Post by cody1lab on Jan 16, 2017 22:30:20 GMT
Brief overview
A 'shotgun' is normally classified as a firearm or type of weapon that fires multiple projectiles, commonly referred to as 'shot'. These projectiles are loaded into a shotshell and when fired, depending on the size, type, number of shot, barrel length and choke of the shotgun, spread outward from the muzzle to create a deadly 'cone' in front of the muzzle that the shot may land in. Shotguns are highly effective against targets in situations where the lack of precise accuracy is easier to land hits when using a shotgun than it would be with a normal rifle or pistol, such as CQC fighting with buckshot, or bird hunting with birdshot (a type of shell typically loaded with many tiny shot). During the development of handheld laser weaponry, the issue arose as to how exactly to make this weapon system from the same technology that emits only one beam at a time. The solution was simple, therein, placing a light refracting prism in front of the way of the beam, splitting the beam into multiple beams that individually aren't as strong as the original laser but can be used in the same principle as a normal shotgun in that multiple beams may strike the target per shot. Over time the technology that made these distinct laser weapons has remained mostly the same, with the most notable changes being most laser shotguns on the market today have a rotatable prism 'lens'. This rotatable lens allows the shotgun to cycle through different amounts of beams per shot on the fly, most laser shotguns on the market have settings, listed from weakest to strongest in individual beam power, with the lowest used mostly for bird hunting, and the strongest used more commonly for medium to large game hunting, the list is as follows.
Tech Rarity/Cost: Laser shotguns are very common in many colonies, especially in the rural areas. They are very popular for their adaptivity and rather inexpensive cost, usually costing just a bit more than normal ballistic shotguns.
A 'shotgun' is normally classified as a firearm or type of weapon that fires multiple projectiles, commonly referred to as 'shot'. These projectiles are loaded into a shotshell and when fired, depending on the size, type, number of shot, barrel length and choke of the shotgun, spread outward from the muzzle to create a deadly 'cone' in front of the muzzle that the shot may land in. Shotguns are highly effective against targets in situations where the lack of precise accuracy is easier to land hits when using a shotgun than it would be with a normal rifle or pistol, such as CQC fighting with buckshot, or bird hunting with birdshot (a type of shell typically loaded with many tiny shot). During the development of handheld laser weaponry, the issue arose as to how exactly to make this weapon system from the same technology that emits only one beam at a time. The solution was simple, therein, placing a light refracting prism in front of the way of the beam, splitting the beam into multiple beams that individually aren't as strong as the original laser but can be used in the same principle as a normal shotgun in that multiple beams may strike the target per shot. Over time the technology that made these distinct laser weapons has remained mostly the same, with the most notable changes being most laser shotguns on the market today have a rotatable prism 'lens'. This rotatable lens allows the shotgun to cycle through different amounts of beams per shot on the fly, most laser shotguns on the market have settings, listed from weakest to strongest in individual beam power, with the lowest used mostly for bird hunting, and the strongest used more commonly for medium to large game hunting, the list is as follows.
120 beams (practically useless against humans at ranges beyond 30 meters, mostly used for birds. At close range, it is noted that most personal shields fail to stop all shots hitting the field at once beginning after the first few shots and either let some of these few lasers through out of this swarm of lasers or the shield fails completely after a few shots, usually around 5-6 shots to fail the shield completely. Although still worthless against armor, and losing most power if it does have to pass through the shield, these smaller high number-weak strength shots can still shred unarmored flesh at short ranges)
80 beams (still mostly useless, used mostly for larger birds. Same principle stated above still applies, though takes generally 5-7 shots to fail the shields completely)
60 beams (slightly more effective against peppering targets from a distance such as beyond 50 meters and moving targets at and around the same distance as this beam number is just barely able to cause serious or life threatening wounds from only one or several hits. Slightly more effective at taking out shields than 80 beam settings, generally taking around 4-6 shots due to its moderately high beam count and intermediate-weak strength)
24 beams (Mostly same as above but more effective against flesh, great against moving targets and and targets beyond 50 meters. Weak against shields as the beam count is lowered down to a more sustainable number for the shields to deal with. This beam count will not pass through the shield while the shield is still active but will eventually fail the shield completely after 11-13 shots of mostly direct hits)
16 beams (Much better against flesh, still mostly useless against most armor, only usually passing through weaker ablative plates, this beam number is great for targets between 20-40 meters. Utterly useless against shields, without the high beam count to scramble the shields or the stronger power to pound against it to the point of breaking, it is generally considered best to switch to another beam setting when dealing with targets behind shields)
8 beams (Very good against flesh, but still gets stopped by most medium tier ablative plates. Good for targets under 35-40 meters. Still rather weak against shields, this beam count fairs slightly better than the 16 count. Although it still lacks the numbers of beams to sneak through the shield, it usually has enough energy to pound against the shield until it fails, although typically being in the 11-15 shot range to fail the shields, this number is based on the assumption the shot has mostly hits, and to get such an effect with this shot number, the user generally must be fairly close to the shield for this range to mean anything at all)
