Rifts Up Close: Wilk's 320 Laser Pistol

By Tim Willard

In 25 PA a company named "Wilk's Laser Industries" applied to the CS for manufacturing liscense, and was granted permission to create an office building and a manufacturing in the Chi-Town Burbs, close to the city itself. To make room for the four factories, two office buildings, a secure living facility, and a set of showrooms, the CS Army in conjunction with the ISS bulldozed over 500 "shanty-villages" as well as stores and other buildings in order to make room for Wilk's Laser Industries. How Wilk's aquired this kind of pull with the CS is unknown, but somehow they did.

In 27 PA th construction of the manufactuing buildings, designated WFF-1 through WFF-4, the two office buildings, the secure living facility, and the six showrooms were finished. These were massive buildings, using advanced materials in their construction.

In 28 PA the Wilk's 320 Laser Pistol was released by Wilk's as part of their initial offering of laser weapons. The weapon was made from advanced materials, had impressive minaturization, were well balanced, and had an appreciable payload. However, the downside of the weapon was that the body did not accept any add-ons, and forced the user to rely on the open air sights. A C-18 laser pistol caused more damage to a target, nearly 100% more, but the Wilk's 320 had such a "cool" look, and an aggressive advertising campaign, that the pistol soon became more popular the C-18 laser pistols.

In 33 PA the "Unification Collector's Edition" of the Wilk's 320 pistol was placed on the market, a limited run available for purchase, and one pistol provided for a mere 5,000 credits (payable in installments!) to every member of the military and government, but civilians paid 25,000 per pistol, and non-citizens were charged 50,000 credits per pistol. The pistol had the date of the "official" recognition that the Coalition States was a reality on one side of the barrel, "Loyalty & Duty" on the other side of the barrel, and a serial number. Only 25,000 of these pistols were produced, and came with a lockable case that had the newly established flag of the CS on the top. They were all sold out within 3 weeks, and despite public requests, no more were manufactured.

In 41 PA, the "Iron Heart" model was released. This one had a casing that looked to be made of solid brushed stainless steel, but was otherwise the same as the regular pistol. However, these were numbered, with the date of Iron Heart's acceptance into the CS stamped on the barrel. Only 45,000 of these were produced, they cost 25,000 credits each, and were sold out in 2 weeks.

In 48 PA, for the anniversary of the weapon, the Wilks-320A was released. This weapon featured a chrome look, almost appearing to be chromium armor, as well as a scope. The weapon was highly accurate, the scope laser enhanced passive nightvision with the capability for 1X/3X/5X magnification, and most interesting, the pistol was capable of burst fire mode. Wilk's only produced 1500 of these pistols, with serial numbers. These weapons were bought up almost exclusively by Coalition State officers who wanted a "signature piece" that would be as highly respected as those officers carrying an old NEMA or US military pistol. Less than 100 were bought by civilians.

In 51 PA the "Free Quebec" pistol was released. The frame was covered with a thin layer of glitter boy chromium, with a glitter boy profile on the right handgrip and the CS Free Quebec symbol on the other. The words "Victory Through Strength" were written in French on the left side of the barrel, and the words "Humanity Shall Triumph" were written on the right side, also in French. The words were engraved and "colored" with the addition of silver. Only 25,000 of these pistols were produced, and they were all bought up within 2 month. In addition a special "Pilot's Edition" was sold, only to Glitter Boy Pilots, was heavier than the other edition, because the entire case was made of chromium armor. These cost 4,500 credits, and were payable installments.

In 53 PA the Wilk's-320B was released, which merely added a molded set of picatinny rails on the top, bottom, and right side of the pistol's frame. These rails were not removable, being actually part of the injection mold frame. Wilk's offered a laser targeting system, an IR illumination lamp, and a high end scope capable of laser enhanced passive nightvision, IR, and UV. However, only 10,000 of these weapons were produced, the bulk of them bought up by CS SOCOM for issue to special forces officers.

