Service Rifle

The Service Rifle is a rifle-based weapons system originally designed in PA 244 for the United Defence Directive as its primary longarm. It's highly configurable into a stubby, carbine, assault rifle, marksman rifle, and heaps of other configurations depending on the user's requirements. The weapon and its numerous official derivatives and models, and copycat designs are a common sight in many gun stores.

• 6.8x45mm, delayed blowback receiver and 17“ inch long barrel as standard, with threading on the end for accessories.
  • Both parts easily replaceable with other calibres. ~5mm and ~7mm calibres are most common, but 'overgrown SMGs' have been created by chambering the gun for pistol ammunition.
• Cocking handle and ejection port can be made left or right handed.
• Integrated, two-prong sliding stock as standard, which can be replaced with a solid stock or removed entirely.
  • 32” in length with the stock in. 39“ in length with the stock out.
• Upper and lower rails for accessories, integrated into the barrel shroud.
• Ambidextrous fire selector, with Safe, Semi-Auto, and Full-Auto modes.
  • Civilian and sporting models are sold as Semi-Auto only.
• Flip-up front iron sight, and adjustable rear peep sight with modes for targets within 100 metres, and targets up to 300 metres away.

This rifle fires a 6.8x39mm bullet composed of copper-jacketed lead or steel, held in a brass case containing an active chemical propellant, and a primer on the base. When struck, the primer releases a spark which ignites the chemical - creating a pressure which pushes the bullet out of its case and through the barrel.

The action works as a conventional, delayed blowback firearm. To load the gun, a magazine containing ammunition must be inserted into the magazine well, and pushed all the way in. The user then pulls a cocking handle at the front of the weapon towards them to cock the gun's hammer for the first shot, and load the first bullet of the magazine into the chamber.

To fire, the user pulls the trigger, which releases the hammer, which strikes back of the firing pin - which hits the primer on the bullet in the gun's chamber. The recoil from the ensuing shot is used to push a series of bolt pieces backwards. The motion of these bolt pieces also pull the spent cartridge out towards the ejection port, then move the next bullet from the magazine into the chamber, while also pushing the hammer backwards for the next shot.

If the weapon is set to Safe, the firing pin is prevented from striking the bullet's primer - by having a bit of metal interpose itself between the bullet and the firing pin. Works simply enough.

Derived from dozens of human designs carried throughout the universe, weapons designers tapped by the Units were called to committee early in the formation of the UDD, and its recruitment of gunsmiths throughout its colonies brought private creators and weapons companies which had settled down amid the Units. With some of the designers hailing from the now Kingdom of Albion, the need to balance the Protocol designer's sensibilities with the hard lessons learned from the Old War distilled into a tough wearing, easy-to-maintain, and simple design.

The Service Rifle utilises a roller-delayed blowback operation. The barrel is fixed lacks a gas piston, making it relatively light compared to other types of operation. As the bolt head is driven rearward, rollers on the sides of the bolt are driven inward against a tapered bolt carrier extension. This forces the bolt carrier rearward at a much greater velocity and delays movement of the bolt head. The primary advantage of roller-delayed blowback is the simplicity of the design compared to gas or recoil operation.

Iterations in the design from the Albion designers lead to the adoption of measures to control the bolt's velocity and bounce when in motion. Among other changes to the bolt's shape and the way gas is directed, a spring-loaded claw is mounted on the bolt carrier - grabbing the bolt head as the bolt carrier group goes into battery.

As a symbol of goodwill, the Units allowed the Albion-born designers to take the Service Rifle's design back home, effectively sharing the knowledge with Albion in reward for their contributions for the project.

The following variants of Service Rifle are commonly spotted and named around the Aleph Null system. Private owners may also make their own modifications and configurations to a rifle, ranging from minute and practical to over-the-top.

The following ammo types are commonly used in the Service Rifle.

• Calibres
  • 6.8x39mm is the most common chambering, created specifically for assault rifles and carbines of the United Defence Directive, a happy medium between the most popular bullet weights in Albion.
  • 7.62x51mm is a military slug chambering that's been floating around Kingdom of Albion for as long as anyone can remember, housed in a thick brass cartridge. It is also sold to civilians as '.308' for hunting and other sporting guns.
  • 5.56x45mm is another military cartridge popular in the Kingdom of Albion, having been around since the Old War. Its ballistics are suited to wounding by ballistic yawing and fragmentation, making it unsuitable for civilian purchase.
• Types
  • Soft Point
  • Full Metal Jacket
  • Jacketed Hollow Point
  • Tracer

Join the United Defence Directive and pass basic training, and they'll give you one, in addition to a Mark 8 Laser Pistol, and a term of duty to defend Traveller and the Unity Protocol!

It is possible to purchase a civilian, semi-auto model on any of Traveller's colonies for UC1500⁰⁰ to UC2250⁰⁰, depending on secondhand status and retailer. Background checks and a wait period may be required depending on local regulations.

The Kingdom of Albion's armoury manufactures a derivative called the R44-0 Lancet, which shares a calibre and receiver with the Service Rifle, but has has some visual and operational differences: For starters, the Full-Auto firing mode is replaced with a three round burst, the design and material of the barrel shroud differs from sleek polymer to traditional wood, a padded solid stock is installed as standard, and the fold-up iron and peep sights are replaced with with a tall front sight and a carry-handle which holds the rear sight.

There is less customisability overall compared to the Unit's equivalent, but soldiers of Albion's military haven't voiced any damning complaints about the gun.