Rifts Up Close: NG-33 Laser Pistol

By Tim Willard

One of the first weapons manufactured by Northern Gun, this weapon first made its appearance roughly -125 PA, selling primarily to settlements to arm their militias. Initially the weapon was sold with 5 standard e-clips, and a batch of 100 of the pistols would come with an eclip charger.

The Northern Gun armed caravans sold tens of thousands of these weapons over the years, often trading them to settlements in return for mined metals, scavenged materials, and items of high technology. In -53 PA Northern Gun opened up a laser weapon manufacturing plant in the Colorado Baronies to provide Northern Gun laser weaponry cheaply and easily to the Colorado Baronies and several Native American tribes.

While this weapon isn't as powerful as the standard Coalition sidearm, its durability, endurance, and long life makes this one of the more coveted weapons out in the frontier areas and badlands. While a Wilk's laser pistol looks good, the NG-33 looks tough.

In -65 PA the weapon had the picatinny rail system removed, although the mounting screws did not vanish until 57 PA.

In 15 PA the weapons price nearly tripled, due to Northern Gun running out of pre-existing part stocks and the agreements with several of the larger mining settlements ending.

The weapon is made from molecularly bonded neo-tungsten, has a grip safety in addition to the fire selector lever. In 43 PA the fire selector lever was adjusted to be present on both sides of the weapon, allowing ease of firing for both left and right handed firers.

The laser emitter is a larger, rougher, and more forgiving emitter than commonly on pistols. The emitter is normally mounted inside a laser rifle, but in the NG-33 pistol, the emitter is simply fed less power by the power regulatory circuitry. Some buyers modify the power regulation circuitry to use the emitter at full power, making the pistol do 50% more damage than the standard Coalition States sidearm. While some have tried programming the molycircs to allow a burst fire, the emitter simply is not designed correctly and stutters more than fires a burst.

The lasing crystal is a hexagonal quartz crystal, laser purified, and cut to precision. It is 50% again the diameter of other laser weapons, but is good for decades of service before needing to be replaced.

Contained in the forward storage compartment is an extra emitter and the tools to open the case, service the pistol, and a diagnostic scanner the size of a thumbnail.

The only problem this weapon really shows is when the laser emitter power is increased. Cracks and flaws begin showing up in the lasing matrix within a few months, resulting in the crystal having to be replaced every three month or so.

In addition, the weapon needs additional locking rockers added to it to allow the use of an extended eclip. (150 Cr, 25 Cr in parts and 1 hour) There is space inside the casing for power conduit hardware and circuitry to hook up a hip pack. (1,250 Cr or +2,000 Cr for pre-selling modification, or 350 Cr/45 minutes for modification) The conduit circuitry was removed in 13 PA, and the space just left open.

In 88 PA the "King's Memorial Edition" was released, much to the displeasure of the Coalition States. This version had a brushed steel look, a scope mounted (laser enhanced nightvision, 1X/3X/5X magnification, IR and UV) on the top, and an illuminator on the bottom. On the barrel was engraved "King Gravander Henchu" on the right side and "Tolkeen Mourns-88 PA" on the other. On the right side of the handgrip was a picture of King Henchu with his birth and death date underneath, and on the other was Tolkeen's coat of arms.

In 89 PA the "King Creed Edition" was released, which had "Long Live King Creed!" on the left side, and "Vigilance and Strength!" on the right side of the barrel. The handgrip had a picture of King Creed and his coronation date on the right side of the handgrip and the Tolkeen coat of arms on the other side.

Possession of the Tolkeen limited editions of this weapon usually marks the wielder for abuse, detainment, or even execution by CS forces.

Weight: 4 lbs
Length: 7.5"
Caliber: 2.5 cm
Maximum Range: 400m (1200 ft)
Maximum Effective Range: 280m (840 ft)
Typical Combat Range: <10m (<30 ft)
Magazine Capacity: 20 shots from a standard eclip, 35 shots from an extended clip, 135 shots from a hippack
Manufacturer's Cost: 1,250 Cr
Wholesale Cost: 4,000 Cr
Manufacturer's Recommended Price: 6,500 Cr
Black Market Price: 7,500 Cr
Wilderness Price: 3,500 Cr