Armalite AR-5/MA-1
Country of
Origin: US
Found in: USAF
requirement for a new aircrew survival rifle
Notes: In 1955,
the Air Force was still searching for a better survival rifle to equip aircrews
who had to bail out. The Air Force
heard of someone named Eugene Stoner, "who could do wonderful things with light
rifle designs." The Armalite
company designation was the AR-5; the Air Force designation for the
then-prototype rifle was the MA-1.
The AR-5 had a
number of features that would turn up again in later designs.
The entire weapon could be stripped and put into a compartment in the
stock; the result was watertight and would float.
Even if it were thrown into the water fully assembled, the stock would
cause the end to bob to the surface. (Sound familiar?)
It was a bolt-action locking breech weapon.
The stock was fiberglass, and most of the rest was made of aluminum
alloy, including the barrel. On the
second prototype, Armalite put a small button compass on the toe of the stock.
No 2 was the only AR-5 that had this feature.
The barrel had a stainless steel liner and was 9 inches long.
The stock could be removed from the rifle, and the AR-5 used as a
long-barreled pistol. The .22
Hornet, though an unusual choice for military use, was compact, powerful for its
size, could take down small game or a perhaps even a man, and even make a bear
think twice.
12 prototypes
were built, and it seemed that the reviews from the Air Force were good.
Production could start at any time.
Then word came from the top -- there were already enough M-4 (not to be
confused with the M-4 Carbine) and M-6 survival rifles in the inventory, and the
Pentagon didn't want to spend a bunch more money for new survival rifles, even
if the AR-5 was superior to the M-4 and M-6.
The Air Force, Navy, and Marine pilots didn't like the whole idea of a
survival rifle in the first place -- it took a lot of room in their bail-out
pack that would be better used carrying survival food or water.
The AR-5 went the way of the dodo, but most of its features surfaced
again in the AR-7.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
AR-5 |
.22 Hornet |
1.8 kg |
4 |
$574 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
AR-5 (Carbine Configuration) |
BA |
2 |
1-1-Nil |
2/4* |
4 |
Nil |
24 |
AR-5 (Pistol Configuration) |
BA |
2 |
1-1-Nil |
2 |
4 |
Nil |
12 |
*The bulk listed here is fully assembled/pieces disassembled and in stock. It
cannot be fired in its disassembled state.
Barsness-Sisk Remington 700BDL
Country of
Origin: US
Found In:
Wildcat action of a Remington 700 BDL
Notes: John
Barsness and Charlie Sisk used a Remington 700BDL action with a 24-inch barrel
to hand-make a rifle firing a new wildcat cartridge they were working on, the
9.3mm Barsness-Sisk. Essentially a
9.3x62mm Mauser bullet in a .350 Remington Case, the 9.3mm Barsness-Sisk offers
a flat trajectory and good hitting power at long distances.
For now, the project is a one-off.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Barsness-Sisk Remington 700BDL |
9.3mm Barsness-Sisk |
5.44 kg |
4 Internal |
$2849 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Barsness-Sisk Remington 700BDL |
BA |
6 |
1-3-Nil |
8 |
4 |
Nil |
112 |
Carl Stolzer 2-Bore Rifle
Country of
Origin: US
Found in: A
Limited-Production Weapon by Carl Stolzer and his mad imagination.
Notes: This
massive rifle was at first designed by custom gunsmith Carl Stolzer as a whim;
soon, however, several select buyers expressed an interest in it.
It is essentially a wooden-stocked rifle, with a Monte Carlo comb, a
checkered pistol grip wrist, and a checkered fore-end.
It has a color-case hardened finish receiver, and a rust blued upper
receiver, trigger guard, hammer, and barrel.
The receiver is engraved in a pattern of broad acanthus leaves. The stock
is of sugar maple, finished in oil and wax, with the aforementioned checkering
very fine at 20 lpi. The rear sight is a folding leaf on a quarter-rib; the
front sight is a silver bead on a ramp. Rick Straker, the first customer of the
rifle, is a lefty, so the action is designed for left-handed shooters, but Mr
Stolzer intends to make the weapon for certain exclusive buyers and will make it
in a right-hand version. The rifle
is, at it’s base, a premium single-shot rifle.
