CS117

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The CS117 with an unfolded butt stock

The CS117 is a gas-operated pump-action combat shotgun manufactured by Colby-Smithers Defense Systems that was designed using the ARGO (which stands for Auto-Regulating-Gas-Operated) system pioneered by Benelli Armi S.P.A. in 1999. At just over nine hundred millimetres in length, it is a little larger than most other weapons of a kind due mostly to its enlongated barrel - that said, it is a common practice to remove length from the barrel to increase the already sizable power made available by the 10 gauge shells the default model uses. Despite the weight of the fully loaded gun, the stringent requirements of the police and armed forces mean it should not present a problem for any well-trained recruit. The rate of fire is, naturally, only restricted by the speed of the pumping action; on average, it takes a second per shell in the magazine for it to be exhausted.

Ghost ring sights. The green circle represents the target.

The weapon comes equipped with the iron sights known as "ghost rings", where the sight takes the form of a ring that the wielder looks through to target their enemy, and while this is satisfactory for most purposes, the CS117 can be equipped with a red laser sight that projects a red dot onto the target. This sight replaces the ghost rings atop the weapon. Along with a strap, the back and sides are padded for increased comfort - this change was made after recommendations from soldiers overseas, who complained that during continued operation, the frame became uncomfortable to wield. One of the more interesting new features of the 117 is that it can be dismantled for covert use, in much the same way as some sniper rifles can be; the noise factor can be dealt with by the use of a silencer. The silencer works better when firing slugs, but can deal with the use of shot shells equally as well.

However, the 117's reliability has been called into question. Some of the parts of the interior mechanism are prone to wearing down quickly even through normal use, and repeated dismantled and reconstruction cause these parts to deteriorate quicker still. Replacement parts are readily available thanks mostly to the simplistic design, but this is not accepted as a fair result by soldiers and members of the police force. The weapons magazine Patsy's Magic Bullet was the first to highlight this problem in an interview with a pair of McPsychovillian squadmen on operations in Gothria - a squadron had been deployed in an attempt to flush out "Mr. Spoon", the tyrannical dictator who lead the since-annexed nation of Buttonmoon - who purported that the shotgun was almost useless in environments where it was in constant use.

Specifications

  • Use: Close-Quarters Combat, Fighting In a Built-Up Area
  • Shell Gauge: 10, 12 and 20 gauge variants are all used. 10 gauges are the most common, whereas the police force uses 12 gauges for everyday use.
  • Action: Short-stroke gas-operated pump action.
  • Magazine: Six shells in underbarrel tube magazine.
  • Length: 910 mm (1035 mm with butt stock extended); of this, the barrel measures 520 mm.
  • Weight: 3.15 kg unloaded, 3.8 kg loaded with standard, 10-gauge six shell magazine.
  • Muzzle Velocity: 1600 feet/sec for slugs, 1550 feet/sec for shot.
  • Effective Range: 30 metres.
  • Sights: Ghost rings (see above for explanation).
  • Notes: Concealable through simplistic design.
  • - Padded stock to reduce recoil and increase comfort.
  • - Laser dot sight available by request.
  • - Rock salt-loaded shells, rubber slugs and gas-loaded are available for crowd control.
  • - Flechette ammunition is also available for use by armed forces.

Legal Status

The CS117 has a legal status that is known as "fractured" - it is legal for purchase by citizens with clean backgrounds, but only the 20 gauge variants due to their lower weight and recoil and only for sporting purposes. The 10 gauge variants are restricted to the armed forces and the 12 gauge variants are restricted to the armed forces and the police force. Civilians are also permitted to use 20-gauge rock salt shells and rubber slugs for uses other than sporting, mostly for security purposes. This law - MPDPR181, to use it's formal code - became the subject of some controversy in 2004, when a homeowner by the name of Eric Hammond used a 117 to incapacitate, injure and kill two criminals who broke into his house by shooting them in the throat with rubber slugs. It is still the subject of debate in the Parliament, but Prime Minister Erik Strong went against the Eighth Star's party line by refusing to blame this event on the comparative lack of gun control.

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