The Modern Armory · Chapter 8

Rifles and Carbines

Long guns firing a single bullet. The family covers the civilian hunting rifle and the infantry rifle, which for much of the period were the same object.

A full-power or intermediate rifle cartridge is damage 8 at Long range, and most of this chapter sits on that number. Entries differ in how they fire: one shot at a time with Accurate, one per trigger pull, or with Auto-Fire.

Action	Entry	Buys	Pays
Bolt	Bolt-Action Rifle	Accurate 1	Limited Ammo 5
Self-loading	Semi-Automatic Rifle	No limit	Nothing
Selective fire	Assault Rifle, Carbine	Auto-Fire	Military availability

Skill: Heavy Ranged throughout.

Air Rifle

Break-barrel pellet rifles, Girandoni pattern, PCP hunting air rifles

A spring or pre-charged pneumatic rifle firing a lead pellet. It is sold without a licence in most countries.

Damage 3 is the lowest of any firearm in the book. It is here because it is Silent and Accurate 1 for the price of a pair of boots, and because it kills rats, guard dogs' attention, and light bulbs. Slow-Firing 1: it is cocked or pumped between shots.

Rimfire Rifle, .22

Ruger 10/22, Marlin Model 60, Winchester Model 69

The most common rifle in the world. A long barrel gives the .22 cartridge one more point of damage than it has from a pistol.

Damage 5, Accurate 1, Medium range, and nobody looks twice at one in a farm truck. Fitted with a suppressor it is very nearly Silent as it stands.

Lever-Action Carbine

Winchester 94, Marlin 336, pistol-calibre lever guns

A short repeating rifle worked by a loop under the grip. It fires a medium-power cartridge and carries well in a saddle scabbard or behind a truck seat.

Damage 7 at Medium range with no qualities and no drawbacks. It is one step below a full rifle in both damage and reach, and it is cheap.

Bolt-Action Rifle

Mauser 98, Lee-Enfield, Mosin-Nagant, Springfield M1903, Remington 700

A manually operated repeating rifle in a full-power cartridge. Every army of 1939 carried one, and it remains the standard hunting rifle.

Damage 8 at Long range with Accurate 1. Limited Ammo 5 is the magazine. Scoped and tuned, this rifle becomes the Sniper Rifle of Chapter 9; as printed, it is the one a farmer or a conscript owns.

Semi-Automatic Rifle

M1 Garand, SKS, Ruger Mini-14, civilian AR-15, SVT-40

A self-loading rifle that fires once for each pull of the trigger. This covers the wartime Garand and SKS and the civilian sporting rifles sold today.

Damage 8 at Long range with no qualities. It gives up the bolt action's Accurate 1 and loses the magazine limit.

Carbine

M4, AKS-74U, G36C, M1/M2 Carbine

A shortened rifle, usually firing an intermediate cartridge, built for vehicle crews, paratroopers, and anyone who works indoors.

Damage 7 at Medium range with Auto-Fire, at Encumbrance 3. It is one step down from the assault rifle on damage and range and one step easier to carry. Semi-automatic versions, such as the wartime M1 Carbine, lose Auto-Fire and cost 500.

Assault Rifle

AK-47, M16, StG 44, AK-74, Steyr AUG, G36

A selective-fire rifle in an intermediate cartridge. Since the 1950s it has been the standard arm of every army on earth.

Damage 8, Crit 3, Long range, Auto-Fire, and nothing else.

Battle Rifle

FN FAL, HK G3, M14, SCAR-H

A self-loading rifle in a full-power cartridge. It is longer and heavier than an assault rifle and it kicks.

It trades the assault rifle's Auto-Fire for Pierce 1, and it needs Might 3 (Cumbersome 3). A selective-fire model may use Auto-Fire, adding a Bane Die on top of the usual Trial Die when it does.

Big-Game Rifle

.375 H&H, .458 Winchester, .600 Nitro Express doubles

A double or bolt-action rifle in a cartridge made to stop an elephant or a Cape buffalo inside thirty yards.

Damage 10 with Knockdown is the equal of a .50 rifle at close range. It reaches only Medium, holds two rounds, and needs Might 4.