CQS23 Bulldog

"I don't know what the URF ever saw in this weapon. It's firing mechanism's dangerous, the rounds jam if you tamper with them too much, and the sights are slightly crooked. With all the mods made, I don't think that it's a combat shotgun as much as a deathtrap. Two things to be said for it though: It's cheap and low maintenance. That could count as something.".-Unidentified UNSC marineThe CQS23 Bulldog is a combat shotgun manufactured by Misriah Armory, and is famously used by the URF as a mainstay of their armed forces. A predecessor the CQS48 Bulldog, this weapon is well known by UNSC marines as somewhat B-List, and due to it's modifications by the URF, it is highly dangerous to use by an individual who has not received intensive training with it. Another result of the tampering is multiple variants, each who have little resemblance to each other.
== Specifications ==
=== Weapon Type ===
==== Mainline Variant ====
The mainline CQS23 is a common combat shotgun, albeit with some out of the ordinary traits, such as a wood stock. The pump action nature allows for a round to easily be discharged from the weapon every 3.5 seconds, and reloading is easy due to the nature of the magazine. This variant saw service ever since it was acquired by the URF, and is widely circulated among the group. 
==== Snipers Variant ====
Unusually for a Shotgun, the Bulldog had a sniping variant created by the URF, with more common sniper rifles being unavailable due to the paramilitary nature of the organisation. The barrel was altered to discharge a single bullet, creating an unconventional sniping weapon. The range was also altered, and a long barrel was added for easier sniping. Referred to by UNSC forces as the Boodhound, this variant saw repeated use during the battle of Talitsa, but was retired during the created conflict due to the fact that it was ineffective against promethean armour. 
==== Cut Down Variant ====
As the Bulldog's large size made it potentially unwieldly, the URF began work on a variant that would be smaller and easier to carry, but still have the firepower of the standard weapon. This weapon was referred to as the shorty shotty by the group working on it. By 2557, the cut down variant had been perfected, and several were sent to the front lines of the URF. This weapon, by 2558, had begun replacing the standard variant as the main weapon of the URF ground forces.
== Production History ==
=== Initial Production ===
In 2495, the Bulldog was proposed by Misriah Armory as a concept for the next generation of UNSC combat shotguns. This concept was ultimately beat by the M45 shotgun, proposed by a different design team. By this point, however, thousands of this model had already been produced in anticipation for the contract. Instead of selling the shotguns privately, the company chose to set the weapons adrift on a remotely piloted ship, intending for the ship to be incinerated by a nearby star cluster. However, a group of Insurrectionists in that particular system captured the shipment, along with the blueprints for the weapon. Colonel Watts saw interest in this weapon and chose to put it into production as the mainstay combat shotgun of many insurrectionist groups.
=== Human-Covenant War ===
During the Human-Covenant war, this shotgun saw a large amount of service to the insurrection, especially during the battle of Arcadia, with some groups carrying the shotgun. Insurrectionists armed with this weapon were also present during the Micronesia Insurrection, and the battle for Harvest saw the Bulldog being extensively used by the remaining forces on the planet. It's low accuracy was also noted by multiple marines during the battle of Sardior. During the war, the sniper variant was produced, and used with effect against Sangheili ground forces during the battle of earth. 
=== Created Conflict ===
Although the shotgun itself was not used by the UNSC or Created, Misriah Armory used the design for a new generation of shotguns intended to be the replacement for the M90.
== Gallery ==
File:CQS23 Bulldog.png|The Mainline CQS23 Bulldog
File:CQS23 Bloodhound.png|The CQS23 Bloodhound sniping weapon system. Note the longer barrel and lack of a Drum Loading system.
File:CQS23 Bulldog(Cut Down).png|The Cut-Down variant of the CQS23, or "Shorty Shotty". Note the butt having a rounded stock.