Unfortunately, there are a number of significant drawbacks for this kind of firepower, as the slugs it fires are not only exceedingly heavy, but aerodynamically inefficient, leading to a rapid decrease in kinetic damage as the slug travels. Under the typical Lyran mantra of "bigger is better", they created an upscaled Gauss Rifle capable of dethroning the mighty class 20 autocannon for sheer damage potential. While House Marik scientists wanted a lighter Gauss Rifle, House Steiner scientists went the opposite route. While lighter and smaller than the standard weapon, the Light Gauss Rifle fires significantly smaller projectiles that deal nearly half the latter's damage, although it has an even greater effective range, can carry a large amount of ammunition per ton, and is less volatile if the capacitors detonate. Wanting to match the weight of the Clan Gauss Rifle for use on lighter units, House Marik scientists created what is essentially a downsized Gauss Rifle.
During the technological renaissance of the after-invasion period, new variations of the Gauss Rifle would appear.
The Inner Sphere would rediscover Gauss Rifle technology thanks to the uncovering of the Helm Memory Core by the Grey Death Legion, and would re-enter production just before the Clans would invade. While the Inner Sphere would lose the knowhow to produce the Gauss Rifle during the Succession Wars, the Clans would refine the weapon, making it more compact and significantly lighter than the old Star League's models. The only significant drawback to this weapon is the fragile capacitors used to charge the weapon, as they can detonate if they sustain enough damage. Even its magnetic ammunition, since it contains no explosive propellant, will not explode if struck or heated. Because of this method of firing, Gauss Rifles deal horrendous damage at significantly longer ranges than a comparatively heavy autocannon, while generating virtually no heat. Unlike other ballistic weapons, which use explosive propellants to launch their projectiles, Gauss Rifles use a series of electromagnets to propel a magnetic slug at hypersonic speeds. Merctech adds new variants of the Gauss Rifle that were introduced after the Clan Invasion.ĭeveloped during the Star League-era, the Gauss Rifle would cement itself as being a true mech killer. Gauss Rifles in Merctech function identically to their vanilla counterparts, but are available in a range of different calibers, from 200mm to 500mm, depending on the variant.
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