In 68 PA the "Lone Star" version was released. This looked more like a 6-shooter, with the "cylinder" in front of the trigger guard. The "cylinder" had no real function, but did rotate every time the trigger was pulled, and the weapon produced a loud explosive noise. On the handgrip was an outline of the state of Texas on the right side, and the date of Lone Star's statehood on the other. 50,000 of these were made, and all of them sold within 3 months.

In 70 PA, following the death of Chairman Joseph Prosek, the "Chairman Prosek Memorial Edition" was released. This featured a jet black frame, with full color roses engraved and precious gem inlaid (Wilk's coated the engraving with ruby and emerald dust, then laser fused it into a smooth single gem bonded to the lightweight plastic), and had the date of Chairman Prosek's birth and death on one side of the handgrip with his picture above it, and "Unity Through Strength" on the other side with the date of his election to Chairman of the Coalition States. Only 100,000 of these were produced, and they were all purchased via pre-order 2 months before it was released. Karl Prosek was given one, with the serial number 000-001. Rather than "Unity Through Strength", this pistol had "In Memorandum" written on the grip, and was the 320B variant.

In 71 PA, following the election of Karl Prosek to the position of Chairman, a commemorative pistol was again produced. This one had the face of Karl Prosek on the right handgrip, with the date of his election underneath, and the lightning bolt skull on the left side. Once again these were serial numbered, but Wilks only produced 2000 of these weapons.

In 78 PA Wilk's once again released a comemorative version of the 320, called the "Emperor's Edition", this one featuring a "blue steel" frame finish, picatinny rails, burst fire mode, and was more accurate without sacrificing range or power. Included with the weapon was a compact but impressive scope that provided laser enhanced passive and active nightvision, IR, UV, 1X/3X/5X/10X magnification, flare compensation, and thermographic imaging. Also sold was an illuminator that projected UV or IR in a cone out to 50m, where it was 10m wide. The weapon also came with a "green" laser targeter, that only worked with the scope provided, that rapidly flickered across the spectrum. This prevented enemies from using the laser targeting beam from backtracking and locating the pistol's wielder. The most "amazing" thing was that the buyer of the pistol could have a name or phrase etched into the barrel on both sides, for no additional cost, and the "registered user" had his palms "chipped" with an ID chip. Without the proper chip, the pistol would not function. They produced 15,000 of these pistols, and all were sold within a month. Karl Prosek was given one with the date on right hand handgrip, and the serial number: 00-001, on the other.

In 102 PA, the "Lady Prosek Memorial Edition" is released. This one is identical to the "Chariman Prosek Memorial Edition" version, with the face of Lady Prosek replacing Joseph Prosek's and her birthdate replacing his. The right handgrip had "Remember Beauty" on one side, and the date of her "death" on the other.

Functionally, the pistol has remained unchanged since its first release, and the "Limited Editions" seem to spur a renewed interest in the already popular pistol.

The pistol uses an advanced minaturized emitter, a narrow lasing matrix, and advanced polymers to create the body of the pistol. While it doesn't cause as much damage as the C-18 Laser Pistol, the sleek black look and the limited editions have caused this weapon to be wildly popular. For its appearance, the weapon is incredibly durable, it is lightweight, and well balanced. The trigger guard can be slid forward to allow the weapon to be fired by troops in power armor or environmental armor.

Weight: 2 lbs
Length: 7"
Caliber: 1.5 cm
Maximum Range: 500m (1500 ft)
Maximum Effective Range: 334m (1000 ft)
Typical Combat Range: <25m (75 ft)
Magazine Capacity: 20 shots from a standard e-clip, 35 from an extended eclip. This weapon comes with a special "adapter clip" that allows a belt power pack to be plugged into the fake clip that then transfers the energy to the pistol as if it was normal magazine. The belt-pack supplies 165 shots.
Manufacturer's Cost: 2,500 Cr
Wholesale Cost: 6,500 Cr
Manufacturer's Recommended Price: 11,000 Cr
Black Market Price: 13,000 Cr
Wilderness Price: 4,200 Cr