Historic Authiik Firearms

The earliest examples of authiik use of black powder, combustible mixtures composed of coal, sulfur, and saltpeter, are known to have taken place circa RZh 200, roughly 1300 years before they began focusing upon leaving their homeworld of Udyana due to their own extensive use of nuclear weapons during the third world war. While chemically propelled projectiles have substitutes in the modern day, there is still extensive use of traditional cartridges, and an extensive history of obsolete and historical firearms.

## First World War Era (RZh 1250 - 1300)

### Cartridges

#### 10.5x44mmR

The 10.5x44mm Rimmed cartridge was created in Tababehne under the name "12 Shamika Exadafihl", as the standard system of measurements had not been adopted on Udyana. In this system of measurement, a single Shamika was roughly equal to 0.875mm. The cartridge was a standard military cartridge for early breech-loading metallic cartridge rifles, and heavy belt fed emplaced machine guns. It fired a paper patched lead bullet with a weight of 29.32 grams at a speed of just over 410 meters per second on average.

It is best known among civilians for being the standard chambering for the Exadafihl Sheorsha 1261, or ESh61, a rifle built from the ground up to fire new metallic cartridges, and the ESh61a77, an ESh61 rifle converted for use with a 4 round vertical box magazine.

### Firearms

#### Exadafihl Sheorsha 1261

The ESh61 was a modern black powder rifle built to replace the previous mixture of muzzle-loading rifles and needlefire rifles used in Tababehne. It was one of the first rifles to have manufacturing tolerances tight enough to allow for parts interchangeability, one of only two known closed-bridge military rifles of its age, and the first to have robust symmetrical locking lugs at the rear of the bolt.

The a77 model had an additional 4-round magazine fed from the top via chargers made from sheet metal and wood. The entire charger was pressed into the magazine from above and then removed via a string that was attached to the top. This left the cartridges beneath the interrupter and spring-loaded feed lip. Other changes include a much shorter barrel and stock to improve mobility and close-quarters usage, becoming one of the first short rifles ever to be standardized upon. Band springs were added to better retain the barrel band, as the previous model's pressure-fit band had been found to become loose over time. The core mechanism of the rifle remained the same.

The later a113 model was created as a conversion for the ESh61 platform that was capable of firing the new 8.25x43mm smokeless powder cartridge. It was considered to be underpowered compared to its contemporaries, but its relatively low power aided this rifle, which was far overbuilt for black powder, to handle the new smokeless loads with relative ease.

## Second World War Era (RZh 1300 - 1350)

### Cartridges

#### 11.6x83mmR

11.6x83mmR was an early smokeless powder cartridge invented and distributed for the purpose of big game hunting before the second world war. It was loaded with a 37.37 gram, bottle-nose, boat-tail, solid copper bullet traveling at a speed of 700 meters per second. It was initially used for damaging small vehicles and injuring or killing cavalry animals, but as aircraft came into wide use, the single rifles gave way to large belt fed machine guns mounted on both planes and trucks.

#### 8.25x43mm CT16

8.25x43mm replaced the 10.5x44mm Rimmed cartridge in the service of the nation of Tababehne during the second Udyana world war. Introduced in the year RZh 1299 alongside the Exadafihl Sheorsha 1299, it was a rather underpowered cartridge when compared to others of its age, such as the 8.23x61mmR and 8.5x56mm CT5 cartridges, which harmed the performance of the nation's machine guns. Their rifles, however, became quite controllable as a result. Much more suitable for close range engagements than the large and powerful rifles of their enemies and even other allied nations. It is similar in capabilities to the 6.8x50mm OC-GPR used in human space, continued to serve in smaller nations for centuries, later was adapted for use in assault rifles such as the ESh 1351 in the third world war, and would stay in use for modern weapons for security and infantry in some small fleet sections, most of which ended up on Mabatshar as the exodus occurred.

## Third World War Era (RZh 1350 - 1400)

### Cartridges

#### 6.71x46mmSR "5.5ak Azhani/Veshki Dita Kuzundii Kavaii 1"

    Human cartridge designation E7-CT15, known as 5.5 Azhani, or 5.5 Lightning, is the smallest of a family of game hunting cartridges that was put into an early intermediate rifle role, employed in a rifle retroactively designated the "Type 1" before, during, and shortly after the third world war on Udyana. It was contemporary with standard service semi-auto battle rifles chambered for 8.5x56mm CT5, and proved an excellent middle-ground between submachine guns in pistol cartridges, and unwieldy select fire battle rifles.

While still used by individuals as a historical curiosity, it is not officially issued by any current authiik military units or produced in large numbers except by one or two arsenals, catering exclusively to those curious enough to seek it out specifically.

It was a semi-rimmed, necked, soft point bottlenose medium-game hunting cartridge with a relatively small caliber 5.5 aka, or 6.71 millimeter, 7.75 gram bullet travelling at an average of 722 meters per second. It is slightly more potent than many human intermediate cartridges, such as the 5.56x45mm NATO, Soviet 7.62x39mm and 5.45x39mm, and the Chinese 5.8x42mm cartridges still used across human space today, and lighter than large rifle cartridges like 7.62x51mm NATO, Russian 7.62x54mmR, and 7.92x57mm Mauser.

    Its later incarnation is similar to the modern 6.8x50mm GPR used by the Orion Confederation. After the third world war on Udyana, this cartridge was updated with a pointed full metal jacket 6.47 gram bullet. It was then designated Veshki Dita Kuzundii Kavaii 1, Cartridge for Light Rifle Type 1, or human designation E7-CT15b. This came along with replacement sights on the rifles that were accurate to the bullet's new trajectory.

