A25 Scipio
The A25 Scipio is the primary service rifle of the Bardonese Commonwealth's military forces. Manufactured by various state and private-run arsenals, and chambered for 6mm Caligula, an intermediate cartridge.
Worst of all, analysts speculate that the black polymer design of the rifle's chassis was too stark of a reminder of how much had changed since the days of the Seven Nation War. On some level, they say, it served as a subconscious reminder of how the Commonwealth had gone from a small nation defending itself from annihilation to the very sort of imperialist power it initially fended off. In fact, two legions nearly defected outright when the time came to exchange their old rifles for the new.
In the face of this immense backlash, Caligula Arsenal worked quickly to design, produce and issue the version of the rifle that most know today. Having heard the feedback they were getting from the army, they backslid even further into old design principles than the chassis that Nigellus Scipio himself had specified. Resulting in the straight gripped traditional stock seen today.
Overview and Design
The A25 Scipio, like all Bardonese military equipment, is designed to be a multi-purpose tool for each soldier it's issued to. The traditional straight grip takes the place of a more modern pistol grip in order for the rifle to more effectively double as a polearm. Although the Bayonet is detachable for use as a multi-purpose knife, a Scipio without a bayonet is considered just as incomplete as a Scipio missing a bolt carrier or iron sights. Despite the wildly atavistic design choices of the Scipio, such as the traditional wooden stock, bayonet lug and lack of any modular attachment system, the Scipio has proven surprisingly effective in the hands the Vis Mundis' soldiers. In no small part because underneath the dated exterior is a modern, capable, select fire combat rifle. Another, oft forgotten factor contributing to its effectiveness is the extra weight provided by the wooden stock. When paired with the relatively light recoil of 6mm Caligula and a well optimized gas system results in a weapon that's incredibly easy to handle. And when one considers sheer number of men and women under arms in the Vis Mundis; including those of smaller, slighter builds, the accessibility of the service rifle is worth remembering.Development
The rifle that most picture when they think of the A25 Scipio is actually the A25R1 Scipio. The original A25, as issued, was widely reviled by those who carried it. One of the greatest points of contention was the original A25's use of a cheap, poorly produced polymer stock in place of the wooden chassis as-designed. The original designer, Nigellus Scipio, had designed the rifle with a wooden chassis featuring a folding stock and a pistol grip. Once the rifle was adopted, those in charge of producing the rifle replaced this assembly with a polymer substitute produced by the lowest bidder. The completely smooth sides of the chassis made the rifle difficult to keep a comfortable grip on. The off-the-shelf pistol grip was often loose enough to rotate in its housing by hand. The skeleton folding stock also rattled enough to come out of its locked position while attempting to fire."This is no great leap into the future, we've fallen into the future arse-first with our legs bound at the ankles!"-Legate Cassia Etrustica, whose legion and her nearly defected over this debacle.
Worst of all, analysts speculate that the black polymer design of the rifle's chassis was too stark of a reminder of how much had changed since the days of the Seven Nation War. On some level, they say, it served as a subconscious reminder of how the Commonwealth had gone from a small nation defending itself from annihilation to the very sort of imperialist power it initially fended off. In fact, two legions nearly defected outright when the time came to exchange their old rifles for the new.
In the face of this immense backlash, Caligula Arsenal worked quickly to design, produce and issue the version of the rifle that most know today. Having heard the feedback they were getting from the army, they backslid even further into old design principles than the chassis that Nigellus Scipio himself had specified. Resulting in the straight gripped traditional stock seen today.
Mechanics & Inner Workings
The A25 Scipio features a short stroke gas operation system and a tilting bolt. It also features a rock-in magazine seating system. The fire mode is chosen via a lever that rests in the middle of the trigger guard, and has three modes. Safe, Semi and Burst Fire. One activates the safety by pushing the lever out towards the muzzle, and onto burst fire by pulling it all the way towards the trigger. Semi Automatic mode is on the middle position.
Manufacturing process
Scipios are manufactured at a variety of arsenals throughout the commonwealth. Most of the standard issue rifles are manufactured at Caligula Arsenal, while specialist variants and custom orders are handled at Virio Arsenal. Though Virio Arsenal will also put out the more standard model of the Scipio. Due to the sheer volume of rifles put out by Caligula arsenal, manufacturing oversights as egregious as unrifled barrels and missing trigger guards have been reported making it all the way to being issued to infantry.
Caliber: 6mm Caligula
Item type
Weapon, Ranged
Manufacturer
Owning Organization
Comments