CD-9 "Chisel" Personal Gauss Gun

The CD-9 Personal Gauss Gun, often affectionately referred to as the "Chisel" by those who wield it, is as iconic with Cobalt Knights infantrymen as the Modular Pulse Pistol is with their aerospace corps. A technologically advanced multi-role weapon with time-tested utility on the modern battlefield, the CD-9 may be found anywhere within the Cobalt Protectorate, but most often in planetary contexts due to its mass and reputation for penetrating power.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

The Chisel is a large coilgun that, in it's previous incarnation as the CD-7, was originally intended to be wielded as a crew-served weapon or with the added strength provided by powered armor. Advances in miniaturization and material sciences have since permitted the weapon to be reduced in weight to a man-portable heavy weapon, then down to a standard (albeit still bulky) infantry weapon. The CD-9 uses an array of electromagnetic coils to accelerate a 10-gauge ferromagnetic sabot to supersonic velocities. The sabots are contained in a disposable magazine that, depending on the specific platform, may consist of an eight-welled rotary cylinder or an ammunition belt. There are many variations of these sabot cartridges available. A few of these include:

Chisel: The classic ammunition type for which the weapon was nicknamed and by far the most penetrating due to their muzzle velocity, chisel rounds contain a set of three hardened tungsen fletchettes in a row to induce splitting in whatever surface is struck. 'Smart' chisel cartridges feature projectiles with micro-scale guidance computers, allowing control over how concentrated the impact is and even the potential to hit multiple targets simulaneously.

Optics: Optic rounds are tiny scout drones that use the silent force of the accelerator coils to greatly increase their range from the operator. These drones can be controlled by a computer or artificial intelligence with the right peripherals, but they are increasingly being used alongside brain-computer interface implants. When their loiter time limit is close to expiring, these comparatively slow micro-drones can dig into a soft target before detonating or, in some cases, injecting the target with an RFID tag for later tracking.

High Explosive: 'HE' rounds are chemical explosive grenades with internal guidance systems and remote triggers keyed to equipment held by the operator. A high explosive round enjoys the impressive effective range of the CD-9 but can eliminate several targets in a radius. Spherical and shaped-charge variants of high explosive rounds exist for the CD-9.

Extreme Range: 'X-Range' rounds for the CD-9 contain a tiny solid rocket engine designed to help the projectile retain its lethal velocity for as long as possible at the expense of penetrator mass. A CD-9 loaded with extreme range rounds is a competent sniper rifle, but using the 'smart' variant of this ammunition limits the weapon to unarmored targets only due to the further reduction in projectile mass entailed by the addition of microelectronics.

Shot: Another classic ammunition type, the shot cartridge for the CD-9 is simply a hollow sabot shell packed with 7-9mm metal shot. Because the CD-9 is smooth-bore to accomodate a variety of ammunition types, a set of fins at the back of the sabot controlled by microelectronics helps set the cartridge's spin and, via centripetal force, thereby set the effective 'choke' of the weapon for the given round.

Because the Chisel aready requires electronics as a coilgun, it is often sold with a number of additional peripherals to improve the shooter's experience. Luminescent ironsights come standard on the weapon, and this is often upgraded to a holographic sight or smart ammunition controller. Improved optical zoom and ballistic computers are also available. Rails along the sides and bottom of the barrel shroud allow for the attachment of accessories like spare ammunition singles, spare power packs, flashlights, and even pulse lasers for use as backup weapons.

Item type

Weapon, Ranged