innovation by [[Lyran Alliance]] scientists introduced in [[3061]] in conjunction with a manufacturing cooperation between [[Defiance Industries]] and [[TharHes]].<ref name="TRO:PPpg50">''Technical Readout: Project Phoenix'', p. 50: "Goliath"</ref> Applying their "bigger is better" philosophy to Gauss technology, the Heavy Gauss Rifle is one of the heaviest battlefield weapons 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 [[Lyran Alliance Armed Forces|LAAF]] troops.<ref name="TMp218"/><ref name="FM:LAp146">''Field Manual: Lyran Alliance'', p. 146: "Heavy Gauss Rifle"</ref>

While the Heavy Gauss Rifle is extremely powerful, it also suffers from a number of drawbacks. The heavy projectile fired by the rifle experiences a significant loss of velocity, so it is weaker at greater distances. 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.<ref name="TMp218"/> (This can be contained with [[CASE]], however.)<ref name="TWp136">''Total Warfare'', p. 136: "If a heavy Gauss rifle is split between the center torso and side torso, CASE located in the side torso that contains the heavy Gauss rifle stops any transfer of damage to the center torso; if the Gauss rifle is struck in the center torso, however, a 25-point ammunition explosion applies to the center torso."</ref>

In an attempt to rectify the Heavy Gauss Rifle's shortcomings, work began shortly after its introduction on the (still experimental) [[Improved Heavy Gauss Rifle]].

== Models ==
The Heavy Gauss Rifle is manufactured on the following planets:
===Blackwell Arms Thunderfist===
The first non-Lyran manufactured Heavy Gauss Rifle, the specs for the weapon were acquired due to industrial espionage on the part of [[WolfNet]] in response to [[Loki (Intelligence agency)|Loki]]'s theft of Blackwell prototype [[Light Fusion Engine]] in [[3058]]. A [[Second Star League|Star League]] mediated court settlement ensured both the Lyran Alliance and [[Wolf's Dragoons]] could keep the technology they had apparently stolen from the other, with the Dragoons authorizing Blackwell to sell 'Mechs using both technologies to the Lyrans' age-old enemies the [[Free Worlds League]] and [[Draconis Combine]] as a slap in the face.<ref name="TRO:PPpg56">''Technical Readout: Project Phoenix'', p. 56: "Marauder II"</ref>
{|class="wikitable" style="background: #gray; text-align:center; border: 2px solid black;"
|'''Manufactured on'''
|'''Manufactured by'''
|'''Typically used in'''
|'''References'''
|----
| [[Outreach]]
| [[Blackwell Heavy Industries|GM/Blackwell]]
| [[Marauder II]]
| <ref name=TRO3085p268>''Technical Readout: 3085'', p. 268</ref>
|}

===Defiance Hammerfist===
{|class="wikitable" style="background: #gray; text-align:center; border: 2px solid black;"
|'''Manufactured on'''
|'''Manufactured by'''
|'''Typically used in'''
|'''References'''
|----
| [[Hesperus II]]
| [[Defiance Industries]]
| [[Fafnir]], [[Fensalir]]
| <ref name="TRO3067p100">''Technical Readout: 3067'', p. 100: "Fafnir"</ref><ref name="TRO3085p44">''Technical Readout: 3085'', p. 44: "Fensalir"</ref>
|}

===StarCorps===
{|class="wikitable" style="background: #gray; text-align:center; border: 2px solid black;"
|'''Manufactured on'''
|'''Manufactured by'''
|'''Typically used in'''
|'''References'''
|----
| [[Crofton]]
| [[StarCorps Industries]]
| [[Manteuffel|Manteuffel Attack Tank]]
| <ref name="TRO3067p20">''Technical Readout: 3067'', p. 20: "Manteuffel Attack Tank"</ref>
|-
| [[Loburg]]
| StarCorps Industries
| Manteuffel Attack Tank
| <ref name="TRO3067p20"/>
|-
| [[Son Hoa]]
| StarCorps Industries
| Manteuffel Attack Tank
| <ref name="TRO3067p20"/>
|-
|}

==Notes==
A variation on the [[SturmFeur|SturmFeur Heavy Tank]] mounting a Heavy Gauss Rifle has been encountered by mercenaries in the [[Lyran Alliance]]. Details on the manufacturing (or remanufacturing) of this vehicle are scarce. The SturmFeur was originally manufactured on [[Sudeten]] by [[Trellshire_Heavy_Industries|Trellshire]]. This plant fell to [[Clan Jade Falcon]] in [[3052]] and has remained in that Clan's possession ever since. The Heavy Gauss Rifle however did not enter production until [[3061]]. As such the particular source and type of the Heavy Gauss Rifles used in the SturmFeur Heavy Gauss Variant are unclear.<ref name="MSIIp76">''Mercenaries Supplemental II'', p. 76: "Vehicle Equivalency Table"</ref><ref>''Record Sheets: Upgrades'', p. 23</ref><ref name=OR60>''Objective Raids'', p. 60: "Produced Trellshire Heavy Industries Components"</ref><ref>''Technical Readout: 3039'', p. 92: "Produced SturmFeur Components"</ref><ref name=TRO3026Rp80>''Technical Readout: 3026 Revised'', p. 80: "Produced SturmFeur Vehicle Components"</ref>

== References ==
<references/>

== Bibliography ==
* ''[[Field Manual: Lyran Alliance]]''
* ''[[Mercenaries Supplemental II]]''
* ''[[TechManual]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3026 Revised]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3039]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3067]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: Project Phoenix]]''
* ''[[Total Warfare]]''


[[Category: Technology|Heavy Gauss Rifle]]
[[Category: Weapons|Heavy Gauss Rifle]]
[[Category: Ballistic Weapons|Heavy Gauss Rifle]]
[[Category: Ballistic Weapons (Heavy)|Heavy Gauss Rifle]]
[[Category: Gauss Weapons|Heavy Gauss Rifle]]