Tangler Gun
by [[Larry Moore]]
Star Frontiersman #5-p1
Although not common in the Frontier, the tangler gun is an extremely effective tool for law enforcement personnel and bounty hunters who prefer to bring them in alive rather than dead. It is a heavy pistol with a large fore-end, capable of firing tangler gelpacks that explode on impact, releasing their strands into the air, expanding and immediately beginning their hardening process.
The bullets fired by the gun are not hard, nor are they selfpropelled. They are gelatinous and encased in a tough outer plastic wrap designed to rupture on impact. The gun itself doesn’t fire through explosive means. No gunpowder or rocket fuel is used. Simple air compression is used, forcing air into the TanglerClip, causing the gelpack to be launched straight and true. The sound made by the tangler gun (as well as the general pneumatic nature of the weapon’s delivery of its payload) has earned the weapon the nickname “spitball.”
The weapon has a 20-SEU PowerClip in the handle, but this is simply to power the rapid air compressing pneumatic delivery system. The ammunition for this unusual weapon is the TanglerClip, which is a large cylinder with ten chambers, each with a tangler gelpack loaded into it with a thin plastsheet cover (to keep it from falling out when the gun is pointed downward). When the trigger is pressed, the PowerClip energizes the pneumatics and forces air into the chamber – breaking the plastsheet cover and launching the gelpack. The force of the air then rotates the cylinder clockwise to the next available cylinder. The weapon can be fired up to three times per turn in this manner. When the TanglerClip is depleted (10 shots), 1 SEU is drained from the PowerClip (it was drained gradually by firing those ten shots). When the PowerClip is depleted, the weapon can still be fired but must be pumped manually by pulling back on the top/back of the pistol. Pumping it in this manner builds up pressure without power, but reduces the rate of fire to one shot per turn.
Tangler Gun
|
Cost: |
250Cr |
| Weight: | 2 kg |
| Damage: | Entanglement |
| Ammo: | 10 shot TanglerClip |
| Rate: | 3 when powered, 1 when manually pumped |
| Defense: | RS Avoidance Roll |
| Range: | 5/10/20/40/80 |
| Ammo Cost: | 25Cr (10-shot TanglerClip) |
| Skill: | Projectile Weapons |