OK, so it is a
standard single-shot rifle so far, right?
That’s where the similarity ends.
The rifle is chambered for 2-Bore (33.68mm) ammunition, which is also
custom made by handloaders working for Carl Stolzer.
The round fires a lead round ball; the entire round weighs almost half a
kilogram. The 2-Bore Rifle is designed for blackpowder, and is not stressed for
modern propellants. The barrel is
28 inches, and has a rather lazy twist for its rifling, perfect for stabilizing
balls or short conical bullets.
There is no muzzle brake or flash suppressor; the muzzle is bare. Stolzer’s
2-Bore includes a Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad and three mercury recoil
reducers. Recoil is a slow (but not
gentle) push instead of a sudden sharp kick.
Note that the
cost below is for Twilight 2000.
The real cost could probably buy you a new luxury car.
Twilight 2000
Notes: These rifles are not available in the Twilight 2000 timeline.
Pity.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Carl Stolzer 2-Bore |
S&H Super Precision 2-Bore |
10.04 kg |
1 Internal |
$1642 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage* |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Carl Stolzer 2-Bore |
SS |
13 |
1-1-1 |
9 |
7 |
Nil |
123 |
*Damage against vehicles is 3/3/2/1.
LeMAG MAG-1
Seen in: Weapon
experiment done by Tim LeGendre in the late 1990s, with a few being built for
himself and a few unnamed friends and (it is rumored) certain US Special Ops
units.
Country of
Origin: US
Notes: A custom
modification by Tim LeGendre of the M-1 Carbine, the MAG-1 was produced in two
calibers, first on a whim, then in limited numbers for US Special Operations
forces and for big game hunters. The MAG-1 has all the balance and lightness of
the original weapon, and has reputably very controllable recoil despite their
greatly increased calibers. The stocks have been replaced with a synthetic
stock, since the original wooden stocks crack under the pressure of the higher
calibers.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
MAG-1 |
.45 Winchester Magnum |
3.5 kg |
6, 12 |
$434 |
MAG-1 |
.50 Action Express |
3.5 kg |
5, 10 |
$504 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
MAG-1 (.45) |
SA |
4 |
1-1-Nil |
6 |
2 |
Nil |
49 |
MAG-1 (.50) |
SA |
5 |
1-2-Nil |
6 |
3 |
Nil |
50 |
LeMAG MAG-14
Seen in: Weapon
experiment done by Tim LeGendre in the late 1990s, with a few being built for
himself and a few unnamed friends and (it is rumored) certain US Special Ops
units.
Country of
Origin: US
Notes: Another
custom modification by Tim LeGendre, this time of the M-14, the MAG-14 is
modified for the .338WM round. Again, the stock has been replaced with a
synthetic one, and the sights have been replaced with new ones appropriate for
the new caliber. The rifle is fed from a modified M-1 Garand clip or a modified
BAR magazine.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
MAG-14 |
.338 Winchester Magnum |
4.8 kg |
5 Clip, 8 |
$1894 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
MAG-14 |
SA |
6 |
2-3-Nil |
7 |
4 |
Nil |
82 |
LeMAG MAG-15
Seen in: Weapon
experiment done by Tim LeGendre in the late 1990s, with a few being built for
himself and a few unnamed friends and (it is rumored) certain US Special Ops
units.
Country of
Origin: US
Notes: Another
custom modification by Tim LeGendre, this time of the AR-15 in a custom caliber
called .45 Professional. The new round has nearly the ballistics of the .338WM
while reliably feeding into a modified AR-15. Though accuracy is not its strong
suit, damaging potential is. The magazines are modified AR-15/M-16 magazines,
but the 90MWG and 100-round C-Mags cannot be used with this weapon. It is
notable that Eugene Stoner, inventor of the AR-15 series, insisted that this
modification could not be accomplished.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
MAG-15 |
.45 Professional |
4 kg |
8, 12 |
$2142 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
MAG-15 |
SA |
6 |
2-4-Nil |
6 |
5 |
Nil |
74 |