#### 8.23x34mm "Veshki Dita Kuzundii Kavaii 2"

    Human designation E7-CT19 was a carbine cartridge used in Udyana's third world war, the chambering for the Type 2 automatic carbine. It was made from necked-down 9.6mm rimless autoloader casings made to fit standard caliber bronze mono-metal 8.23mm bullets. While initially made from brass, dedicated late war production would shift to lacquered steel cases to save both cost and weight. It introduced the pointed bullet to warfare on Udyana, lightened bullets with a more aerodynamic shape for improved range. It was not carried over into service with the transnational military, with ammunition kept in production only until enough Type 3 rifles and ammunition could be made, at which point it was moved to rear-line service with the designation Veshki Dita Kuzundii Kavaii 2, or Cartridge for Light Rifle Type 2.

#### 7.32x38mm "Veshki Dita Kuzundii Kavaii 3"

Type 3 ammunition was adopted shortly following the third world war by the transnational military. It fired a uniquely designed bullet with a 45mm long two-part core and bronze sleeve with a brass case. The front part of the bullet, most of the volume, was made from 1.7 grams of aluminum, and the rear of the core contained just over 5 grams of lead. This encouraged tumbling upon impact with soft surfaces. The sleeve was made from 1.52 grams of bronze. This band engaged with the rifling better than aluminum and didn't foul the barrel with lead. The total weight of the bullet was 8.25 grams. Steel core versions of the cartridge were used in machine guns for anti-vehicular applications.

The Type 3 cartridge was designed for the Type 3 rifle, a derivative of both the Type 1 and Type 2 rifles that was of higher construction quality.

### Firearms

#### Type 1

    The authiik Kuzundii Kavaii 1, or "Type 1 Rifle" is a proto-assault rifle adapted from a semi-auto sporting rifle that chambered the 6.71x46mmSR cartridge, fed from a single-stack 16 round magazine. It was a select fire, gas operated, locked-breech mechanism introduced and fielded on Udyana from RZh 1366 to RZh 1382. It made use of a vertically actuated locking block to secure the bolt in place, and compensated for its relatively small magazine size with a rate of fire of only 510 rounds per minute.

    Its detachable magazine and select fire capability were the primary changes made from the original sporting pattern, originally feeding from a six round fixed magazine and having only a semi-auto option. Minor changes include a laminated wooden stock with minimal finish instead of fine, rich, solid wood stocks, black lacquer instead of blue steel finish, and a steel cupped butt plate instead of a flat sculpted one all serve to bring the cost down. The range adjustable sights and bayonet lug were features added for martial purposes.

Introducing small game hunting ammunition to warfare was a relatively new idea at the time. Cartridges had existed in three categories before, categories labeled by the Orion Confederation as sidearm cartridges, full-power rifle cartridges, and anti-material cartridges. The authiik had all three of these, including 8.5x56mm CT6, a rifle cartridge that survives into modern use, a 9.76x21mm pistol cartridge, and a 13.4x117mmB anti-vehicular round, used against infantry transports and as both ground based and aircraft mounted anti-aircraft machine guns. Other soldiers and support troops equipped with various semi-auto small-caliber arms were kept to the rear, with those considered to be defense weapons, not offense weapons.

Soldiers armed with pistol-caliber submachine guns were devastating opponents from under 100 meters away, and soldiers with full power semi-automatic and bolt-action battle rifles were accurate and precise from ranges of 400 meters and more, but the range between is where assault rifles find their niche. Submachine guns cannot be reliably aimed as far as 400 meters, and at close ranges the recoil of large battle rifles causes lengthy target acquisition times.

It made it much more capable at both outranging soldiers armed with submachine guns, and closing in and raining automatic fire on soldiers armed with large, heavy battle rifles. It proved very effective in the third world war, the first major conflict a weapon of its class would be seen in, but the invention of the nuclear fission bomb ended the war early. Its cartridge would be updated and its sights updated to match, but the limitations of the design would result in its replacement by the later Type 3, leaving the Type 1 to be issued to rear line troops and later sold out of inventory to individuals.

#### Type 2

    While considered by some to be an overgrown submachine gun and a proto-assault rifle by others, the Type 2 is a delayed blowback-operated, select fire carbine firing 8.23x34mm from 28 round magazines. It was issued to soldiers opposing those using the Type 1, and to this day it is debated whether or not the Type 1 is a superior rifle to the Type 2.

The Type 1 had its origins in commercial sporting rifles, and as such it was very mechanically sound, with a locked breech gas-operated mechanism and fine adjustable sights. A very well made rifle with very few concessions made to cut costs for military issue, but perhaps too delicate and complicated to strip for maintenance than is necessary for wide standardization. The Type 2 on the other hand was descended mechanically from the simple submachine guns that were widely issued before it and has forms that would be standard in rifles to come after it, including a pistol grip and a straight shoulder stock, but it is much more cheaply made. Late in the war especially, many models were so short lived as to border upon disposability. Rolled, cast, and stamped metal parts combined with a lever delayed blowback mechanism, as well as using four separate pieces of wood to create the furnishings. The Type 1 is superior mechanically, but the Type 2 is considerably more appropriate for widespread military issue.

It is very similar to an earlier standard sub machine gun in terms of operation. Using a two piece bolt with a pair of levers between them, the delaying of the opening of the breech comes from the mechanical disadvantage of having to push against the weight of the recoil spring, the levers that must push back the heavier rear half of the bolt, as well as re-cocking the hammer. These delays combined are enough to slow the opening of the bolt long enough that the empty casing can be ejected safely, keep the mass of the bolt and diameter of the receiver tube small so as to not make the gun unnecessarily large, and allow for a more mechanically simple weapon as it lacks both a recoil system and a gas system.

This rifle would go on to be the basis of the Type 3 adopted by the transnational military after the third world war, while the Type 2 would be retained as substitute arms for rear line soldiers.