Rifts Up Close: NG-202 Rail Gun

By Tim Willard

Another old weapon, this rail gun is often found on the walls of settlements, on vehicle ring mounts, in the hands of borgs, and being wielded by power armor troops.

When this weapon was initially offered in 5 PA, many thought that Northern Gun would be pulling the NG-101 off of the market. The NG-202 followed the same structural appearance of the NG-101, as well as used the same 20mm ammunition. The weapon appeared to be simply the NG-101 on a larger scale, but avid weaponeers noted that there were some subtle differences that could not easily be explained.

First of all, the NG-202, like the NG-101, used a 440V system, once again it used a magnetically fired "bolt" to insert the rounds into the rail system at a speed of roughly 250 m/s, the belt used frangible links, the 20mm round was heavier than most rail guns, there was some circuitry inside the upper receiver, where it looked as if it should plug into a scope or other top mounted equipment, that showed the status of the weapon, including power consumption, barrel heat, chamber heat, and cyclic rate of fire, but the circuitry was connected to nothing. Finally, the weapon used first generation hyper-alloys, rather than the rather advanced alloys and polyceramics that the C-40R/M-31 used.

Despite these discrepancies, the weapon sold like wildfire through the wilderness, often being mounted on the protective walls or towers or within the bunkers of the settlements perimeter defenses. When people brought up the differences, they were largely ignored.

The weapon's barrel shroud and heat deflectors are more efficient than those on the NG-101, with the weapon able to be fired for more than 1 hour before the heat buildup requires the barrel to be swapped out. (15 seconds for a trained operator, 3 minutes of cooldown) The weapon uses a dual rail system, with the rails showing some wear after several million rounds having been fired through the weapon. (Most adventurers never have to replace the rails, and settlements in high threat areas might have to replace the rails every 10 years or so, as the rails are roughly twice the thickness of comparative rails)

The firing mechanism consists of a mechanical system that feeds one round into the chamber, and electromagnetics are used the thrust the bolt forward to slam the 20mm round in between the rails. The mechanical firing system is prone to heat transfer problems after extended sustained firing (roughly 3 hours before misfires, including runaway gun syndrome, begin to affect the weapon) in combat situations. The mechanical feeding system also is prone to wear, needing replacement every 2-5 years, as heat stress and constant movement wears on the parts.

The stock uses mechanical spring recoil absorbtion, and many purchasers aquire new springs made of higher tensile materals, as the springs failure rate after 6 months is an amazing 80%. Many third party distributors replace the spring before sale. (1200 Cr for the spring, +5,000 Cr if the mod is done by the seller)

The weapon possesses safe, single, and full auto. Single shot tends to jam on occassion, requiring the operator to manually eject the round, as the round lands in the chamber at a slight angle and cannot be thrust in between the rails. The fire selector is the right side of the weapon only.

Despite this weapon being used heavily by the Federation of Magic during their invasion of Chi-Town, Northern Gun was able to prove, through the serial numbers, that none of these weapons were purchased by Federation of Magic agents, but rather were stolen from their purchasers, often after the purchaser was murdered.

This weapon is found all over the western territories, outside of CS territory, and is even found in small towns and settlements within CS territory.

One reason that the CS allows this weapon in such heavy circulation is because rounds fired by the weapon leave a magnetic "pattern" on the rounds fired from the weapon due to magnetic bolt and magnetic round field intermix. These patterns are individual and never replicated by other weapons, allowing the CS the ability to prove whether or not a certian weapon was used in a crime or not.

Weight: 198 lbs
Length: 63"
Caliber: 20mm
Muzzle Velocity: 3284 m/s
Maximum Range: 3000m (9,000 ft)
Maximum Effective Range: 2000m (6,000 ft)
Typical Combat Range: 1000m (3000 ft)
Magazine Capacity: Belt Fed
Manufacturer's Cost: 14,000 Cr
Wholesale Cost: 45,000 Cr
Manufacturer's Recommended Price: 70,000 Cr
Black Market Price: 90,000 Cr
Wilderness Price: 25,000 Cr