DC - 15A blaster rifle The DC - 15A blaster rifle was the weapon of choice for the Galactic Republic ' s clone troopers in the Grand Army of the Republic . A version with a wooden stock was the standard weapon of the Senate Commandos . It was a larger and more powerful long - range alternative to the DC - 15S . Description . The DC - 15A blaster rifle was one of the standard issue weapons for clone troopers . While the use of blasters allowed a clone trooper to carry significantly more ammunition than a projectile weapon , the DC - 15A weighed a heavy 9 . 5 pounds , and despite the weapon ' s size , it was not a true dedicated repeating blaster rifle ; the inherent instability of plasma gas in the blasters reduced the weapon ' s accuracy under sustained fire . Even so , the DC - 15A was very powerful and deadly in the hands of the skilled clone troopers that received extensive training in its use . The weapon ' s tibanna gas cartridge carried enough gas for up to 500 shots , depending on the power settings of the weapon , while the charge pack lasted about 50 shots To replace a charge pack , the user hit the release button located directly behind the pack , slid it out , and put in a new one . To replace the tibanna cartridge was more difficult . The wielder snapped open the blaster and removed the old cartridge from the buttstock , and then snapped it back in place . Like its smaller cousin , holding the trigger down produced sustained fire , with the drawback of decreased accuracy . On the top of the blaster was a triangular object that encased circuitry , with a wiry switch on it that controlled the power settings to the weapon . Its power - charge magazines ionized the gas into charged plasma within its ignition chamber . These bolts would then be accelerated out of the rifle electromagnetically . The octagonal - like barrel would compress the plasma into a thin bolt . On the high setting , the large rifle ' s powerful blue plasma bolts were more than capable of penetrating the armor of most infantry personnel , and because of the hyper - ionization , they were exceptionally effective against both droids and living targets . In addition to standard iron sights on the rifle ' s upper surface , the DC - 15A could interface with the helmets of clones to project a graphical gun - sight on the clone trooper ' s heads up display . It also included a sniper scope that could double as a handhold in storage position . Mounted on a tripod , the maximum effective range of a DC - 15A was 10 kilometers . On maximum power , a shot from a DC - 15A could leave a 0 . 5 meter hole in any ferroconcrete wall ; however , firing at maximum power demanded a higher rate of power consumption ; while on the low power setting a DC - 15A gas cartridge would last for 500 shots ( 300 shots on high power ) . The blaster could be outfitted with ascension cable projectors to climb up walls or cliffs as seen during the Battle of Teth . Despite the superior power of the DC - 15A , many clone units preferred to use the lighter , more compact DC - 15S rifle . The DC - 15A was preferred when fighting against larger and more heavily - armored droids such as the super battle droid and the dwarf spider droid on open battlefields , whereas the DC - 15S was less bulky and easier to maneuver when engaging in close combat in the cramped confines of indoor structures or star ship corridors . The DC - 15A also proved to be a good weapon to have on hand if a clone unit confronted large biological threats , one such encounter being the Battle of Felucia , where the 501st used it to great effect in an unexpected confrontation against several wild acklay beasts . The blaster also had a stun setting . History . Manufactured by BlasTech Industries , the DC - 15 - series was a range of plasma weapons used during the Clone Wars . Later , eight years into the reign of the Galactic Empire , anti - trooper s bred on Kamino would use these weapons to fight against the Empire . Some clone stormtroopers also utilized this weapon . Additionally , it was the standard weapon amongst the non - clone Senate Commandos , who further separated themselves from the regular Senate Guards by using this instead of the standard issue weapon . The Advanced Recon Commandos , ( mostly in a modified version ) also used this weapon . On Boz Pity , an IG - 100 MagnaGuard nearly killed Asajj Ventress with a DC - 15 , although she managed to survive . These weapons were also used by Dark novatrooper s in the Imperial special forces . These were heavily modified , bulked up , and equipped with extra firepower . While on Rugosa , Yoda used his lightsaber to cut a DC - 15A rifle into a crutch for use by the injured Clone Lieutenant Thire . Captain Judder Page also used this weapon on Caluula during the Yuuzhan Vong War . Behind the scenes . The DC - 15A blaster rifle that the majority of the clone troopers carry in " " and " " is based on parts from the from ( the same gun was used as the basis for the DLT - 19 heavy blaster rifle in the original trilogy ) In " " , the Clone Trooper unit utilizes this weapon and the model is also used for the Clone Pilot ' s DN Bolt Caster . In " " , the DC - 15A blaster rifle is used by the Clone Trooper and Clone Marine units . Its model is also used to represent the Clone Engineer ' s shotgun . In the Star Wars Miniatures line of miniatures , the DC - 15A was used as placeholder weapons for Old Republic Soldiers and Sith Trooper s , despite the DC - 15A being invented much later .