Name:  AP Gauss Rifle
Type (Category):  Weapon (Ballistic)
Reference:  TechManual (p. 218)

Description:
In all its forms, the Gauss rifle is one of the most devastating ballistic weapons on the battlefield today. Developed by the Terran Hegemony (with prototypes in the field as early as 2587), this weapon system uses a series of magnets, rather than chemicals or powder, to propel an inert nickel-ferrous projectile through its rifle barrel. Through this process, the weapon achieves incredible muzzle velocities with almost negligible heat. Though it requires a great deal of power, and the charged capacitors represent an explosion hazard if damaged in combat, the raw kinetic damage a Gauss rifle can inflict—and the excellent ranges at which it can deliver such damage—easily surpasses these drawbacks.

In 3069, Clan Jade Falcon began to deploy a new, lightweight Gauss system specifically aimed at anti-personnel work. Though first carried by Falcon Elementals in a bid to give themselves a decisive edge against the host of new Spheroid battlesuits they were encountering, the anti-personnel (AP) Gauss soon found its way to ’Mech and vehicle usage. Reliable reports from the Homeworlds suggest that the weapon has since been duplicated across Clan-held space, with the Blood Spirits recently deploying this weapon on some of their newer ProtoMech designs.

Essentially a Gauss-based variation of a needler weapon, the AP Gauss fires a deadly hail of metal flechettes at supersonic speeds. Thanks in part to their added acceleration, these flechettes can scour their way through battlefield armor, unlike normal needler shot, which makes this weapon particularly deadly to battle-armored troops and conventional infantry alike.

Game Rules:
Gauss rifle capacitors remain charged (and thus explosive) throughout Total Warfare game play, even if the unit is shut down or its crew/pilot is unable to act.

BattleMechsIndustrialMechsProtoMechsCombat Vehicles

Prototype Date:	~3065
Production Date:	3069
Extinction Date:	—
Recovery Date:	—

WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT COMBAT AND CONSTRUCTION TABLE
RULES LEVEL PROGRESSION TABLE
AMMUNITION COMBAT AND CONSTRUCTION TABLE
ALPHA STRIKE WEAPON CONVERSION TABLE
MegaMek Output → Weapon List:  AP Gauss Rifle
MegaMek Output → Critical Slot:  CLAPGaussRifle
Record Sheet Output → Critical Slot:  AP Gauss Rifle

Prototype Date:	~3065
Production Date:	3069
Extinction Date:	—
Recovery Date:	—

WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT COMBAT AND CONSTRUCTION TABLE
RULES LEVEL PROGRESSION TABLE
AMMUNITION COMBAT AND CONSTRUCTION TABLE
ALPHA STRIKE WEAPON CONVERSION TABLE
MegaMek Output → Weapon List:  AP Gauss Rifle
MegaMek Output → Critical Slot:  CLAPGaussRifle
Record Sheet Output → Critical Slot:  AP Gauss Rifle

Prototype Date:	~3065
Production Date:	3069
Extinction Date:	—
Recovery Date:	—

WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT COMBAT AND CONSTRUCTION TABLE
RULES LEVEL PROGRESSION TABLE
AMMUNITION COMBAT AND CONSTRUCTION TABLE
ALPHA STRIKE WEAPON CONVERSION TABLE
MegaMek Output → Critical Slot:  CLAPGaussRifle
Record Sheet Output → Critical Slot:  AP Gauss Rifle

Prototype Date:	~3065
Production Date:	3069
Extinction Date:	—
Recovery Date:	—

Combat Vehicle Specific Construction Rules

WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT COMBAT AND CONSTRUCTION TABLE
RULES LEVEL PROGRESSION TABLE
AMMUNITION COMBAT AND CONSTRUCTION TABLE
ALPHA STRIKE WEAPON CONVERSION TABLE
MegaMek Output → Weapon List:  AP Gauss Rifle
MegaMek Output → Critical Slot:  CLAPGaussRifle
Record Sheet Output → Critical Slot:  AP Gauss Rifle