M-45 AT Rifle

=Background Information=
==Development==
The M-45 anti-tank rifle was a weapon developed as a cheap way to deter armour advances into Karsian lines without risking the shooter and providing special forces with a weapon that could defeat light vehicles and with precision, disable heavier ones. The rise in mercenaries who worked for the Empire also saw potential markets.
In 82AF development would begin and the weapon would take some ideas from the G-75 series, mainly for the barrel, to make it less cumbersome and easier to ship/store. It would also use lighter parts, though it had to remain strong enough to survive repeated which resulted in the weapon still having considerable weight by the time it was finished.
To ensure it could penetrate armour at longer ranges and not be solely restricted to close-quarters to disable vehicles, the weapon had specialized ammo developed for it from the standard APFSD; a smaller and much cheaper version of the 200mm howitzer's Comet rounds with their small boosters would be added to make the weapon viable.
By the time 84AF came, the rifle would be ready for action and in the testing grounds and use by expeditionary forces, it was found to be a suitable weapon when it came to dealing with lightly armoured vehicles, saving anti-tank rockets for larger threats and could disable lighter vehicles including HMVs if they were hit in the less-armoured joints. The weapon also proved useful in stopping heavy infantry thanks to its accuracy and without the need to either expend copious amounts of ammunition or the requirement of weapons meant to stop armour.
Upon proving itself, the weapon went into widespread production on Karsol and many have been used by both the military and have been found in the use of mercenaries, though the number has been significantly lowered due to the Reclaimation War's end with the fall of the Empire and a decline in hirement of mercenaries shortly afterwards.
==Use==
The M-45 is primarily used as a defensive weapon to knock out less armoured vehicles in place of rockets to conserve anti-armour launchers for use against their intended target. The weapon also provides a much stealthier option for special forces or units operating behind the lines; though the weapon is loud, it does not give away the shooters position via a smoke trail and does not have the backblast allowing it to be used in confined quarters without harming one's self or those behind them.
It also provides infantrymen with a cheap and effective weapon to deal with heavy infantry or those behind hardened pieces of cover, essentially being an over-sized anti-material rifle.
The weapon is semi-automatic, but a limiter has been set so that it can fire a round every three to reduce wear and tear and chance of jamming.
==Handling==
The M-45 has significant recoil, enough that most regular humans would sustain significant harm to their arm and shoulder for prolonged use if there is nothing to absorb the shock which has resulted in special foam and padding being added to the stock as an accessory to prevent this. The weapon can also cause one to lose balance if no bipod is set on a stable surface.
The weapon is fairly rugged and reliable, but does require constant checking and replacements of certain parts such as the recoil dampaners as prolonged use can cause these to fall apart or become damaged due to the extreme recoil and constant use as the weapon is semi-automatic.
Category:Weapons