Submachine Guns

Rorynex Submachine Gun

by the BattleTechnology Staff

Weapon type: Submachine gun
Manufacturer: Rorynex Industries
Operation: Blowback, full-auto or burst fire
Weight (w/o magazine): 2.1 kg
Weight (100-round cassette): .9 kg
Length: 60 cm
Caliber: 3 mm caseless slivers
Type of Fire: 4-round burst or full-auto
Rate of Fire: 1000 rpm
Magazine: 100-round cassette
Reload Time: 10 seconds

Effective Ranges (full-auto/burst):

    Short: 15/20 m.
    Medium: 30/40 m.
    Long: 50/80 m.

Weapon Reliability: 98%
Base Cost: Cb 80
Reload Cost (100-round cassette): Cb 20

Notes

Rorynex Industry's SMG fires 3-mm caseless explosive slivers identical to those fired by TK assault rifles and other, similar weapons. Sliver SMGs and assault rifles are designed as closeranged weapons, since they are not rifled, and accuracy drops off sharply at ranges of more than 100 meters.

Each sliver contains milligram quantities of a binary explosive armed by the shock of firing and detonated by the shock of impact. The resulting explosion is tiny, but sufficient to shred flesh or, in sufficient numbers, to chew through concrete walls or the most stubborn personal armor. Each sliver is embedded in a propellant block smaller than those employed by TK ARs, allowing more rounds to be carried in a single ammo cassette, but with a range which is considerably reduced.

The RM-3/XXI or "three twenty-one" is designed as a lightweight and inexpensive SMG for planetary militias and line infantry as well as for special ops forces, MechWarriors, security forces, and the other regular users of SMGs. It is a solid, dependable weapon with a very low malfunction rate. The ammunition is difficult to manufacture, however, and is not readily available on worlds farfrom regular commerce routes or armaments manufacturing centers. The base cost of Cb 20 for a cassette of 3 mm explosive slivers is usual for worlds on which explosive slivers are manufactured. Their price elsewhere can range five to ten times higher-if they are available at ail.

The three twenty-one's unusual appearance is, of course, the result of having the feed device and sliver cassefte mounted above and behind the weapon rather than attached underneath the weapon, as with traditional SMG magazines. Despite the appearance, test reports rate the weapon highly, since the low-caliber, lowmass rounds produce little recoil. It can be fired easily with one hand, though a forward, snap-down pistol grip provides added support and control.

More Submachine Guns

Back to BattleTechnology 2 Table of Contents
Back to BattleTechnology List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Magazine List
© Copyright 1987 by Pacific Rim Publishing.
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com