When the public think of shotguns the image that instantly comes to mind for most is the Bully boy, a semi-automatic longarm that delivers a 12 gauge punch to its target. Recent footage from Squad Storm showed Operative Hybrid using one in each hand to great effect during a raid. So we asked the big medic to check out some of the other Shotguns on the market. Hybrid started in with the pistol sized weapons.
FEN’s contender for those operatives who are more concerned with their splatter pattern than reloading. This Pistol sized shotgun has two barrels mounted in and under-over configuration. This weapon chief draw backs are the lack of shots available before reloading and its small range compared to other shotguns.
Some operatives feel that this is outweighed by the weapons reliability; it doesn’t jam even under adverse conditions, its ability to make unarmoured targets “dissolve” and as Hybrid put it “The Marauders unmistakable air of menace.” Hybrid took the Marauder on a walk into downtown. “Most people downtown just don’t want to talk to you when they realise that you are an Operative. After some fruitless searching around I ended up grabbing a guy for information. He knew if he didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear his cranial lobes would be decorating the ceiling when I had the barrels under his chin. He opened up like a sardine can. It was embarrassing, especially when he lost control of his bladder. Ten minutes later I was in the bar, easiest directions I’ve ever had in downtown”
Available in 10 gauge only at the moment with the ceramic barrel, grip and furniture that is fast becoming standard across FEN’s entire range. The ceramic barrel of the Marauder is a joint effort with MAL’s recoil baffling, although this makes the Marauder seriously expensive it does mean that almost all operatives can use this hideously intimidating weapon.
| Type | 504 |
|---|---|
| Size | P |
| Clip | 2 |
| Cal | 10g |
| ROF | 2/1 |
| Recoil | 10/5 |
| Range | 6m |
| Weight | 1kg |
| Cost | 350c |
| Black Market cost | 800u |
The Marauder is a double barrel shotgun with the maximum recoil baffling built in as standard. Unable to use flash suppressor or silencer
Fire is one of several soft companies selling double barrel shotguns to downtowners. Most have two barrels mounted side by side, and although made from an inferior construction process to the Marauder these “sawn-off’s” are fast becoming popular with gangs all over Mort. These weapons are favourites of gangs due to their solid construction, ease of maintenance, availability of ammo and fatality record. Gangers have taken to calling them FRM, Fine Red Mist because of the way the target appears to dissolve. Almost all FRM’s are 10 gauge and feature metal in their construction.
| Type | FRM |
|---|---|
| Size | P |
| Clip | 2 |
| Cal | 10g |
| ROF | 2/1 |
| Recoil | 10/5 |
| Range | 5m |
| Weight | 1.5kg |
| Cost | - |
| Black Market cost | 800u |
The FRM comes already fitted with maximum recoil baffling. Operatives frequently encounter this weapon mounting a primitive pistol stock.
FEN’s design team working on the problems of the 504 have come up with this beast as its solution. The 406 is a magazine loading semi-automatic pistol firing shotgun rounds. The ceramic furniture, grip and barrel make this the 603's much meatier big brother. However 406’s magazine and main mechanism are mounted immediately in front of the trigger guard. Unfortunately the 406 doesn’t have the same cycling rate or magazine capacity as its little brother. Instead it stands unhappily on middle ground between the 603 and 504. That said for the Operative on a budget that needs one gun to be all things the 406 could be just the thing they are looking for.
Hybrid banged off some rounds through our test model wasn’t very impressed. “I’d rather have the 603 for multiple targets and pull the Marauder for the close in messy work. I can see it would appeal to other SLAOp’s though.”
| Type | 406 |
|---|---|
| Size | P |
| Clip | 6 |
| Cal | 10g |
| ROF | 1 |
| Recoil | 8 |
| Range | 10m |
| Weight | 0.75kg |
| Cost | 300c |
| Black Market cost | 6,500u |
This is FEN’s big entry onto the combat shotgun market. The 106 is 10 gauge Pump action shotgun with a difference. It has twin barrels. Both barrels fire from the same trigger action and although you do need to be very strong to carry it the tissue damage caused is, well, excessive. The under barrel furniture contains an internal magazine that has to be hand loaded, however FEN have addressed the limited capacity of this internal magazine by making the under barrel furniture detachable. Release the catches and the furniture slides off of the barrel giving quicker reload times in a target rich environment.
