Rifts Up Close: NG-L5 Laser Rifle

By Tim Willard

Another one of Northern Gun's more venerable weapons, this rifle was first offered for mass sale about -112 PA, selling very cheaply and offered in massive quantities by the Northern Gun armed convoys that plied the Mid-West. Often sold in lots of 100, they were usually sold to militias who also purchased the NG-33 laser pistol. Not only was an eclip charger offered as part of the deal for 100 rifles, but a "settlement perimeter weapons power system" was offered if 250 or more rifles were purchased. (See notes at bottom)

The weapon is fairly large and bulky, somewhat unwieldy, and is is short ranged compared to other laser rifles. However, the weapon is built almost entirely out of molecularly bonded hyper-alloys for the frame, contains redundant molycircs, has a shock dampened laser emitter and heavy duty shock dampening on the crystal focusing matrix. The weapon features multiple picatinny rails (1 on top, 1 per side, and 1 underneath), as well as power conduit power leads to allow connection to a hip-pack.

The weapon easily fits a 40mm M-203 grenade launcher, a fairly easy weapon to find. Northern Gun also sells it as an accessory (+1,500 Cr) for the purchaser to add on easily.

The trigger guard can be moved forward to allow the weapon to be used by those in environmental armor or power armor, or completely removed. It has an additional grip safety built into the pistol grip, and the fire selector is easily adjustable by both right and left handed firers.

The eclip ejection port is spring loaded, which makes it a favorite among juicers, as it cuts down reloading time by half. If the weapon is not well maintained, the clip may "hang" or refuse to eject all the way, but this is a minor problem overall.

The weapon is never sold with a scope or anything else, add-ons are entirely up to the purchaser.

The biggest problem the weapon faces is that it has an inferior range to most weapons, something that many purchasers fix by having the crystal focusing matrix re-lased to remove impurities, giving the weapon a 50% increase in range.

In the buttkit are 2 focusing crystals, 4 emitters, tools, a bore brush, a crystal polishing cloth, a diagnostic scanner the size of a matchbook, a bipod, and a cleaning kit for the magazine well and power conduit plug.

These weapons are manufactured in Minnesota, the Colorado Baronies, Fort El Dorado, and Texas, and sold at literally every weapons shop outside of Coalition States territory. Though the weapon has been manufactured for over 200 years, it is still exactly the same rifle as was first offered.

Weight: 14 lbs
Length: 41"
Caliber: 2.5 cm
Maximum Range: 600m (1800 ft)
Maximum Effective Range: 550m (1650 ft)
Typical Combat Range: 250m (750 ft)
Magazine Capacity: 10 shots with a standard eclip, 20 shots with an extended eclip, 110 shots with a power pack.
Manufacturer's Cost: 3,500 Cr
Wholesale Cost: 9,000 Cr
Manufacturer's Recommended Price: 16,000 Cr
Black Market Price: 17,500 Cr
Wilderness Price: 6,500 Cr

Note: The "Settlement Perimeter Weapon Power System" is a 2,500 foot heavy cable that fits into a nuclear generator. Every 10 feet is a thick knot that a weapon power conduit cable can be plugged into. In addition to the connector joint is a group of shielded capacitors that allow the equivalent of 2 hip-packs worth the energy to be stored. These capacitors are quick-charge, requiring only 10 minutes to fully charge, and charge roughly the equivalent of an extended eclip to charge per minute. However, the system best works when hooked up to it's own reactor.