4 beams (Very effective against flesh, passes through most medium rated ablative plates and good for targets under 20 meters and excellent within buildings and rooms. Same as above but only slightly more effective than 8 beam numbers, with the number of shots to fail the shields counting in at around 10-13 shots of mostly hits and the user must still be within a close range to fulfill this requirement of mostly hits, generally within 15 meters)
Beam slug (This setting commonly has the prism lens either removed or without any refraction, causing a single beam to leave the weapon, typically described as being mid to lower range in effectiveness under the heavy laser category. This type of beam usually passes through most medium rated ablative plates and is very effective against flesh for a laser. Very commonly used for hunting. Moderately effective against shields, the beam slugs typically wear the shield out through raw power and can take about 7-9 shots to fail the shield. Beam slugs are typically noted as the most effective setting for taking out armored opponents behind shields while 60 or 120 beam settings are considered the most effective at unarmored targets behind shields)
Tech Examples: Laser shotguns A laser shotgun commonly used for combat purposes by mercenaries, pirates, militaries and colonial militias.80 beams (still mostly useless, used mostly for larger birds. Same principle stated above still applies, though takes generally 5-7 shots to fail the shields completely)
60 beams (slightly more effective against peppering targets from a distance such as beyond 50 meters and moving targets at and around the same distance as this beam number is just barely able to cause serious or life threatening wounds from only one or several hits. Slightly more effective at taking out shields than 80 beam settings, generally taking around 4-6 shots due to its moderately high beam count and intermediate-weak strength)
24 beams (Mostly same as above but more effective against flesh, great against moving targets and and targets beyond 50 meters. Weak against shields as the beam count is lowered down to a more sustainable number for the shields to deal with. This beam count will not pass through the shield while the shield is still active but will eventually fail the shield completely after 11-13 shots of mostly direct hits)
16 beams (Much better against flesh, still mostly useless against most armor, only usually passing through weaker ablative plates, this beam number is great for targets between 20-40 meters. Utterly useless against shields, without the high beam count to scramble the shields or the stronger power to pound against it to the point of breaking, it is generally considered best to switch to another beam setting when dealing with targets behind shields)
8 beams (Very good against flesh, but still gets stopped by most medium tier ablative plates. Good for targets under 35-40 meters. Still rather weak against shields, this beam count fairs slightly better than the 16 count. Although it still lacks the numbers of beams to sneak through the shield, it usually has enough energy to pound against the shield until it fails, although typically being in the 11-15 shot range to fail the shields, this number is based on the assumption the shot has mostly hits, and to get such an effect with this shot number, the user generally must be fairly close to the shield for this range to mean anything at all)
4 beams (Very effective against flesh, passes through most medium rated ablative plates and good for targets under 20 meters and excellent within buildings and rooms. Same as above but only slightly more effective than 8 beam numbers, with the number of shots to fail the shields counting in at around 10-13 shots of mostly hits and the user must still be within a close range to fulfill this requirement of mostly hits, generally within 15 meters)
Beam slug (This setting commonly has the prism lens either removed or without any refraction, causing a single beam to leave the weapon, typically described as being mid to lower range in effectiveness under the heavy laser category. This type of beam usually passes through most medium rated ablative plates and is very effective against flesh for a laser. Very commonly used for hunting. Moderately effective against shields, the beam slugs typically wear the shield out through raw power and can take about 7-9 shots to fail the shield. Beam slugs are typically noted as the most effective setting for taking out armored opponents behind shields while 60 or 120 beam settings are considered the most effective at unarmored targets behind shields)
Although it is commonly noted that the higher the beam count, the lower the felt recoil and higher the rate of fire while lower beam counts also tend to heat the weapon up faster and drain the weapon's battery cells at a faster rate while being usually a bit slower with more felt recoil. It is usually noted that laser shotguns stand up better against shields relative to many other small arms, while this is generally true, there are a few very important things to take note of about taking out deployable shields with laser shotguns. The first is that all above estimates for the number of shots required to fail a shield are based on testing against mid-level shields and shot numbers are based off the assumption that a majority, being usually 75% or above of the number of beams, hit the shield. Therefor, any number of shots that include mostly missed beams will very likely have a much slower time breaking the shield if it ever does at all. Another important note about defeating shields with shotguns is that all shot estimates to break the shield are tested with consecutive shots, in rapid succession. This means that if a break in firing occurs, either to take cover from incoming fire or to reload, this gives the shield time to recover, and by the time the the shield is being engaged once again by the laser shotgun, it could likely have fully recovered, making the requirement of the number of shots needing to start again from the beginning and leaving the shooter open to fire returning fire as they must squeeze in as many accurate shots as they can, as fast as they can. To simplify this, to break through shields with laser shotguns, a specified number of mostly hits by the beams is required in rapid succession of each other, leaving the shooter open to returning fire that could break the number of consecutive hits on a shield and allow it recover.
Tech Rarity/Cost: Laser shotguns are very common in many colonies, especially in the rural areas. They are very popular for their adaptivity and rather inexpensive cost, usually costing just a bit more than normal ballistic shotguns.