When we gave one of these to Hybrid the only thing he said was “The Doctor is in.” After a full half an hour Hybrid still hadn’t said anything, despite having blown away everything on the range. He just stood there holding the empty 106 and smiling with all his teeth in an incredibly nerve wracking way.
| Type | 106 |
|---|---|
| Size | r |
| Clip | 10/10 |
| Cal | 10g |
| ROF | 2 |
| Recoil | 12 |
| Range | 10m |
| Weight | 4.5kg |
| Cost | 1,000c |
| Black Market cost | 25,000u |
The “Detachable furniture” costs twice as much as a standard magazine. The 106 can be fitted with recoil compensation, however costs are doubled as the 106 has two barrels. Most FEN suppliers will be happy to do this for you while you wait. (Recoil Compensation 5 gives a Recoil of 7 and raises the cost to 1,100c)
SLA Industries needs an armed response to protect its assets where ever they maybe, and that includes in space. However space vessels are vulnerable to penetrating weapons with devastating results from accidents. SLA Industries needs a weapon that can repel borders and not destroy the vessel. The 307 is designed to do exactly that. A 10 gauge shotgun, available in semi-automatic (307a) or pump-action (307b), the 307 can cut through space suits, strip armour layers and destroy body tissue without penetrating reinforced bulkheads. The 307 features a folding stock with a slightly shortened barrel allowing it to be holstered by Security Personnel, although it is still half a metre long. The 307a features long furniture under the barrel which allows for mounting a spot light and the large internal magazine. Like most of the FEN range the barrel, furniture and grip of the Marine is completed in ceramics with attractive styling.
FEN is marketing a limited edition version of the Marine, the 307e. This ‘executive’ model of the 307b features barrel and moving parts in a stainless steel finish with grip, stock and furniture done in real wood. The 307e functions the same as the 307b and costs an extra 350c.
The 307a and 307b both come with a folding stock as standard and all three model’s make use of FEN’s detachable furniture mounting in the same way as the 106.
When we allowed Hybrid to test Fire a 307e all he commented that it was “nice, but too pretty.”
| Type | 307a | 307b | 307e |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | R | R | R |
| Clip | 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Cal | 10g | 10g | 10g |
| ROF | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Recoil | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Range | 8m | 8m | 8m |
| Weight | 2.5kg | 2.5kg | 3kg |
| Cost | 250c | 200c | 600c |
| Black Market cost | 5,000u | 4000u | 15,000u |
GA aren’t about to be left out of the lucrative shotgun market. GA’s 73 uses their patented Lever-action to move rounds from the internal magazine into the breech. With a longer barrel length the 73 can acquire targets at longer ranges and its smooth lever-action enables Operatives to fire at the same target multiple times.
The 73 we had on the day was, unfortunately, a prototype set up for humans and Hybrid experienced some difficulties getting his fingers into the lever. Hybrid managed to break the lever off the weapon before he’d finished on the target range. However GA plans to market the 73 with a larger reinforced lever-action as standard.
| Type | 73 |
|---|---|
| Size | R |
| Clip | 8 |
| Cal | 10g |
| ROF | 1 |
| Recoil | 8 |
| Range | 15m |
| Weight | 4.5kg |
| Cost | 250c |
| Black Market cost | 5,000u |
Redefining the use of firearms KK has developed the Lynx for Operatives needing a little more punch. The Lynx is a single shot barrel loading 10gauge mounted under the arm. The Lynx shares the basic design of its lightweight frame with KK’s 12mm range but is not built to taker a silencer, flash suppressor or telesights. Because of the weapons role Laser sights are useless to the Lynx. The really unique part of the Lynx is its trigger system, which owes more to ITB’s Jolt Glove than to other firearms. After the weapon is activated this “punch trigger” senses contact on the outer glove and electrically triggers a solenoid causing the Lynx to fire. This fire on contact mechanism can lead to some spectacularly messy injuries. KK recommend that you don’t load this weapon with shot rounds.
We were a little worried when we strapped this on to Hybrid, I mean with the size of him would we be able to see the difference that the Lynx makes. We found an old body armour plate to use as a target and let the giant hit it, once. The body armour shattered from the force of the blow and pieces of the chest plate rained down around the range. The Lynx’s 10g shell had put a whole in another target behind it. Bemused we went out and found the chest plate from a suit of HARD armour. The results were a little less impressive this time, the chest plate stayed in one piece. Hybrid had caused a large dent and the 10g round had penetrated the plate, but the damage over flow although significant was not excessive.
| Type | 40 |
|---|---|
| Size | P |
| Clip | 1 |
| Cal | 10g |
| ROF | 1 |
| Recoil | 8 |
| Range | contact |
| Weight | 2.5kg |
| Cost | 570c |
| Black Market cost | 6,000u |
The operator makes a hand to hand attack after activating the weapon. If the punch is successful the Lynx fires and does damage as hand to hand weapon using the owners hand to hand bonus.